ADAM PUTNAM: “Mr. Speaker, on March 14, 2003, the National Wildlife Refuge System celebrated its centennial anniversary. A hundred…”

“Mr. Speaker, on March 14, 2003, the National Wildlife Refuge System celebrated its centennial anniversary. A hundred years ago, President Theodore Roosevelt established the first refuge, the Pelican Island Bird Reservation in Florida's Indian River Lagoon. Today the National Wildlife Refuge System has evolved into the world's most unique network of lands and waters set aside specifically for conservation of fish, wildlife, and plants. With 540 refuges encompassing nearly 95 million acres and hosting some 35 million visitors annually, the National Wildlife Refuge System is a complex network of lands managed for wildlife and the public. There are refuges in every State of the Union and within an hour's drive of almost every major city.”