John Dingell: “Thank you, Mr. Chairman.”

It is a very happy system. It works well. And it has had no controversy that I can recall except one instance.

These refuges are treasures, to be enjoyed by millions of people every year who want to hunt, fish, or just enjoy the outdoors.

Establishment of a refuge does not instantly make the Federal Government a steward of an area of land.

The goal Congress set then was unparalleled in all of history. Our country resolved to put an end to the decades--indeed, centuries--of neglect that had resulted in the extinction of the passenger pigeon and the Carolina parakeet, and the…