The first American wildlife refuge, Pelican Island National Wildlife Refuge, was founded by President Theodore Roosevelt in 1903. Pelican Island National Wildlife Refuge is a federal national wildlife refuge along the mideast shoreline of Florida near Vero Beach. It was set up to protect egrets or wading birds and other birds from extinction by plume hunters. Plumes or feathers from birds were highly sought after to be used as embellishments on women's hats.

During this period, setting aside land for wildlife was not a constitutional right of the president. However, the wildlife refuge was established by an executive order of President Roosevelt as part of his Square Deal campaign to improve America. The Square Deal was the term used by President Roosevelt for policies of his administration that attempted to create fair deals between business and the public.

The history of wildlife refuges actually begins before President Roosevelt. Starting in the 1800s, the concept of not slaughtering wildlife without restrictions increasingly gained support. In 1864 Congress transferred the Yosemite Valley to California. One of the terms of the transfer was that state authorities were to halt the destruction of the fish and game in the reservation, especially for merchandise or profit. Yosemite Valley was later returned to the federal government.

Over the next few decades there were many other signifcant events that took place in the conservation movement. In 1868, President Ulysses Grant took action to protect the Pribilof Islands in Alaska for the northern fur seal. In 1872, Yellowstone National Park was created and the destruction of wildlife was forbidden. In 1881, President Benjamin Harrison created by executive order the Alaskan Afornak Island Forest and Fish Culture Reserve,which was the first reservation for fish.

Throughout the 1880s and 1890s, Roosevelt had a large role in the movement concerning the plight of fish and wildlife and other natural resources across the country. He was acquainted with resource management needs and with the many influential people and organizations at the forefront of the effort. Thus, when he became president in 190l, he was up to the task of natural resource protection. Mounting public concern, combined with the conservation-minded president, gave "teeth" to the system.

Today the National Wildlife Refuge is a designation for some protected areas of the country that are managed by the US Fish and Wildlife Service. The National Wildlife Refuge system is a network of lands and waters managed to protect wildlife and their habitats. The system consists of over 500 refuges across the nation spanning 95 million acres, thousands of tiny wetlands, and other special protection areas. There are nearly 4,000 employees and 30,000 volunteers dedicated to the system.

The US Fish and Wildlife Service also manages 69 national fish hatcheries, 64 fishery resources offices, and 81 ecological services field stations. Additionally, it enforces federal wildlife laws, administers the Endangered Species Act, manages migratory bird populations, restores nationally significant fisheries, conserves and restores wildlife habitats such as wetlands, and helps foreign and Native American tribal governments with their conservation efforts. It also oversees the Federal Assistance Program, which doles out several hundred millions dollars in excise taxes collected on fishing and hunting equipment to state fish and wildlife agencies.

Much of the centralized effort that is now running the system was tightened up between the 1940s to 1970s. Wildlife refuges are now officially designated territories created by government legislation, though the land itself may be publicly or privately owned. The future of the system looks bright.

In 1997, Congress passed the National Wildlife Refuge System Improvement Act. This amended the National Wildlife Refuge System Administration Act of 1966 and provided much needed new guidance for the management of the refuges. The refuges are now managed as a national system of lands and waters dedicated to conserving wildlife and maintaining biological integrity of their ecosystems. The law also clarified the new focus for management and staff. It identified the means to figure out what wildlife-dependent recreational uses are okay on refuges and required management to perform comprehensive conservation planning for each refuge.

From the times of President Roosevelt, and even earlier, wildlife refuges have been a significant part of the conservation movement in the United States. Today the National Wildlife Refuge System now has protected areas in all 50 states and several North American territories. President Roosevelt would surely be proud of this accomplishment.

For more information about local boating, environmental issues, and other water-related activities throughout the Oyster Bay area you can email the author at Jaime.VanDyke@gmail.com or reach her at 946-9464.