United States Fish and Wildlife Service

• Pages: 216-218

216 U.S. GOVERNMENT MANUAL

management of cultural and natural

resources. The museum staff coordinates

tours of the art and architecture of the

Interior building. For more information,

contact the museum staff or visit our Web

site. Phone, 202–208–4743. Internet,

www.doi.gov/interiormuseum.

Library The Interior Library is a

research-level collection that covers

the broad range of matters related to

the Department’s mission. Specif‌ic

collections include departmental

publications, a selective depository

of Federal documents, a wide array

of electronic information sources

available through the library Web site,

a comprehensive law collection, an

extensive periodical collection, and

a rare book collection consisting of

19th-century monographs on Native

Americans, American history, and

zoology. For more information, contact

the library staff or visit our Web site.

Phone, 202–208–5815. Internet, http://

library.doi.gov.

Reading Room Visit the Department

of the Interior Library, Main Interior

Building. Phone, 202–208–5815.

Employee Locator To locate an

employee of the Department of the

Interior, call 202–208–3100.

For further information, contact the Department of the Interior, 1849 C Street NW.,Washington, DC 20240.

Phone, 202–208–3100. Internet, http://www.doi.gov.

United States Fish and Wildlife Service

1849 C Street NW., Washington,DC 20240

Phone, 703–358–2220. Internet, http://www.fws.gov.

Director (VACANCY)

[For the United States Fish and Wildlife Service statement of organization, see the Code of Federal Regulations,

Title 50, Subchapter A, Part 2]

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is the

principal Federal agency dedicated to f‌ish

and wildlife conservation. The Service’s

history spans nearly 140 years, dating

from the establishment of its predecessor

agency, the Bureau of Fisheries, in

1871. First created as an independent

agency, the Bureau of Fisheries was later

placed in the Department of Commerce.

A second predecessor agency, the

Bureau of Biological Survey, was

established in 1885 in the Department

of Agriculture. In 1939, the two Bureaus

and their functions were transferred to

the Department of the Interior. In 1940,

they were consolidated into one agency

and redesignated the Fish and Wildlife

Service by Reorganization Plan No. 3 (5

U.S.C. app.).

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is

responsible for conserving, protecting,

and enhancing f‌ish, wildlife, and plants

and their habitats for the continuing

benef‌it of the American people. The

Service manages the 150-million-

acre National Wildlife Refuge System,

which encompasses 550 units,

thousands of small wetlands, and other

special management areas. It also

operates 70 national f‌ish hatcheries,

64 f‌ishery resource off‌ices, and 81

ecological service f‌ield stations. The

Service enforces Federal wildlife laws,

administers the Endangered Species Act,

manages migratory bird populations,

restores nationally signif‌icant f‌isheries,

conserves and restores wildlife habitat

such as wetlands, and assists foreign

governments with their conservation

efforts. It also oversees the Sport Fish

and Wildlife Restoration Programs,

which collect and distribute revenues

from excise taxes on f‌ishing and hunting

equipment to State f‌ish and wildlife

agencies.

The Service is responsible for

improving and maintaining f‌ish and

wildlife resources by proper management

of wildlife and habitat. It also helps

fulf‌ill the public demand for recreational

f‌ishing while maintaining the Nation’s