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The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service manages our National Wildlife Refuges. These public
lands and waters have been set aside to conserve America's fish, wildlife and plants. Donny
Browning has worked on Refuges for almost 30 years. National Wildlife Refuges are special
places for wildlife, cultural resources, natural resources, and for all of us too. Refuges
are protected, managed, and sometimes enhanced on the various areas that we have for the
wildlife species that utilize the areas. This work creates a diversity of wildlife species
in the area and also creates a diversity of recreational activities for the public to
enjoy. The National Wildlife Refuge System itself started in 1903 with Theodore Roosevelt,
and it was a small island down in Florida, which we're fortunate enough to have here
in, of course, the southeast. It was set up there to help protect egrets from the plume
trade, and through the years the National Wildlife Refuge System has evolved from just
protection to now protection and also enhancement, where we can, and then also for the public
to enjoy the national wildlife resources. For example, if you go to Cape Romain on the
coast of South Carolina, it's an excellent place for kayaking. Or if you go to Santee
in South Carolina, you've got an auto tour route that you can take that takes you into
a section of the Refuge that is away from the main office. And another example of a
great opportunity on National Wildlife Refuges is the canoe trails that we have on Okefenokee
Swamp. I've been very fortunate in my life to enjoy the outdoors and have the opportunity
to actually work in them. It gives me great pleasure to do what we do for wildlife and
see the wildlife actually being able to use those areas. It also gives me grew pleasure
when I see the public come to those Refuges, and the families that bring their children,
and I hope one day that my daughter can bring her children to enjoy those same National
Wildlife Refuges that we enjoy today. And it's the reason that we've set National Wildlife
Refuges up to where the future generations can enjoy the same activities and same sounds
and sights that I do.