16 U.S.C. § 3771 — Findings and purpose

Page 2336 TITLE 16—CONSERVATION § 3771 and appreciation project under subsection (a) of this section, at least 50 percent shall have been donated to the Fund by the National Fish and Wildlife Founda- tion.’’ Subsec. (h). Pub. L. 103–375, § 6(7), substituted ‘‘1998’’ for ‘‘1995’’ and struck out before period at end ‘‘to match the amount of contributions made to the Fund by the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation’’. CHAPTER 57B—PARTNERS FOR FISH AND WILDLIFE Sec. 3771. Findings and purpose. 3772. Definitions. 3773. Partners for Fish and Wildlife Program. 3774. Authorization of appropriations. § 3771. Findings and purpose (a) Findings Congress finds that— (1) approximately 60 percent of fish and wild- life in the United States are on private land; (2) it is imperative to facilitate private land- owner-centered and results-oriented efforts that promote efficient and innovative ways to protect and enhance natural resources; (3) there is no readily available source of technical biological information that the pub- lic can access to assist with the application of state-of-the-art techniques to restore, en- hance, and manage fish and wildlife habitats; (4) a voluntary cost-effective program that leverages public and private funds to assist private landowners in the conduct of state-of- the-art fish and wildlife habitat restoration, enhancement, and management projects is needed; (5) durable partnerships working collabo- ratively with willing private landowners to implement on-the-ground projects has lead to the reduction of endangered species listings; (6) Executive Order No. 13352 (69 Fed. Reg. 52989) directs the Departments of the Interior, Agriculture, Commerce, and Defense and the Environmental Protection Agency to pursue new cooperative conservation programs in- volving the collaboration of Federal, State, local, and tribal governments, private for-prof- it and non-profit institutions, non-govern- mental entities, and individuals; (7) since 1987, the Partners for Fish and Wild- life Program has exemplified cooperative con- servation as an innovative, voluntary partner- ship program that helps private landowners restore wetland and other important fish and wildlife habitat; and (8) through 33,103 agreements with private landowners, the Partners for Fish and Wildlife Program has accomplished the restoration of 677,000 acres of wetland, 1,253,700 acres of prai- rie and native grasslands, and 5,560 miles of ri- parian and in-stream habitat since 1987, dem- onstrating much of that success since only 2001. (b) Purpose The purpose of this chapter is to provide for the restoration, enhancement, and management of fish and wildlife habitats on private land through the Partners for Fish and Wildlife Pro- gram, a program that works with private land- owners to conduct cost-effective habitat projects for the benefit of fish and wildlife re- sources in the United States. (Pub. L. 109–294, § 2, Oct. 3, 2006, 120 Stat. 1351.) Editorial Notes REFERENCES IN TEXT Executive Order No. 13352, referred to in subsec. (a)(6), is Ex. Ord. No. 13352, Aug. 26, 2004, 69 F.R. 52989, which is set out as a note under section 4332 of Title 42, The Public Health and Welfare. Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries SHORT TITLE OF 2024 AMENDMENT Pub. L. 118–159, div. E, title LIII, § 5301, Dec. 23, 2024, 138 Stat. 2445, provided that: ‘‘This subtitle [subtitle A (§§ 5301–5308) of title LIII of div. E of Pub. L. 118–159, amending sections 3774, 4211, 4245, 4264, 4266, 5304, 5306, 6303, 6305, 6603, and 6606 of this title and enacting provi- sions set out as a note under section 4201 of this title] may be cited as the ‘Wildlife Innovation and Longevity Driver reauthorization Act’ or the ‘WILD Act’.’’ SHORT TITLE Pub. L. 109–294, § 1, Oct. 3, 2006, 120 Stat. 1351, provided that: ‘‘This Act [enacting this chapter] may be cited as the ‘Partners for Fish and Wildlife Act’.’’ § 3772. Definitions In this chapter: (1) Federal trust species The term ‘‘Federal trust species’’ means mi- gratory birds, threatened species, endangered species, interjurisdictional fish, marine mam- mals, and other species of concern. (2) Habitat enhancement (A) In general The term ‘‘habitat enhancement’’ means the manipulation of the physical, chemical, or biological characteristics of a habitat to change a specific function or seral stage of the habitat. (B) Inclusions The term ‘‘habitat enhancement’’ in- cludes— (i) an activity conducted to increase or decrease a specific function for the purpose of benefitting species, including— (I) increasing the hydroperiod and water depth of a stream or wetland be- yond what would naturally occur; (II) improving waterfowl habitat condi- tions; (III) establishing water level manage- ment capabilities for native plant com- munities; (IV) creating mud flat conditions im- portant for shorebirds; and (V) cross fencing or establishing a ro- tational grazing system on native range to improve grassland nesting bird habi- tat conditions; and (ii) an activity conducted to shift a na- tive plant community successional stage, including— (I) burning an established native grass community to reduce or eliminate invad- ing brush or exotic species;