# United States Fish and Wildlife Service The [[Department of the Interior]] bureau that administers the **National Wildlife Refuge System — 89.3 million acres** as of September 30, 2024 — along with the Endangered Species Act listing and consultation programs and the migratory-bird treaties. Alone among the four major federal land managers, it operates under a **dominant-use** mandate rather than multiple use. The National Wildlife Refuge System Administration Act of 1966, as amended by the Improvement Act of 1997 (16 U.S.C. § 668dd), bars the Secretary from initiating, permitting, expanding, renewing or extending **any** refuge use without first determining it **compatible** with the refuge's purpose. Six wildlife-dependent recreational uses — hunting, fishing, wildlife observation, wildlife photography, environmental education and interpretation — are named statutory priorities; everything else begins from a presumption against. Its disposal route is the most heavily guarded in the federal land system: refuge land may leave only on a finding that it is no longer needed, **approved by the [[Migratory Bird Conservation Commission]]**, a body that includes two Senators and two Representatives, with proceeds restricted to acquiring more land. Director: Brian Nesvik, confirmed 2025-08-01. ## See also - [[Federal Land Management Crosswalk]] - [[Migratory Bird Conservation Commission]] - [[Department of the Interior]] - [[National Park Service]]