Page:United States Statutes at Large Volume 108 Part 1.djvu/366

 108 STAT. 340 PUBLIC LAW 103-232—APR. 11, 1994 (2) Although there are 10 national wildlife refuges in eastern North Carolina, not one has an educational or interpretative center for visitors. (3) The State of North Carolina, Tjorell County, the town of Columbia, the Conservation Fund, and private citizens have proposed to enter into a partnership with the United States Fish and Wildlife Service to establish an educational and interpretati ve facility to be known as the Center for the Sounds. (4) Establishment of the Center for the Sounds would bestow economic benefits upon Tyrrell County and the town of Columbia. (5) The Federal Government has designated the Albemarle- Pamlico estuary system of northeastern North Carolina as an estuary of national concern. (6) Throughout his congressional career, the Honorable Walter B. Jones was a strong supporter of the National Wildlife Refuge System. (7) During his years of service in the House of Representatives, Walter B. Jones supported the establishment and expansion of National Wildlife Refuges in eastern North Carolina; these include 6 new National Wildlife Refuges established in his district, including the Alligator River National WildHfe Ref- uge and the Pocosin Lakes National Wildlife Refuge, which are respectively the third largest and fifth largest National Wildlife Refuges east of the Mississippi River. (8) Walter B. Jones helped increase refuge acreage in his district by over 303,000 acres, thus ensuring the protection of these lands for wildlife habitat and public recreation. (9) Walter B. Jones' support for reintroducing endangered red wolves into the wild at Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge was a major factor in securing public acceptance of, and support for, this first successful effort to reintroduce endangered predators into formerly occupied habitat. (10) Walter B. Jones devoted much of his congressional career, including his years as Chairman of the Merchant Marine and Fisheries Committee, to the conservation of fish and wildlife, for the benefit of the Nation and the people of North Carolina. (11) Walter B. Jones should most appropriately be recognized for his work on behalf of fish and wildlife conservation by having the Center for the Sounds at the Pocosin Lakes National Wildlife Refuge System named in his honor. SEC. 302. AUTHORITY TO CONSTRUCT AND OPERATE FACILITY. The Secretary of the Interior may, subject to the availability of appropriations, construct and operate a facility at the Pocosin Lakes National Wildlife Refuge in Tyrrell County, North Carolina, which shall be known as the "Walter B. Jones Center for the Sounds", for the following purposes: (1) Providing public opportunities, facilities, and resources to study the natural history and natural resources of northeastern North Carolina. (2) Offering a variety of environmental educational programs and interpretive exhibits. (3) Fostering an awareness and understanding of the interactions among wildlife, estuarine and wetland ecosystems, and human activities.

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