Fish and Wildlife Service September 10, 2018 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, open 3 National Wildlife Refuges (NWRs, or refuges) to hunting, open 1 NWR to sport fishing, increase the hunting activities available at 26 NWRs, increase sport fishing activities at 4 NWRs, and add pertinent refuge-specific regulations for other NWRs that pertain to migratory game bird hunting, upland game hunting, big game hunting, and sport fishing for the 2018- 2019 season. Through these openings and expansions, we open or expand an additional 251,000 acres to hunting and sport fishing within the Refuge System resulting in an estimated increase of 17,575 user days yielding approximately $711,000 in recreation-related expenditures. By having ripple effects throughout the economy, these direct expenditures yield a total economic impact of approximately $1.6 million.