text: SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
  
      This Act may be cited as the ``Green River National Wildlife Refuge 
  Act of 2002''.
  
  SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
  
      Congress finds that--
              (1) the Green River bottoms area, Kentucky, was once part 
          of a large bottomland hardwood forest;
              (2) most of the bottoms area has been converted to 
          agricultural use through--
                      (A) draining of wetland;
                      (B) altering of interior drainage systems; and
                      (C) clearing of bottomland hardwood forest;
              (3) as of the date of enactment of this Act, the bottoms 
          area is predominantly ridge and swale farmland, with river-scar 
          oxbows, several sloughs, wet depression areas, and a small 
          quantity of bottomland hardwood forest;
              (4) approximately 1,200 acres of bottomland hardwood forest 
          remain, consisting mostly of cypress, willow, hackberry, silver 
          maple, ash, and buttonbush;
              (5) many of the interior drainage systems on the land offer 
          excellent opportunities to restore, with minor modifications, 
          the historical hydrology, wetland, and bottomland hardwood 
          forest of the bottoms area to high-quality wildlife habitats;
              (6) in the bottoms area, waterfowl occur in large numbers 
          when sufficient water levels occur, primarily when flood 
          conditions from the Ohio River and the Green River negate the 
          extensive drainages and alterations made by man;
              (7) the wooded and shrub tracts of the bottoms area are 
          used by many species of nongame neotropical migratory birds;
              (8) migratory shorebirds use the bottoms area during spring 
          migrations;
              (9) wading birds such as snipe, great blue heron, green 
          heron, common egret, and great egret frequent the bottoms area;
              (10) bald eagles and myriad other raptors frequent the 
          bottoms area;
              (11) several species listed as endangered or threatened 
          species under the Endangered Species Act of 1973 (16 U.S.C. 
          1531 et seq.) have been found near the bottoms area, including 
          Indiana bat maternity colonies, fanshell, pink mucket pearly 
          mussel, and fat pocketbook;
              (12) several species of mussel listed as endangered or 
          threatened species under that Act historically occurred near 
          the bottoms area, including purple cat's paw pearly mussel, 
          tubercled-blossom pearly mussel, ring pink, and white wartyback 
          pearly mussel;
              (13) the copperbelly water snake, covered by the 
          Copperbelly Water Snake Conservation Plan, is found in the 
          wetland complex and buttonbush shrub in the Scuffletown area;
              (14) significant populations of resident game species, 
          including white-tailed deer, swamp rabbit, cottontail rabbit, 
          gray squirrel, mink, muskrat, beaver, fox, and coyote, occur in 
          the bottoms area;
              (15) the Ohio River and the Green River are important 
          habitat for big river species such as paddlefish, sturgeon, 
          catfish, carp, buffalo, and gar;
              (16) conservation, enhancement, and ecological restoration 
          of the bottoms area through inclusion in the National Wildlife 
          Refuge System would help meet the habitat conservation goals 
          of--
                      (A) the North American Waterfowl Management Plan;
                      (B) the Lower Mississippi Joint Venture;
                      (C) the Interior Low Plateaus Bird Conservation 
                  Plan; and
                      (D) the Copperbelly Water Snake Conservation Plan;
              (17) the valuable complex of wetland habitats comprising 
          the bottoms area, with its many forms of wildlife, has 
          extremely high recreational value for hunters, anglers, 
  birdwatchers, nature photographers, and others; and
              (18) the Green River bottoms area is deserving of inclusion 
          in the National Wildlife Refuge System.
  
  SEC. 3. PURPOSE.
  
      The purpose of this Act is to establish the Green River National 
  Wildlife Refuge in the Green River bottoms area, Henderson County, 
  Kentucky, to provide--
              (1) habitat for migrating and wintering waterfowl;
              (2) habitat for nongame land birds;
              (3) habitats for a natural diversity of fish and wildlife;
              (4) nesting habitat for wood ducks and other locally 
          nesting migratory waterfowl;
              (5) high-quality hunting and sportfishing opportunities; 
          and
              (6) opportunities for environmental education, 
          interpretation, and wildlife-oriented recreation.
  
  SEC. 4. DEFINITIONS.
  
      In this Act:
              (1) Refuge.--The term ``Refuge'' means the Green River 
          National Wildlife Refuge established under section 5.
              (2) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary 
          of the Interior.
  
  SEC. 5. ESTABLISHMENT.
  
      (a) Establishment.--
              (1) In general.--The Secretary shall establish the Green 
          River National Wildlife Refuge, consisting of approximately 
          23,000 acres of Federal land, water, and interests in land or 
          water within the boundaries depicted on the map entitled 
          ``Green River National Wildlife Refuge'', dated September 10, 
          2001.
              (2) Boundary revisions.--The Secretary shall make such 
          minor revisions of the boundaries of the Refuge as are 
          appropriate to carry out the purposes of the Refuge or to 
          facilitate the acquisition of land, water, and interests in 
          land or water within the Refuge.
              (3) Availability of map.--The map referred to in paragraph 
          (1) shall be available for inspection in appropriate offices of 
          the United States Fish and Wildlife Service.
      (b) Effective Date.--The establishment of the Refuge shall take 
  effect on the date on which the Secretary publishes, in the Federal 
  Register and publications of local circulation in the vicinity of the 
  Refuge, a notice that sufficient property has been acquired by the 
  United States within the Refuge to constitute an area that can be 
  efficiently managed as a national wildlife refuge.
  
  SEC. 6. ACQUISITION OF LAND, WATER, AND INTERESTS IN LAND OR WATER.
  
      (a) In General.--Subject to the availability of appropriations, the 
  Secretary may obtain by purchase from willing sellers, donation, or 
  exchange up to 23,000 acres of land and water, or interests in land or 
  water, within the boundaries of the Refuge described in section 
  5(a)(1).
      (b) Inclusion in Refuge.--Any land, water, or interest acquired by 
  the Secretary under this section shall be part of the Refuge.
  
  SEC. 7. ADMINISTRATION.
  
      In administering the Refuge, the Secretary shall--
              (1) conserve, enhance, and restore the native aquatic and 
          terrestrial community characteristics of the Green River 
          (including associated fish, wildlife, and plant species);
              (2) conserve, enhance, and restore habitat to maintain and 
          assist in the recovery of species of animals and plants that 
          are listed as endangered species or threatened species under 
          the Endangered Species Act of 1973 (16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.);
              (3) in providing opportunities for compatible fish- and 
          wildlife-oriented recreation, ensure that hunting, fishing, 
          wildlife observation and photography, and environmental 
          education and interpretation are the priority general public 
          uses of the Refuge, in accordance with paragraphs (3) and (4) 
          of section 4(a) of the National Wildlife Refuge System 
          Administration Act of 1966 (16 U.S.C. 668dd(a)); and
              (4) encourage the use of volunteers and facilitate 
          partnerships among the United States Fish and Wildlife Service, 
          local communities, conservation organizations, and other non-
          Federal entities to promote--
                      (A) public awareness of the resources of the Refuge 
                  and the National Wildlife Refuge System; and
                      (B) public participation in the conservation of 
                  those resources.
  
  SEC. 8. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.
  
      There are authorized to be appropriated such sums as are necessary 
  for--
              (1) the acquisition of land and water within the boundaries 
          of the Refuge; and
              (2) the development, operation, and maintenance of the 
          Refuge.
target: Green River National Wildlife Refuge Act of 2002 - Directs the Secretary of the Interior to establish, revise the boundaries of, and acquire land and water for the Green River National Wildlife Refuge in Kentucky.Requires the Secretary, in administering the Refuge, to: (1) conserve, enhance, and restore the native aquatic and terrestrial community characteristics of the Green River; (2) conserve, enhance, and restore habitat to maintain and assist in the recovery of animals and plants that are listed as endangered or threatened species; (3) ensure that hunting, fishing, wildlife observation and photography, and environmental education and interpretation are the priority general public uses of the Refuge; and (4) encourage the use of volunteers and facilitate partnerships among the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, local communities, conservation organizations, and other non-Federal entities to promote public awareness of the refuge resources and public participation in resource conservation.
feat_title: A bill to establish the Green River National Wildlife Refuge in the State of Kentucky.