Senate celebrates wildlife refuges, 71 million annual visitors, $3.2B local economy
S.Res. 449 — A resolution designating the week beginning on October 12, 2025, as "National Wildlife Refuge Week". · Filed by Christopher Coons (D-DE) · 14 cosponsors · Introduced Oct 9, 2025 · Passed chamber
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What it does
This is a Senate resolution designating October 12–18, 2025, as 'National Wildlife Refuge Week' to recognize the 573 national wildlife refuges across the U.S., which protect over 850 million acres of habitat, support 71 million annual visits, and generate $3.2 billion for local economies. The resolution celebrates the conservation work of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and encourages public engagement with these protected lands.
Why we flagged it
This is a routine Senate resolution designating a week for public awareness and celebration of an existing federal conservation system. It contains no new legislation, appropriations, or regulatory changes—only symbolic recognition and encouragement of observance.
Who it affects
This resolution has no direct regulatory or financial cost to citizens. It raises public awareness of a conservation system that provides free or low-cost recreational access (hunting, fishing, wildlife observation, education) to 71 million visitors annually and protects endangered species and climate-resilient habitats that benefit public health and community safety.
Named in the bill
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, National Wildlife Refuge System, Migratory Bird Conservation Fund, Urban Wildlife Conservation Program
Where it stands
14 cosponsors: 12 Democrats, 2 Republicans.
- Oct 9, 2025 — Introduced · Congress.gov: “Introduced in Senate”
- Oct 9, 2025 — Referred to Senate Committee on the Judiciary · Congress.gov: “Referred to the Committee on the Judiciary. (text: CR S7098-7099)”
- Oct 15, 2025 — Reported out of committee · Congress.gov: “Senate Committee on the Judiciary discharged by Unanimous Consent”
- Oct 15, 2025 — Passed the Senate · Congress.gov: “Passed/agreed to in Senate: Resolution agreed to in Senate without amendment and with a preamble by Unanimous…”
Dates and quoted wording are Congress.gov's action record; the timeline shows status changes, not every procedural step.
How this was measured
Analysis — Quorum's AI read the full bill text on Jul 6, 2026; transparency and hidden-provision scores are compared against the median of 16,222 analysed bills.
Status and sponsors — Congress.gov's bill record — actions, committee referrals and cosponsors — loaded nightly. The timeline shows status changes, not every procedural action.
As of — page rendered 2026-10-20.
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