The U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) is the primary federal agency responsible for the conservation, protection and enhancement of the nationâ¿¿s fish and wildlife populations and their habitats.

The USFWS National Wildlife Refuge System is comprised of more than 560 national wildlife

credit: Photo by Jim McCormac

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refuges and 3,000 small waterfowl breeding and nesting sites covering nearly 150 million acres across the United States.

These refuges attract more than 47 million annual visitors seeking a host of unique experiences.

Facilitating access to and within these refuges requires a host of transportation services, with which the USFWS requires assistance.

Through this agreement with Montana State University (MSU), USFWS requests that the Western Transportation Institute (WTI) at MSU assist the USFWS with supporting and mentoring transportation scholars for complexes and refuges located within the United States.

Authorizing statutes for this program include Fish and Wildlife Conservation Act of 1934 (16 U.S.C.

2901-2911); Fish and Wildlife Act of 1956 (16 U.S.C.

742(a)-754); Refuge Recreation Act of 1962 (16 U.S.C.

460k-460k(4)); National Wildlife Refuge System Administration Act of 1966 (16 U.S.C.

668dd); Youth Conservation Corps Act of 1972 (16 U.S.C.

1701-1706); Archaeological Resources Protection Act of 1979 (16 U.S.C.

470aa-47011); The National Wildlife Refuge System Act of 1997 (Public Law 105-57); National Wildlife Refuge System Volunteer and Community Partnership Act of 2004 (Public Law 108-327); Federal Aid for Highways, HR 4348 (23 U.S.C.

201-204 and 206, Public Law 112-141).