Great American Outdoors Act: Benefiting the American People and the Attwater's Prairie Chicken

The Great American Outdoors Act (GAOA) is helping to ensure a brighter future for the Attwater's Prairie Chicken, one of the most endangered birds in North America. The GAOA has provided essential resources for improved infrastructure and facilities, sound science, and upgraded technology.
Credits:
Footage courtesy of the Friends of Attwater Prairie Chicken Refuge
Footage courtesy of Juan Elizondo
Music by Bensound. License code BNAPFZTXMEVDZHPT
Produced by Luis Angel Cruz. Student Conservation Association Multimedia Intern for U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Audio Described Version: • Great American Outdoor...
www.fws.gov
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is the oldest federal conservation agency, tracing its lineage back to 1871, and the only agency in the federal government whose primary responsibility is management of fish and wildlife for the American public. The Service helps ensure a healthy environment for people by providing opportunities for Americans to enjoy the outdoors and our shared natural heritage.
We manage the National Wildlife Refuge System with more than 560 National Wildlife Refuges as well as small wetlands and other special management areas encompassing more than 150 million acres. Under the Fisheries program we also operate over 70 National Fish Hatcheries and 65 fishery resource offices. The Ecological Services program has 86 field stations across all 50 states.
The vast majority of fish and wildlife habitat is on non-federal lands. Voluntary habitat protection and restoration programs like the Partners for Fish and Wildlife Program and the Coastal Program and other partnership programs are the primary ways we deliver habitat conservation on public and private lands.
The Service employs approximately 9,000 people at facilities across the U.S. The Service is a decentralized organization with a headquarters office in Washington, D.C., with regional and field offices across the country. Our organizational chart shows structure and also provides information on senior management.