Administration of the Midway Islands
Headline: Transfers Midway Islands to Interior for Wildlife Refuge Management
What it does: Federal agencies must transfer control of the Midway Islands from the Navy to the Interior and manage them as a national wildlife refuge.
- Shifts civil administration of the islands from the Navy to Interior.
- Dissolves the Midway naval defensive sea area and airspace reservation.
- Establishes refuge duties: conservation, research, education, recreation, and historic preservation.
Summary
This order transfers the Midway Islands and their territorial seas from the Department of the Navy to the Department of the Interior.
The Interior, through the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, will manage the area as the Midway Atoll National Wildlife Refuge. It dissolves the Midway naval defensive sea area and airspace reservation and supersedes earlier orders about Midway. The refuge's purposes include conserving wildlife and habitats, restoring biological diversity, supporting research and education, fulfilling treaty obligations, and preserving historic sites.
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