1. INTRODUCTION 



THE NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE SYSTEM 



The National Wildlife Refuge System (NWRS) originated in 1903 with the 

 designation of Pelican Island, Florida, as a preserve and breeding ground for 

 native birds. The refuge program grew slowly until 1934. Then, the Bureau of 

 Biological Survey of the Department of Agriculture, at the urging of the Presi- 

 dent, gathered some key experts and formulated a plan for acquisition of refuges 

 for wildlife and waterfowl. The plan included significant funding from land- 

 retirement, special, and Works Progress Administration rehabilitation funds. 



In short order, the refuge program included a number of migratory waterfowl 

 refuges, including the Delta (1935), Sabine (1937), and Lacassine (1937) National 

 Wildlife Refuges (NWR) in Louisiana, and the Aransas NWR (1937) in Texas. 



In 1939, the Bureau of Biological Survey was transferred to the Department 

 of the Interior and became the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS). Since 

 then, four other coastal refuges have been established on the Texas coast: 

 Laguna Atascosa (1946), Anahuac (1963), Brazoria (1966), and San Bernard (1968) 

 NWR. As of 1976, there were 397 NWR units comprising more than 13,770,000 ha 

 (34,000,000 acres) in the refuge system. 



PETROLEUM DEVELOPMENT ON THE GULF COAST 



The petroleum industry on the gulf coast began at almost the same time as 

 the refuge system. The Spindletop field near Beaumont was established in 1901 

 by the drilling of a 100,000-barrel/day gusher. In 1902, development of South 

 Louisiana's petroleum industry began with drilling at Jennings. Petroleum 

 development took place at a moderate pace near the coast, but it was not until 

 the 1930's that development expanded onto refuge marsh areas in Louisiana. 

 Davis (1973) attributed this delay to the development of equipment and techniques 

 necessary to explore for minerals in coastal marshes. The equipment that was 

 needed was a submerisble drilling barge that could be floated to the drilling 



