The effects of all these water developments on 

 wildlife and fish became of major concern to con- 

 servationists since there was public demand that fish 

 and wildlife values be preserved in industrial and 

 agricultural developments whenever and wherever 

 possible. The responsibility of the Federal Govern- 

 ment for preserving these resources was given the 

 Fish and Wildlife Service by the amended Coordination 

 Act of August 14, 1946. 



Under this law the Service was charged with 

 investigating all Federal water-use projects and those 

 of public and private agencies under Federal permit 

 to determine the effects of the developments on 

 fish and wildlife resources and to recommend meas- 

 ures for the prevention of losses and damages to these 

 resources. To handle this work, a Branch of River 

 Basin Studies was established in April 1945 and 

 staffed with wildlife and fishery biologists, techni- 

 cians, and administrators. 



It was recognized, after 10 years of operation, 

 that the Coordination Act needed strengthening to 

 include the conservation of fish and wildlife resources 

 among the primary purposes of water-development 

 projects, and to clearly authorize the enhancement 

 of these resources in connection with such projects. 

 Following a proposal made in September 1956 at the 

 annual meeting of the International Association of 

 Game, Fish, and Conservation Commissioners, the 

 Department of the Interior drafted amendments to 

 the act. 



The amended Coordination Act, signed by the 

 President on August 12, 1958, is a milestone in 

 conservation legislation. It specifies that wildlife 

 and fishery conservation receive equal consideration 

 and be coordinated with other features of water- 

 resource development programs and that conserva- 

 tion measures be incorporated in the plans for 

 Federal water-development projects including those 

 that are not more than 60 percent completed. 



The Bureau is also responsible for promoting the 

 conservation of wetlands, especially those vital to 

 waterfowl production. Its biologists investigate the 

 programs of Federal agencies and of other agencies 

 concerned with water and related land use and report 

 their findings to the Central Office in Washington for 

 further study. When a program is found to affect the 



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