On March 14, 1903, President Theodore Roosevelt signed an Executive Order designating the five acres of Pelican Island, Florida as our nation's 1st national wildlife refuge. Today, there are 563 refuges in all fifty states and the U.S. territories. This unique system of federal lands not only protects fish and wildlife species but also provides wildlife dependent recreational opportunities such as hunting, fishing, and wildlife observation to more than forty million visitors each year. During my thirty-seven years working in the House of Representatives, I visited dozens of wildlife refuges, participated in the drafting of the historic National Wildlife Refuge System Improvement Act of 1997, and the National Wildlife Refuge System Centennial Act. I also coordinated the legislative action on numerous bills to establish or improve units within the refuge system. This book describes how the refuge system has matured over the past 100 years; the three federal laws providing the guidance, mission, and uses of the system; and how decisions by the Fish and Wildlife Service adversely affected the descendants of former Civil War slaves, model airplane enthusiasts, and a World War II historic site. This book is perfect for anyone interested in the national wildlife refuge system and it provides a rare unique behind-the-scenes look on how one of our nation's most important conservation law was written and what motivated the decisions of the Fish and Wildlife Service at Shawangunk, Harris Neck, Chincoteague, Western Tennessee, and the Midway Atoll refuges.