The Sikes Act (16 USC 670a-670o, 74 Stat. 1052) was enacted into

United States law The law of the United States comprises many levels of codified and uncodified forms of law, of which the most important is the nation's Constitution, which prescribes the foundation of the federal government of the United States, as well as v ...

on September 15, 1960. It provides for cooperation by the

Department of the Interior The United States Department of the Interior (DOI) is one of the executive departments of the U.S. federal government headquartered at the Main Interior Building, located at 1849 C Street NW in Washington, D.C. It is responsible for the mana ...

and

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with state agencies in planning, development and maintenance of fish and wildlife resources on

military reservation A military base is a facility directly owned and operated by or for the military or one of its branches that shelters military equipment and personnel, and facilitates training and Military operation, operations. A military base always provides ...

s throughout the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

. The Sikes Act is "an act To promote effectual planning, development, maintenance, and coordination of wildlife, fish, and game conservation and rehabilitation in military reservations". In other words, it attempts to ensure that fish, wildlife and other natural resources that exist on and are associated with military lands in the United States are protected and enhanced. The Sikes Act is written such that conservation activities are promoted while allowing military lands to continue to meet the needs of military operations. The Sikes Act requires that conservation goals are cooperatively developed and recorded in a planning document called an Integrated Natural Resource Management Plan, or INRMP. Installation commanders are responsible for ensuring that INRMPs are completed for their installation and in cooperation with state and federal fish and wildlife agencies. An INRMP is only valid for a period of five years. Before the five-year period ends it must be reviewed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, relevant state agencies and the military installation. If necessary, the INRMP is updated by the installation in cooperation with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and state agencies. Cooperative conservation is an important provision of the Sikes Act, as currently amended. It provides military service programs and installations the ability to enter into partnerships with state and Department of Interior agencies (particularly the

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service The United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS or FWS) is an agency within the United States Department of the Interior dedicated to the management of fish, wildlife, and natural habitats. The mission of the agency is "working with othe ...

) that advance natural resource conservation on military lands.

References

1960 in the environment United States federal environmental legislation United States federal legislation articles without infoboxes {{US-fed-statute-stub