Disclaimer and Copyright Information

The Department of the Interior Disclaimer Statement also applies to our Web site and all content it contains.

Links to External Sites

We will link to external sites that help us perform our mission, "working with others to conserve, protect, and enhance fish, wildlife, and plants and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the American people."

  • Links to external sites do not imply any official U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service endorsement of the opinions or ideas expressed therein, or guarantee the validity of the information provided. Links to commercial sites are in no way an endorsement of any vendor's products or services.
  • Links will be provided to external sites that are managed in a professional manner (i.e., it is fully operational, is available most of the time, does not serve inaccurate information or obscene graphics, etc.).
  • We will not link to external servers if such a link would appear to provide an official endorsement of fundraising efforts or lobbying for a political agenda.

Copyright Statement

  • You are welcome to make a link to any of the Web pages the Service has published on the Internet. There is no need to request permission.
  • Not all the information on our site is in the public domain. Some images/graphics are licensed for use under the copyright law, and the use of the Service logo is restricted to official publications (see below).
  • We will identify material we use from sources outside the Service, and request others do the same when using information published by the Service.

Restrictions on using the U.S. Fish and Wildlife logo

The Service logo is our official "trademark." Its use is reserved for official publications or other products of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Use of the Service logo without prior written approval is prohibited. Restrictions on use of the Service logo were published in the Federal Register on February 13, 1984 (Vol. 49, No. 30, page 5387), and 18 USC 701 provides for enforcement.

There are procedures for obtaining approval for the use of the official Service logo on a joint publication with the Service, including electronic publications such as websites. Contact Nancy Monroe in the Office of Communications for assistance.

The restrictions described above apply also to the use of the images of the Federal Duck Stamps and the Federal Aid in Wildlife Restoration and Federal Aid in Sport Fish Restoration symbols, and the "blue goose" image used to identify wildlife refuges.