PRIVACY
STATEMENT
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
is committed to maintaining a web site that protects the individual’s
right to privacy. We do not require
personal information from our visitors, nor do we collect any personally
identifying information (name, email address, Social Security number, or
other unique identifier) unless you knowingly provide it. Likewise, we
do not give, sell, or transfer any personal information
to a third party except as might be required by law .
Data Collection for Statistics To aid in web site management, certain information is collected for statistical
purposes. The Service uses specialized software to create summary statistics,
which are used for such purposes as assessing what information is of most
and least interest to our customers, determining technical design specifications,
and identifying system performance or problem areas.
We collect only the following information about your visit:
- The name of the domain from
which you access the Internet (for example, "princeton.edu" if
you are connecting from Princeton University’s domain, or "aol.com" if
you are connecting from an America Online account);
- The web site from which you linked directly to our web site, if you
have used another web site to reach our site;
- The operating system and web browser you use to view pages;
- The date and time you access our web site.
We use the information we collect to measure the number of visitors to
the different sections of our web site, allowing us to make our web site
more useful and accessible to visitors. We do not store any personal identifiers.
Information Collected from E-mails and Forms
You may decide to send us personally identifying information through e-mail
messages or through on-line forms. Electronic communication allows us to
collect information that will improve our web site for you, and we encourage
it. We use personally-identifying information from consumers in various ways
to further our customer's protection and to provide better service. This
may be to correct broken links that you have identified or provide additional
information that you have requested.
Visit the Department's Talk to Us page
to learn what can happen to the information you provide us when you send
us e-mail or fill out a questionnaire or guestbook. Any information that
we collect via a questionnaire or a guestbook may be subject to disclosure,
but will be handled in accordance with the requirements of the Privacy
Act and the Freedom of Information Act to ensure the greatest protection
of personal privacy in the face of any required disclosure.
Security Checks
For web site security purposes and to ensure that this service remains
available to all users, we employ software programs to monitor network
traffic, identify unauthorized attempts to upload or change information,
or otherwise cause damage. Unauthorized attempts to upload or change information
on this web site are strictly prohibited and may be punishable under the
Computer Fraud and Abuse Act of 1986 and the National Information Infrastructure
Protection Act.
Cookies
When you visit some websites, their webservers generate pieces of
information known as cookies. Some cookies collect personal information
to recognize your computer in the future. This is not the case at
www.fws.gov, where we only use non-persistent cookies or "per-session
cookies." These cookies do not collect personal information
on users and they are erased as soon as you leave our website.
Per-session cookies serve
technical purposes like providing seamless navigation through www.fws.gov.
These cookies do not permanently record data and they are not stored
on your computer's hard drive. www.fws.gov cookies are stored in
memory and are only available during an active browser session.
Again, once you close your browser, the cookie disappears.
For Kids!
Please don't send us e-mail, Especially if you are under
13. Instead, have an adult send the message. Have
your parents, teachers and school librarian contact us if you need
further assistance.
For more information: Check out the Federal Trade Commission's KIDZ
Privacy Web Site.
STANDARD DISCLAIMER
The Department of the Interior Disclaimer
Statement applies to the Service.
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 servers 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 servers 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.).
- This server 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
Please note:
- 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. Credit can
be provided by including on the page (or via a link to a credits page) a citation
such as:
-
Credit: U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service
- U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service/photo by Robert Shallenberger (if
the artist is known)
- USFWS/Elkins, WV (if originating office but not the artist is known)
RESTRICTIONS ON USING THE SERVICE
LOGO
The
Service logo is our official "trademark" and not available for general
use. Please use alternative images if you need a graphic.
Use of the Service logo is reserved for official publications, electronic
or paper. 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.
Contact Mitch Snow in the Washington
Office - External Affairs at (202) 208-5634 for assistance.
There are also restrictions on 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 on
the "blue
goose" image used to identify wildlife refuges.
Comments? Questions? Please
check our answers to Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ's) before you contact us
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