Welcome to the Fish and Wildlife Service!  We are excited about your visit!    

Before You Begin

Please take a minute to review our Children’s Privacy Policy.  We do not collect personal information about visitors to our Website unless you choose to provide that information to us.  We do not sell, exchange, or release your personal information to parties outside the Fish and Wildlife Service.  We also do not share information you provide with other programs within the Fish and Wildlife Service unless we have your consent.  Once we obtain your consent we consider it valid until revoked by you.  Revoking your consent is simply a matter of contacting us by email, phone, or letter at the Contact Information provided below.

In compliance with the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act, we follow special guidelines for children (under the age of 13) who visit our websites.  The guidelines are outlined here. 

If You Are Under 13

Your security is very important to us.  Here are some important things to know about surfing the Internet:

Surf the Internet with your parents.   If they aren’t available, talk to them about the websites you are visiting.

Always ask your parents for permission before you send any information about yourself, a friend or another family member to this website or any other website.  This includes your name, address, telephone number, email address, and any other similar information.  Remember it is your personal information and you have a right to protect it!

Never tell other kids your screen name, user ID, or password.  Websites are not supposed to collect more information than they need about you for the activity you want to participate in.  You should be able to participate in many activities online without having to give any information about yourself.

If a website makes you uncomfortable or asks for more information than you want to share, leave it and tell your parents. 

If You Are A Parent/Guardian

Under the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act, websites that ask for certain information about children under 13 have to get a parent’s permission to get the information.  We encourage you to monitor your child’s use of the Internet and to take an active role in giving/denying consent to websites that want to collect personal information about your child.  Please note that if your child voluntarily discloses his or her name, email address or other personal information, he or she may receive unsolicited messages from other parties.  For their protection, discourage your child from doing so. 

Personal Information We My Collect

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service only collects email addresses from children in some instances to allow them to send electronic postcards and enter contests.  We will use that information only for internal purposes such as audience research and feedback to the editors of our kid-friendly pages.  We will not post, publish, sell, or rent any such personal information to other third parties.  We will only collect whatever information is reasonably necessary to allow your child to participate in a program of their or your choosing.  

Children’s Contest Entries

Entrants of any children’s contest are required to submit the following information:  first name, last name, and email address.  Information collected from entrants in the children’s contest is used to notify, verify, and award prizes to contest winners.   We do not sell, rent or share this information to or with others.  Children under the age of 13 must include a parents’ (or guardian’s) valid email address from the parent (or guardian).  Entries will not be accepted unless and until we have received verification of parental consent via return email by the response deadline.

Children’s Email Postings

Children who visit parts of our websites may be invited to send us email.  The content of email is at the discretion of the visitor; however, personal information submitted to us via email may be edited or excerpted at the discretion of the Fish and Wildlife Service and posted elsewhere on our site.  We do not reveal personal information that may identify children who have submitted comments via email.

Children’s Electronic Postcards

We may collect children’s email addresses to allow them to send electronic postcards and other communications to third parties, such as their friends.  In order to send electronic postcards, children will be asked to provide their email address as well as the recipients’ addresses.   All information collected for electronic postcards is used to send the requested electronic postcard and is deleted from our system once the electronic postcard is sent.   Please talk to your child about who they are sending a postcard to.  We want it to be a safe and comfortable experience for all concerned. 

Contact Us!

We welcome your comments and suggestions and will address any concerns you have!  To inquire about any of the content on our children’s websites or the condition of our Privacy Policy, please contact us.

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Division of Public Affairs
!849 C Street NW
Suite 3359
Washington, D.C. 20240

Phone: 202/208/1456
Fax: 202/208-7407