By virtue of and pursuant to the authority vested in me as President of the United States, and in order to effectuate the purposes of the Migratory Bird Conservation Act (ch. 257, 45 Stat. 1222), it is ordered that the following-described area in Salem County, New Jersey, as shown on the map attached hereto and made a part of this order, with all buildings thereon, be, and it is hereby, reserved and, subject to valid existing rights, set apart for the use of the Department of Agriculture (Bureau of Biological Survey) as a headquarters for the administration of the Killcohook Migratory Bird Refuge, established by Executive Order No. 6582, of February 3, 1934: Beginning at comer no. 1 on the center of the road leading from Fort Mott to Pennsville, distant 680.93 ft. and on a true bearing of S. 65°45' W. from corner no. 19 of the existing Killcohook Migratory Bird Refuge, as described in Executive Order No. 6582; Thence, along the center of the road leading from Fort Mott to Pennsville, N. 65°45' E., 647.00 ft., to corner no. 2, known as monument C-l, a granite boundary monument, the upper end squared and dressed, marked "U.S. LHE" on one side, and having a drilled hole in center of top, buried in the road, from which point the aforesaid corner no. 19 of the existing Killcohook Migratory Bird Refuge bears N. 65°45' E., 33.93 ft. distant; Thence, along the center of the road to Salem, S. 61°35' E., 9.10 ft., to corner no. 3, a point in center of said road; Thence, with a line common to the Finns Point Rear Light Station, reserved to the Department of Commerce, S. 2°05' W., 283.00 ft., to corner no. 4, a point; Thence N. 88°03' W., 553.90 ft., to monument C-3, a granite boundary monument, the upper end squared and dressed, marked "U.S. LHE" on one side, and having a drilled hole in center of top; Thence, on the same bearing, 33.30 ft., a total distance of 587.20 ft. from corner no. 4, to corner no. 1, the place of beginning, containing 1.96 acres, be the same more or less. The area above described is primarily under the jurisdiction of the Department of Commerce, and its reservation for the purposes set out in this order is subject to the use thereof by said Department in connection with the Finns Point Rear Light Station; and the enforcement of law, regulations, and uses thereof by the Department of Agriculture shall be without interference with any existing or future uses or regulations of the Department of Commerce. It is unlawful within this reservation (a) to hunt, trap, capture, willfully disturb, or kill any wild animal or bird of any kind whatever, to take or destroy the nests or eggs of any wild bird, or (except in the exercise of the dominant jurisdiction of the Department of Commerce) to occupy or use any part of the reservation, or to enter thereon for any purpose, except under such rules and regulations as may be prescribed by the Secretary of Agriculture; (b) to cut, burn, or destroy any timber, underbrush, grass, or other natural growth; (c) willfully to leave fire or to suffer it to burn unattended near any forest, timber, or other inflammable material; (d) after building a fire in or near any forest, timber, or other inflammable material, to leave it without totally extinguishing it; and (e) willfully to injure, molest, or destroy any property of the United States. All persons are hereby informed that sections 52, 53 (as amended), and 84 (as amended) of the Criminal Code of the United States (secs. 106, 107, and 145, title 18, U.S.C.) and section 14 of the Migratory Bird Conservation Act of February 18, 1929 (see. 715m, title 16, U.S.C.) prescribe penalties for the commission of the offenses enumerated in the preceding paragraph. FRANKLIN D. ROOSEVELT The White House, February 4, 1935.
Executive Order 6960—Enlarging Killcohook Migratory Bird Refuge, New Jersey
Executive Brief • At a Glance
The following-described area in Salem County, New Jersey, as shown on the map attached hereto and made a part of this order, with all buildings thereon, be, and it is hereby, reserved and, subject to valid existing rights, set apart for the use of the Department of Agriculture (Bureau of Biological Survey) as a headquarters for the administration of the Killcohook Migratory Bird Refuge, established by Executive Order No. 6582, of February 3, 1934: Beginning at comer no. 1 on the center of the road leading from Fort Mott to Pennsville, distant 680.93 ft. and on a true bearing of S. 65°45' W. from corner no. 19 of the existing Killcohook Migratory Bird Refuge, as described in Executive Order No. 6582; Thence, along the center of the road…
Plain-English Translation & Framers' Constitutional Analysis
Early Statesman synthesis distilling legal jargon into practical meaning, statutory anchors, and structural constitutional impacts.
Signed by President Franklin D. Roosevelt on February 4, 1935, this order concerns Enlarging Killcohook Migratory Bird Refuge, New Jersey. The following-described area in Salem County, New Jersey, as shown on the map attached hereto and made a part of this order, with all buildings thereon, be, and it is hereby, reserved and, subject to valid existing rights, set apart for the use of the Department of Agriculture (Bureau of Biological Survey) as a headquarters for the administration of the Killcohook Migratory Bird Refuge, established by Executive…
Key Directives & Operative Actions
The following-described area in Salem County, New Jersey, as shown on the map attached hereto and made a part of this order, with all buildings thereon, be, and it is hereby, reserved and, subject to valid existing rights, set apart for the use of the Department of Agriculture (Bureau of Biological Survey) as a headquarters for the administration of the Killcohook Migratory Bird Refuge, established by Executive Order No. 6582, of February 3, 1934: Beginning at comer no. 1 on the center of the road leading from Fort Mott to Pennsville, distant 680.93 ft. and on a true bearing of S. 65°45' W. from corner no. 19 of the existing Killcohook Migratory Bird Refuge, as described in Executive Order No. 6582; Thence, along the center of the road…
The area above described is primarily under the jurisdiction of the Department of Commerce, and its reservation for the purposes set out in this order is subject to the use thereof by said Department in connection with the Finns Point Rear Light Station; and the enforcement of law, regulations, and uses thereof by the Department of Agriculture shall be without interference with any existing or future uses or regulations of the Department of Commerce.
It is unlawful within this reservation (a) to hunt, trap, capture, willfully disturb, or kill any wild animal or bird of any kind whatever, to take or destroy the nests or eggs of any wild bird, or (except in the exercise of the dominant jurisdiction of the Department of Commerce) to occupy or use any part of the reservation, or to enter thereon for any purpose, except under such rules and regulations as may be prescribed by the Secretary of Agriculture; (b) to cut, burn, or destroy any timber, underbrush, grass, or other natural growth; (c) willfully to leave fire or to suffer it to burn unattended near any forest, timber, or other inflammable material; (d) after building a fire in or near any forest, timber, or other inflammable…
All persons are hereby informed that sections 52, 53 (as amended), and 84 (as amended) of the Criminal Code of the United States (secs. 106, 107, and 145, title 18, U.S.C.) and section 14 of the Migratory Bird Conservation Act of February 18, 1929 (see. 715m, title 16, U.S.C.) prescribe penalties for the commission of the offenses enumerated in the preceding paragraph.
Constitutional & Societal Entities Impacted
Policy Areas & Topics
The Framers' Constitutional Council
1787 PrismEvaluating this order against the constitutional debates of 1787 and the limits of Article II executive power.
"When the President acts in absence of either a congressional grant or denial of authority, he can only rely upon his own independent powers, but there is a zone of twilight in which he and Congress may have concurrent authority."
James Madison
Separation of Powers & Legislative Primacy
"Power is of an encroaching nature, and it ought to be effectually restrained from passing the limits assigned to it." — Federalist No. 48 (1788)
Madison would view this order with watchful scrutiny. Operating in the 'Zone of Twilight' where Congress is silent, each such directive establishes an administrative precedent that steadily expands the executive perimeter at the expense of legislative primacy.
Alexander Hamilton
The Energetic Executive & Unified Command
"A feeble Executive implies a feeble execution of the government; and a government ill executed, whatever it may be in theory, must be, in practice, a bad government." — Federalist No. 70 (1788)
Hamilton would view this directive as the natural and indispensable functioning of administrative leadership. Without the power to coordinate agencies, manage personnel, and resolve operational ambiguities, the modern presidency would be reduced to an impotent figurehead.
George Mason
Bill of Rights, Due Process & 10th Amendment
"The purse and the sword ought never to be in the same hands... nor the liberties of the citizen placed at the pleasure of a single magistrate." — Virginia Ratifying Convention (1788)
George Mason and the Anti-Federalists would sound a fierce warning. They feared that Article II would inevitably evolve into an elective monarchy. When an executive order impacts private rights, property, or civil liberties without individualized judicial process, Mason would see their darkest predictions verified.
Five Measurable "Constitutional Friction" Dimensions
An objective audit measuring potential separation-of-powers tension against the United States Constitution and established Supreme Court doctrine.
Legislative Encroachment & Purse
Administers commerce or fiscal programs requiring ongoing statutory delegation and legislative oversight.
Executive Scope & Faithfulness
Exercises standard supervisory executive authority to faithfully execute existing statutes.
Federalism & State Sovereignty
Engages state and local partners in cooperative federalism programs.
Due Process & Individual Rights
Focuses on internal governmental operations with no direct impairment of private rights or property.
Youngstown Jacksonian Tier
The order relies on inherent Article II executive discretion, civil service management, or foreign diplomacy where Congress has neither expressly approved nor prohibited action.
This order operates within Justice Jackson’s Zone of Twilight, resting upon concurrent presidential authority or congressional silence.
Referenced By Later Executive Orders (1)
Subsequent presidents who cited, amended, continued, or revoked this directive in later orders.
Scholarly & Legal Citations
Exec. Order No. 6960 (Feb. 4, 1935), https://executiveordersarchive.org/orders/app-executive-order-6960-enlarging-killcohook-migratory-bird-refuge-new-jersey.