As some here may know, I am a volunteer with a Friends group in the National Wildlife Refuge System. My Friends group is one of over 250 organizations around the country that are composed of average citizens who volunteer their time to help understaffed national wildlife refuges in the U.S.
What you may not know is that due to severe budget cuts and maintenance backlogs, the National Wildlife Refuge System is in the process of closing as many as seven national wildlife refuges in the northeastern states, with more refuges across the country likely to follow. What do I mean by closing? Letting the staff and volunteers go, eliminating visitor opportunities, and telling the wildlife they're on their own.
While that might seem like heaven for the wildlife, it's not, because then their refuge homes are without law enforcement, invasive species monitoring, and scientific research and expansion. Make no mistake about it, closings can hurt.
Teddy Roosevelt created the National Wildlife Refuge System back in 1903, and today it boasts 540+ refuges with over 40 million visitors annually. In addition, the Refuge System contributes over $400 million to local economies through activities such as hunting, fishing, environmental education, paddling, hiking, photography, and bird watching. But the Refuge System has a problem in that it lacks the political power of the National Park System. Where the National Park Service gets $20 per acre for management, the Refuge System gets only $4 per acre, even with 98% of the Refuge System open to the public.
In addition, the Refuge System is so understaffed that Friends volunteers must carry 20% of the workload at wildlife refuges throughout the country so that the US Fish and Wildlife Service can offer proper services to the public.
But now things are growing serious. The Refuge System needs an increase of at least $16 million annually just to keep up with annual operation costs, inflation, rising energy costs, etc. But the Bush administration's fiscal-year 2007 budget request of $381.7 million for the National Wildlife Refuge System is approximately $11 million less than last year's request. Senators Lincoln Chafee and Joe Lieberman tried to help by leading a 27-member bipartisan effort to modestly increase Refuge System funding to $415 million in the Senate, but the House passed a $388.7 million budget, which while offering more than the president, was still below the needed amount.
As a result of the potential budget decreases, the US Fish and Wildlife Service has drafted a plan to begin closing smaller refuges in the northeast, in addition to cutting staff at larger northeastern refuges. If the budget situation does not improve, other refuges across the country will meet the same fate.
So how can you help?
While the Refuge System has reliable champions in the Senate at this time, they do not have as many in the House. That is why long-time refuge supporters Ron Kind (D-WI) and Jim Saxton (R-NJ), along with Michael Castle (R-DE) and Mike Thompson (D-CA), are leading a bipartisan effort in the House to launch the first-ever Congressional Wildlife Refuge Caucus -- a group that will promote the needs of the Refuge System, its wildlife, its staff, and its enthusiastic volunteers and visitors.
Caucuses have proven to be an effective way for House members to join forces and push a common agenda. One powerful caucus is the Congressional Sportsmen's Caucus with more than 300 members representing the needs of hunters and anglers around the country.
Representatives Saxton and Kind expect to officially unveil the caucus around mid September, at which time it will work inside Capitol Hill to advance issues important to our National Wildlife Refuge System. Among their activities will be to
- Raise awareness of our Refuge System
- Create a voice for refuges in Congress
- Support adequate Refuge System budgets
- Support the six priority activities outlined in the Refuge Improvement Act (hunting, fishing, wildlife photography, wildlife observation, environmental education and interpretation) and
- Support strategic growth of the Refuge System
The more members the new Wildlife Refuge Caucus has from both sides of the aisle, the more influential it will be. So I am asking you to write your House representative now and ask them to join the Wildlife Refuge Caucus. In addition, please encourage them to support strong funding for the Refuge System so that all refuges can stay open.
Visit the Defenders of Wildlife to send a message to your House representative requesting that they join the Congressional Wildlife Refuge Caucus.
You can also send a message to your representative or fine their phone number at Congress.org
In this day of rampant development and widespread environmental destruction, national wildlife refuges are important biological havens for America's natural heritage. But the Refuge System is only as strong as we make it. Please write your House member today.