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For Immediate Release
Refuges in Pacific Region Face Funding Crisis
Washington, D.C. -- The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) is making drastic reductions and redeployments of staff in the National Wildlife Refuge System throughout the Pacific region. Reductions in services will be felt in Idaho, Oregon, Washington, Hawaii, Guam and several Pacific islands. These reductions will force the elimination of environmental education programs for school children, impose cuts in endangered species recovery programs and sharply reduce habitat restoration and invasive species control projects. These cuts come on the heels of a crippling refuge budget backlog of over $2.5 billion.
"Our national wildlife refuges are literally crumbling before our eyes. Across the country we're seeing how the culmination of years of negligent funding devastates these special places," stated Rodger Schlickeisen, president of Defenders of Wildlife. "The only solution to bolster and reinvigorate the country's irreplaceable wildlife refuge system is to provide funding that is commensurate with the nationally significant benefits these lands provide to the American people. At the same time President Bush is championing funds for our national parks, he should also push for adequate funding of another national treasure, our national wildlife refuges."
The Pacific region contains 64 national wildlife refuges covering more than 3.5 million acres of public land and waters.
According to the workforce plan that outlines the cuts, the region is leaving 32 positions vacant and will eliminate another 17 jobs by fiscal year 2009, resulting in a total of 49 eliminated positions. Because of these staffing cuts, 28 refuges, or 44 percent of the refuges in the region, will remain completely unstaffed and 21 refuges, or one-third of the refuges in the region, will experience further reductions (it is not clear from the plan what number of these will become unstaffed).
The plan calls for the elimination of almost a quarter of the biologists in the region, crippling the wildlife agency's ability to monitor and restore wildlife populations. One quarter of the staff that actively manages habitat will also be eliminated, causing over 40 invasive species control projects and wetland restoration projects to be severely reduced or abolished outright. Only six full-time law enforcement staff will remain in the entire region.
"National wildlife refuges in our country's Pacific region offer one-of-a-kind experiences to visitors and are home to some of our nation's endangered wildlife. It is absolutely critical that Congress provide the funding necessary to protect and preserve these national treasures," said Schlickeisen. "Neglecting these refuges and cutting back on staff, visitor services and wildlife programs puts the mission of the entire refuge system at risk."
Examples of the impacts of staffing reductions for states in the Pacific region include:
Hawaii & the Pacific Islands will lose eight percent of the workforce on its 20 national wildlife refuges, which host more than 3 million annual visitors. The cuts will sharply reduce or eliminate habitat restoration and invasive species control programs on nearly 2 million acres of refuge lands, waters, atolls, and reefs, and abolish interpretive and education programs for the visiting public.
Idaho will lose almost a third of the workforce on its seven national wildlife refuges, which host more than 50,000 annual visitors. The cuts will sharply reduce or eliminate habitat restoration and invasive species control programs on more than 84,000 acres of refuge lands, and abolish interpretive and education programs for the visiting public, including area schoolchildren.
Oregon will lose 18 percent of the workforce on its 15 national wildlife refuges, which host more than 2 million annual visitors. The cuts will sharply reduce or eliminate habitat restoration and invasive species control programs on more than 1.1 million acres of refuge lands, and abolish interpretive and education programs for the visiting public, including area schoolchildren.
Washington will lose over a quarter of the workforce on its 22 national wildlife refuges, which host more than 2 million annual visitors. The cuts will sharply reduce or eliminate habitat restoration and invasive species control programs on 343,000 acres of refuge lands, and abolish interpretive and education programs for the visiting public, including area schoolchildren.
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Defenders of Wildlife is recognized as one of the nation's most progressive advocates for wildlife and its habitat. With more than 500,000 members and supporters, Defenders of Wildlife works with federal, tribal, state, and local agencies, private organizations, and landowners to protect America's national wildlife refuges.
