Facing Severe Budget Shortfall, Nation's Wildlife Refuge System Has Little to Celebrate on its 104th Anniversary

(03/13/2007) - Washington, D.C. -- It’s hard to imagine Theodore Roosevelt being proud of the state of the National Wildlife Refuge System he established 104 years ago tomorrow.  Instead of expanding the system and safeguarding its lands for current and future American’s to enjoy, the system is facing a crippling $2.5 billion refuge budget shortfall that is seriously jeopardizing the future viability of the entire refuge system.  Due to years of flat or declining budgets, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) is now reducing or completely eliminating staff at many national wildlife refuges and, in some cases, closing refuges entirely. 

Surely this is not what President Roosevelt envisioned on March 14, 1903, when he established Pelican Island in Florida as our nation’s first national wildlife refuge. This precedent-setting declaration set in motion a federal commitment to set aside land for the explicit purpose of wildlife conservation. Today, the refuge system covers more than 96 million acres on 547 national wildlife refuges, and includes thousands of other wetlands and special management areas.  But it’s not thriving as it should be.

Without sufficient funding, refuges must reduce or eliminate law enforcement, trail maintenance, facilities maintenance, wildlife management, habitat restoration, endangered species recovery, public-use activities and educational programs.

Years of neglect have finally forced radical changes to the refuge system.  The FWS is in the process of releasing regional workforce restructuring plans, in which they eliminate staff, cut back programs and close refuges in response to persistent and projected budget shortfalls.  So far, five regions – Northeast, Southeast, Pacific, Midwest, and Southwest – have released plans, and there is more pain to come when the remaining regions announce their plans.  In total, the refuge system is planning to cut staff by 20 percent by 2009, which translates to a total of 565 jobs lost.

The only solution is to provide adequate funding for the refuge system: funding commensurate with the significant benefits the system provides to the American people including: a $1.4 billion contribution to regional economies, awe-inspiring concentrations of wildlife, unparalleled outdoor recreation and education experiences, beauty, open space, clean water, and “refuge” from hectic daily lives.

As the refuge system celebrates its birthday, we hope you will editorialize on these cuts and what it means for the refuges in your area.  For more information, contact Noah Matson, Defenders of Wildlife at (202) 772-0294, noah.matson@defenders.org or Deborah Bagocius at (202) 772-0239, deborah.bagocius@defendersorg.

Visit http://www.defenders.org/habitat/new/funding.html and see how your state will be affected. 

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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.

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Contact(s):

Deborah Bagocius, (202) 772-0239
Noah Matson, (202) 772-0294