About National Wildlife Refuges

Inadequate Funding Strains Public Use and Habitat Management Programs

The 96 million acre National Wildlife Refuge System, managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), plays a vital role in providing wild land and natural habitat for migratory birds and other wildlife. All while strengthening local economies. Unfortunately, the places that protect thousands of birds, mammals, amphibians, reptiles, and fish and the lands that contain more than 20 million acres of wilderness and 1,400 miles of wild and scenic rivers are at risk due to severe budget cuts and chronic under funding.

The Refuge System’s 548 refuges create a national network of lands for the conservation of fish, wildlife and plants, as well as offer a variety of recreational and educational opportunities to a broad and diverse group of users. With 40 million visitors annually, refuges generate over $1.7 billion in revenues that benefit nearby communities. Protecting this valuable resource for the enjoyment of future generations of Americans is imperative. Immediate attention is needed and Refuge System funding must become a national priority.

Operations and Maintenance Funding Needs

In 2008, the Refuge System funding level was about $434 million, far less than what is needed to fully fund the Refuge System. A 2007 estimate of System’s budget operational needs was $765 million; however many believe the estimate is nearing the $1 billion mark.

Due to increased fixed costs, rising fuel bills and other factors the Refuge System needs to grow by at least $12 million annually just to keep pace with inflation. In addition, nearly $1.5 billion is needed to reduce the Refuge System’s operations and maintenance funding backlog. Inadequate funding is taking a toll on visitor services, wildlife and the Refuge System’s mission of conserving plants and animals for future generations. After years of operating and working under the constraints of a federal appropriation that has been level funded, the National Wildlife Refuge System has reached a crisis point. With everescalating fixed costs, rising salaries, and other growing operational expenditures related to increased public use and visitation, refuges can no longer keep pace. Across the country, refuge managers are forced to cut back or eliminate staff, education programs and conservation activities.

Without sufficient funding, the Service cannot effectively manage and restore wildlife habitat, safely maintain facilities and provide quality education and outdoor recreation programs for millions of visitors. These persistent funding shortfalls have led the Service to withdraw staff and reduce programs that manage public access and other activities from dozens of refuges. A reduction of services means refuges will suffer from severe deteriorating conditions. Law enforcement, trail maintenance, wildlife management, habitat restoration, facilities maintenance, recreational activities, and educational programs are all in jeopardy. Insufficient staffing equates to diminished public use and lands managed to protect native wildlife and plant species will be neglected. Treasured by sportsmen’s groups and other conservationists, recreationists, families, teachers, and students, refuges should be protected for future generations.

Grappling with Inadequate Funding

A 2008 Government Accountability Office (GAO) report found that refuges do not have adequate resources to meet their strategic goals and address problems such as invasive species control and law enforcement. The report states that "maintaining the refuge system as envisioned in law ... may be difficult in light of continuing federal fiscal constraints and an ever-expanding list of challenges facing refuges.”

During the assessment of the system, refuge managers told the auditors that habitat for migratory birds declined in about 17 percent of refuges from 2002 to 2007. Invasive plant species and habitat fragmentation plagued nearly half of refuges. And environmental education and interpretation — two key visitor service programs — were considered poor quality at one-third of refuges.

Budget shortfalls are a critical problem facing the Refuge System, which has lost 227 staff from 2005-2007. Staff cuts mean that routine maintenance activities are cut, essential science-based programs to protect wildlife and their habitat are compromised, and programs for sportsmen, educators, school children, families and other wildlife refuge visitors are abolished. America’s National Wildlife Refuge System, comprising nearly 100 million acres currently receives $434 million per year — an average of just $4.34 per acre. A 2008 report issued by the Cooperative Alliance for Refuge Enhancement (CARE) illustrates how refuges are vastly under-funded, leading to unstaffed refuges and closings; unsafe roads and trails; decreased safety; millions of acres of invasive species; unprotected at-risk species; and hundreds of layoffs. More specifically the report states that:

• One in three refuges are operating without a single staff member
• The System has already cut 300 staff positions; without adequate funding increasing, plans for a 20 percent staff reduction will resume
• Unfunded projects regarded as “Mission Critical” total more than $115 million
• The system needs 845 full-time law enforcement officers, but currently has just 180 — one officer for every 555,000 acres
• The System only invests 0.67 percent of its value in annual maintenance
• More than two million acres have already been lost to invasive species, placing threatened and endangered species at even greater risk

Refuges Need the Land and Water Conservation Fund

Acquisition of critical wildlife habitat through the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) benefits refuges confronted with encroaching development. Targeted land acquisition and strategic growth of the Refuge System allows refuges to meet their mission to administer a national network of lands and waters for the conservation, management and restoration of fish, wildlife and plant resources and their habitats.

See more information on America's National Wildlife Refuges, the Refuge Improvement Act and Refuge Wilderness.

photos:
Bald eagle in Baskett Slough National Wildlife Refuge, Oregon. Courtesy USFWS.
Friends Pond in Two Ponds National Wildlife Refuge, Colorado. Courtesy FWS.
Tundra Swans. Courtesy FWS.