Congress must fully fund our nation's wildlife refuge program

Today 56 conservation sent a co-signed letter to Congress raising concerns and a dire need for full funding for the National Wildlife Refuge System’s Operations and Maintenance accounts in the year ahead. This is a critical issue as the appropriations process to fund the federal government kicks-off.

The National Wildlife Refuge System is the only system of federal public lands focused primarily on the protection of wildlife and its habitat, but it receives the fewest dollars per acre of any land management system. With inflation, the Refuge System’s budget has decreased over the past decade, while its land base and visitation have increased significantly. 

The Wilderness Society issued the following statement from Kara Matsumoto, National Campaign Representative, in response to the letters submittal to Congress:

“As the only system of federal public lands focused on wildlife and its habitat, the National Wildlife Refuge System is one those of tools we have to invest in to address the climate and extinction crises.

"Low funding levels over the past decade have made it extraordinarily challenging for the Fish and Wildlife Service to fulfill the System’s conservation mission, provide increased opportunities for wildlife-dependent recreation, and support their own Urban Wildlife Conservation Program. The Refuge System protects some of our nation’s most ecologically important wildlife habitat, provides nature access for many communities, and generates billions in employment income.

"Congress must recognize the need to fully fund this important conservation program and letters like this highlight the importance of Refuges for conservationists across our nation.” 

CONTACT: 

Jen Dickson, Senior Communications Manager

jennifer_dickson@tws.org

(720) 647-9417