Defenders of Wildlife Blog

Noah Matson, Vice President of Landscape Conservation and Climate Adaptation

Storm damage in New Jersey

When Superstorm Sandy swept ashore in late October, it left an almost unimaginable level of damage: thousands of residents still displaced, entire communities destroyed and an economic toll that promises to make Sandy one of the costliest natural disasters in history. But it also swept away our illusions that we can carry on with business as usual in a changing climate.

Sandy exposed incredible vulnerabilities to coastal storms and floods in the region. While the storm was unprecedented, the effects of climate change, namely higher sea levels and larger storms, mean that we can no longer operate as if a recurrence is only a remote possibility.  It’s clear that we cannot simply rebuild; we must also rethink the way we approach recovery efforts, and begin to prepare for future extreme weather events and sea level rise by rebuilding in a way that makes us less vulnerable to future damage.

Defenders of Wildlife has argued that in many cases, this will require restoring and enhancing natural ecosystems that provide flood control and storm surge attenuation while also providing other benefits including clean water, wildlife habitat, and economic and recreational opportunities.  Our publication “Harnessing Nature,” published earlier this year, describes several of these projects and the benefits they can provide.

After a disaster of Sandy’s magnitude, the need for federal assistance to help the region recover could not be more apparent or more urgent. The U.S. Senate has responded by putting forth a $60 billion emergency funding bill, and we are pleased to see that it shows tremendous foresight in its recognition of the role that coastal ecosystems can play in protecting communities from weather-related disasters. The funding bill helps accomplish this by providing:

Storm surge damage at Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge (Credit: USFWS Northeast)

•    $78 million to restore and repair national wildlife refuges.  Thirty-five refuges were closed following the storm and some still remain closed. The overall damage to refuges was equivalent to 16% of the System’s overall annual budget – but would’ve been much worse if not for the natural protection provided by refuge wetlands and dunes. These funds will help shore up these natural defenses and repair facilities so that visitors can return.

•    Nearly $350 million to restore and protect coastal and estuarine habitats, like dunes and salt marshes. Habitat restoration in coastal areas will help buffer communities from storms and recover fisheries- and coastal habitat-based economies. Some of this money will allow acquisition or easements of important natural areas, so they are protected from development and can continue to provide flood and storm protection benefits to communities in addition to their ecological, recreational and economic value.

•    $125 million to help restore and protect storm-abating wetlands on farmland land and other private lands.  This program provides funding to remove debris from stream channels, stabilize stream banks and restore damaged uplands stripped of protective vegetative cover, thus reducing flood risk. The program also funds easements to reduce development along river floodplains, reducing risk to people and property while also conserving habitat and improving water quality.

•    Funds to plan and construct flood-reducing projects that support the long-term sustainability of coastal ecosystems: This money will help different agencies work together to identify people and places that are vulnerable to flooding. It also provides $2.9 billion to the Army Corps of Engineers to “reduce future flood risk in ways that will support the long-term sustainability of the coastal ecosystem and communities.”  The bill also requires the Army Corps to reevaluate previously authorized projects in light of recent extreme weather events, as well as scientific projections of future climate-related risks.

The general provisions of the funding bill also require federal agencies to plan for future risks of increased extreme weather events and sea level rise in all recovery efforts. This is really a paradigm shift that could get the country on the road to re-thinking instead of just rebuilding.

Before and after images of flood damage from Hurricane Sandy at Prime Hook National Wildlife Refuge (Credit: USFWS)

Unfortunately, as is common with these kinds of “must-pass bills,” a few bad provisions have been slipped in. We strongly oppose two measures that would limit environmental review and public participation, which may lead to poor planning, communities more vulnerable to disaster risks and many other concerns:

•    The bill authorizes any Army Corps flood protection project that is under study (i.e. any project throughout the nation that was begun before Hurricane Sandy) provided that the Corps demonstrates the project is cost-effective. This would allow projects to move forward even if they have serious environmental problems, like impacts to endangered wildlife.

•    It also unnecessarily implements “streamlining” that would allow circumventing environmental laws when providing disaster assistance. The individual laws in question (The Endangered Species Act, the Clean Water Act and the National Environmental Policy Act) already include emergency provisions that allow for expedited reviews and procedural changes to protect human health and safety in response to disasters and emergencies. There is no need to open the door to blanket waivers of environmental laws.

We believe this essential funding will provide much-needed relief to the victims of this devastating hurricane.  If Congress retains the forward-thinking provisions and strikes the ones that waive public interest requirements, we’ll get a bill that will not only help the region recover, but will also reduce its vulnerabilities to future extreme climate-related events and the enormous loss of lives and livelihoods these events bring.

Mary Beth Beetham, Director of Legislative Affairs

A spotted owl finds refuge in the Apache National Forest in Arizona.

It isn’t only wildlife refuges that our many native species rely on for protection. It’s important to remember that national forests and grasslands also play an essential role in the conservation of our nation’s wildlife and habitat. More than 420 animals and plants listed under the Endangered Species Act — and an additional 3,250 at-risk plants and animals — are found on Forest Service lands. These lands encompass an amazing array of habitats, from alpine tundra to tropical rainforest, deciduous and evergreen forests, native grasslands, wetlands and various size streams, lakes and marshes.

Despite the broad array of fish and wildlife and habitat on Forest Service lands, the budget for this program in charge of their stewardship efforts and restoration has substantially eroded. In fact, today it is about 15 percent lower than the amount it received in 2001, and with that cut has come the inevitable decline in the botanists and fisheries and wildlife biologists needed to get the job done. If the program loses any more funding under the fiscal cliff or an overall budget agreement, fish and wildlife conservation work on these lands would be severely impacted.

National Forests and Wildlife
Of the many species on Forest Service lands listed under the Endangered Species Act, more than 100 wildlife species and more than 150 plant species are currently considered priorities for recovery efforts. These would be some of the first efforts to fall to the wayside if the program’s budget is cut any further. Cuts of just ten percent could also prevent the Forest Service from moving forward with its plans to improve wildlife habitat on 25,000 acres of national forests, including habitat for imperiled wildlife such as the red-cockaded woodpecker, salmon and Pacific fisher.

Many of the larger animals in the U.S. that persist because of the havens provided on national forest lands would also be affected, including grizzly bear, wolverine, elk, Canada lynx and bighorn sheep. Since national forests often represent intact, connected habitat, they are often the only suitable remaining habitat for recovery and reintroduction of rare creatures, and they form the backbone of many large-scale conservation plans.

Cuts would also severely diminish the Forest Service’s ability to foster conservation partnerships. Partnerships enable the agency to leverage habitat improvements on an additional 200,000 acres of national forest lands. The agency also partners in innovative efforts that help both communities and wildlife. In just one example, the agency is using the local Job Corps in Montana to install bear-safe garbage containers, keeping bears in forests and out of communities. Other examples of the program’s important wildlife work include:

• Working to cure a disease that is currently decimating prairie dog populations — these rangeland species are important because of their role as prey for the severely endangered black-footed ferret.
• Installing escape ramps in livestock water troughs to help lizards, snakes, birds and bats avoid drowning. This also helps to maintain quality water for livestock operations.
• Working on the Tongass National Forest in Alaska to help harvested areas reach their original, old growth condition at a faster pace. Old growth areas are key for rare and unique species like the Alexander Archipelago wolf and the Queen Charlotte Goshawk.
• Restoring 1,000 acres of sage brush habitat to keep the imperiled Greater sage-grouse off the endangered species list.

National Forests and Freshwater Animals
Significant decreases in funding would be felt underwater as well as on land, and could devastate fish and other freshwater species. Cuts of just ten percent would put an end to the Forest Service’s plans to restore 100 miles of streams and 1,200 acres of lakes, and jeopardize the recovery of 92 threatened and endangered fish species; 64 listed mussel, crustacean and aquatic species; and 440 sensitive aquatic species on national forests and grasslands. It would decimate programs that protect and enhance fishing opportunities and local economies, including these:

• On the Inyo National Forest in California, the Kern River Headwaters Restoration project is restoring a degraded habitat to provide California golden trout with a continued supply of cool, clean water and overall healthy ecosystem.
• The South Fork Skokomish River on the Olympic National Forest in Washington is in a watershed that has been extensively logged. The Forest Service’s restoration efforts in 2010 alone were able to decommission almost 30 miles of road and restore 132 acres of the watershed. These efforts created approximately 60 jobs and resulted in better habitat for species like salmon and steelhead, bull trout, Hood Canal chum and the listed Puget Sound Chinook.
• In Colorado, one of the Forest Service’s priorities is to restore the Upper Swan River watershed to bring back genetically pure native Colorado River cutthroat trout. To accomplish this, old roads will need to be decommissioned and abandoned mines impacting water quality will need to be documented and the habitat restored.
• On the Tongass National Forest in Alaska, Prince of Whales Island was heavily impacted by logging, but recently, more than 360 acres of habitat have been restored in one watershed alone — a great benefit to local fish populations including coho, pink and chum salmon.

Tongass National Forest, Alaska

Interpretation and Education
Another vital part of the Forest Service’s program work is their nature education and recreation services to the public, such as providing hunting, fishing and viewing opportunities, and working to increase awareness of the importance of America’s wildlife heritage. Every year, for instance, one of the most popular programs is participation in International Migratory Bird Day, hosted annually by more than 38 national forests. Last year, national forests hosted more than 520 presentations on this day, experienced by more than 20,000 people. The agency is currently helping to fund English to Spanish translations for materials used in North, Central and South America and the Caribbean.

Our national forests and grasslands are home to a rich array of wildlife and fish, and it is vital that Congress preserve important funding for Forest Service wildlife and fish conservation work. Click here to tell your members of Congress that you support a balanced approach to the budget — not one that makes wildlife the next victims of politics.

Mary Beth Beetham, Director of Legislative Affairs

Specialists from the Environmental Contaminants Program respond to an overturned train, taking quick action to prevent diesel from running into a nearby creek. (Credit: USFWS)

In our modern world, there are a myriad of harmful pollutants, many potentially lethal, that adversely affect fish, wildlife, habitat and people. These include pesticides, endocrine disruptors, heavy metals, prescription drugs, oil and other industrial chemicals, fertilizers and numerous other products that are released into the environment through spills, disposal, ongoing use or other means. In recent studies of major rivers and streams, one or more pesticides have been found more than 90 percent of the time, and in more than 80 percent of the fish sampled. This may also be causing declines in pollinators such as bees and birds, as well as declines and deformities in frogs and other amphibians.

The Fish and Wildlife Service, through its Environmental Contaminants Program, is the primary federal agency responsible for protecting fish, wildlife and habitat from damaging pollutants. It identifies and assesses their effects, works to prevent exposure, and leads restoration of the resources that these poisons damage. If the federal budget goes off the so-called “fiscal cliff” at the end of the month and triggers significant funding cuts, or an overall budget agreement produces similar impacts, vulnerable wildlife will face an even greater threat from dangerous substances.

Disaster Investigation and Recovery
One of the most important responsibilities of the program is its leadership in Natural Resource Damage Assessment and Restoration to recover fish, wildlife and habitat injured from oil spills or the release of other hazardous substances. When these incidents occur, the Contaminants Program investigates the damage and, if it’s not already known, determines who is responsible and negotiates with them for restitution. Then, using that money, the program works with other stakeholders on restoration projects like these:

• In 2006, they reached a settlement of more than $2 million with DuPont to restore wetland and river habitat in Delaware that had been damaged by releases of lead, cadmium and zinc from 1902 to 1984 during production of pigment.

• In 2009, they reached a settlement of more than $12 million with parties responsible for damage from the Palmerton Zinc Pile Superfund Site in Pennsylvania, where zinc smelting had been releasing metals like arsenic, chromium, lead, manganese, copper cadmium and zinc for most of the 20th century.

• The program is currently working to determine what restoration efforts it will take to mitigate damages to natural resources from PCBs that were discharged from manufacturing plants in and around the Hudson River. Studies are underway to assess how the substances may have contaminated the area’s fish, mink, sediment, waterfowl and other birds.

The USFWS responds to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, bringing oiled birds like this pelican to stabilization facilities where they can be cleaned, rehabilitated, and released (Credit: Coast Guard Petty Officer 2nd Class John D Miller)

Since 1992, the program has negotiated more than $785 million in settlements from responsible parties to restore natural resources that are held in trust for the American people. That number predates the damage from the devastating 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil disaster in the Gulf of Mexico, for which damages are still being assessed.

The Deepwater Horizon spill is now widely recognized as the worst oil spill in American history, with damage to natural resources likely to total in the billions. One billion dollars in early damages has already been provided for restoration, and will fund restoration projects like protecting and restoring habitat for beach-nesting birds in the Florida Panhandle, Alabama and Mississippi by marking and preventing disturbance of key sites, increasing predator control to reduce loss of chicks, eggs and nesting adults, and increasing surveillance and monitoring of nesting sites. It will also help with projects to restore nesting habitat for loggerhead sea turtles in Florida and Alabama by reducing artificial lighting through eliminating, retrofitting or replacing existing light fixtures.

Being Ready to Respond

Oil washes ashore in Bon Secour National Wildlife Refuge in Alabama (Credit: Jereme Phillips, USFWS)

The Contaminants Program also makes sure that teams are ready and able to respond to spills and chemical releases. This includes pre-incident planning and training, incident response, and post-incident assessment and restoration. However, chronic underfunding of regular operations has made it more difficult for the program to maintain enough expert contaminant biologists, given that contaminant biology is a highly specialized field. Moreover, when a major incident occurs and significant staff resources from the Contaminants Program are used to address it, ongoing restoration efforts from prior incidents often suffer as a result. Stretching insufficient resources is a challenge already faced by many programs that affect wildlife and habitats, but we should be especially concerned when the program that reacts to oil spills, chemical leaks and other contaminations does not have the resources to do its job.

The program already lacks the funding for its current needs, and any additional cuts will further undermine the work needed to prevent harm to vulnerable wildlife from dangerous pollutants. For example:

• There are currently no criteria to describe what levels of many contaminants are safe or unsafe for wildlife, and this program is working to develop them.

• New studies have shown that fish and wildlife populations are more seriously affected by mercury than previously known, especially birds such as the American kestrel, American white ibis, snowy egret and tri-colored heron, and other animals that consume fish and insects contaminated by mercury. The program needs to investigate to determine the extent of these impacts.

• The number of oil spill inland and in or near rivers is expected to increase in coming years due to the aging of the U.S. oil pipeline infrastructure, much of which is already more than 50 years old. As a result, there will be a growing number of damaging spills like the one in the Kalamazoo River in Michigan in 2010 that spilled over 800,000 gallons of oil and devastated wildlife across the region, including wood ducks, swans, great blue herons, mink, turtles, snakes, frogs and toads. Another spill in the Yellowstone River in Montana spilled about 50,000 gallons of oil and harmed wetlands and wildlife including the endangered pallid sturgeon, waterfowl and wading birds. It is absolutely crucial that the Contaminants Program be able to reach out to land management agencies and train them in the proper procedures in the event of a spill on their lands to ensure that the Contaminants Program will be called immediately both to protect wildlife in spill areas from harm, and to ensure that damages to the public’s wildlife and habitats are properly quantified for restitution before the evidence dissipates or washes away.

The Contaminants Program’s funding level has basically stayed the same since 2001, yet its workload has only grown and its small team of expert contaminant biologists is far overstretched. Please click here tell your members of Congress that you support a balanced approach to address the budget deficit — one that does not include further cuts to programs that protect wildlife from dangerous pollutants.

Mary Beth Beetham, Director of Legislative Affairs

Migratory birds play many integral roles in healthy natural systems, including predators, prey, seed dispersers and pollinators, and are actively appreciated and enjoyed by millions of people across the country each year. The Migratory Bird Management program has been entrusted with the massive assignment of protecting our nation’s incredible migratory birds, but it is already underfunded for its task. The fiscal cliff or a poorly crafted end-of-the-year budget agreement could trigger more funding cuts that will severely hamper this conservation and protection work and bring even more challenges for these amazing creatures that already struggle with disease, habitat loss and the effects of climate change.

Snow geese stop at Sacramento NWR during their migration route (Credit: George Lamson)

Bird-watching is also a boon to the economy. In 2011, nearly 47 million people participated in bird-watching activities in the U.S. Nature-based tourism in Texas’ Lower Rio Grande Valley, for example, is centered around enthusiasts who come to see the nearly 500 bird species recorded there. The tourism was recently found to generate $463 million per year in economic benefits for the four surrounding counties [PDF]. The 2006 National Survey of Fishing, Hunting and Wildlife-Associated Recreation reports that birding generated over $82 billion in total industry output, as well as 671,000 jobs and $11 billion in local, state and federal tax revenue. The reports are done every six years, so the economic information for 2012 will soon be available.

More than 1,000 species of birds occupy an array of habitats across the U.S., and 251 of them are listed under the Endangered Species Act or are of conservation concern. The first State of the Birds report in 2009 documented broad declines in U.S. bird populations; nearly all native Hawaiian birds have plummeted to the verge of extinction, as well as 39 percent of ocean birds, half of coastal shorebirds, 30 percent of arid land birds and 40 percent of grassland birds.

The Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918 protects these important avian species. It implements four international treaties for birds common to the U.S., Canada, Mexico, Japan and the former Soviet Union. Except as allowed by regulations, the Act makes it unlawful to pursue, hunt, kill, capture, possess, buy, sell or trade any migratory birds, their parts, products or features such as nests or eggs. In the U.S., the Fish and Wildlife Service’s Migratory Bird Management program enforces these regulations — it protects, manages and regulates all activities associated with migratory birds. This vital program is divided into five parts, all of which could be crippled by further budget cuts triggered by the fiscal cliff or an overall budget agreement, resulting in a huge impact on our nation’s migratory birds.

A red knot at Sunset Beach, North Carolina (Credit: Dick Daniels)

Knowing Who’s There and Protecting Them
The largest piece of the program is Conservation and Monitoring. As part of it, FWS surveys, assesses and monitors bird populations so that management actions can be based on sound scientific information. It also helps scientists understand the influence that factors such as climate change and energy development can have on bird populations.

The program also pursues strategic conservation efforts for high-priority focal species that have been selected for more intensive work, including red knot (which has declined by 75 percent in the last 20 years), Laysan albatross (which has declined by 32 percent where most of its population is found), American woodcock, long-billed curlew, American and black oystercatcher, tri-colored blackbird, Sprague’s pipit, cerulean warbler, painted bunting and black-footed albatross.

This part of the program also helps cities protect birds in urban and suburban areas by teaching cities how to reduce the chances of bird collisions with buildings, towers and other man-made structures, and improving habitats directly through its Urban Treaties initiative.

Keeping Birds Healthy
Diseases like botulism, avian cholera and influenza and West Nile virus have become a greater threat to wild bird populations as they are subjected to the added stresses of climate change, habitat fragmentation and factors like the increased use of pesticides. These diseases can also become greater problems for society as a whole if transmitted to humans or poultry. Under the Avian Health and Disease program, FWS works to protect the health of wild birds by establishing baselines for health, identifying current and emerging disease risks, investigating infectious and non-infectious diseases and doing everything possible to prevent diseases and be prepared to manage outbreaks.

Regulating Use
Under the Permits program, FWS regulates activities related to migratory birds, a well as bald and golden eagles, making sure that protected birds are only taken for the limited number of allowed reasons like scientific study, falconry, rehabilitation, education and religious use of eagles by Tribes.

A greater sandhill crane visits Malheur National Wildlife Refuge in Oregon during the fall migration (Credit: Roger Baker, USFWS)

Protecting Habitat
The Federal Duck Stamp program oversees the design and sale of the annual Migratory Bird Hunting and Conservation Stamp or Duck Stamp. Funds raised by the Duck Stamp are deposited in the Migratory Bird Conservation Fund and used to purchase and protect habitat for waterfowl. In fact, since 1934, Duck Stamps have raised more than $750 million, which has allowed FWS to protect more than 5.3 million acres of habitat. Waterfowl hunters 16 and older are required to possess a valid stamp, but non-hunters can also buy them to support wetlands conservation.

Hands Across North America
Lastly, the North American Waterfowl Management/Joint Ventures program administers an international plan between the U.S., Canada and Mexico for waterfowl management across all of North America. The plan is implemented on the ground by 21 regional Joint Venture partnerships between federal, state and local governments, businesses and conservation groups. This program has several great accomplishments to its name, including permanent protection of two million acres of working forest lands in the Northwest, initiation of the San Francisco Bay wetland restoration project (the largest project of its kind on the West Coast), improvement of long leaf pine restoration in the Southeast and development of a grassland plan to conserve birds in the Chihuahuan Desert.

Please let your members of Congress know that  you support a balanced approach to address the budget deficit — one that does not include further cuts to important and beneficial wildlife conservation programs like the Migratory Bird Management Program.

Mary Beth Beetham, Director of Legislative Affairs

Wildlife faces escalating criminal threats both domestically and internationally, including illicit trade, unlawful commercial exploitation, illegal destruction of habitat and industrial hazards. Illegal wildlife trade is also related to our national security, with a well-documented link between wildlife smuggling and both organized crime and drug trafficking. Wildlife trade ranks third in monetary importance, just after drug and arms trade. The U.S. supports one of the largest markets after China for both legal and illegal wildlife and wildlife products, including tigers, caviar, coral, snakes, timber, elephant ivory, sea turtles, live birds and numerous species native to the U.S.

An inspector checks a shipment of dried frogs coming into the country. (Credit: Bill Butcher/USFWS)

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) Office of Law Enforcement maintains a thin green line of protection for wildlife, both here at home and globally. The office investigates wildlife crimes, enforces regulation of wildlife trade, helps citizens comply with the law and works with other international and U.S. government entities to carry out its mission through wildlife inspectors, special agents and a forensics laboratory. If destructive funding cuts are triggered by the fiscal cliff or an overall budget agreement, all this protection could vanish.

On the Front Line at Ports
The office’s 143 wildlife inspectors are the front line of defense in nearly 40 ports of entry around the country, including in Alaska, California, Florida, Hawaii, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Montana, Texas and Washington. In 2011, they processed about 179,000 declared shipments of wildlife and wildlife products worth more than $2.8 billion, making sure that the shipments did not contain any animals or products that are protected against trade. Even with current funding, the number of inspectors is inadequate to provide full 24-hour coverage at ports, and can only inspect samples of larger mail shipments, or randomly select particular shipments for inspection. This means that many shipments go through with no inspection at all.

Wildlife Investigators
The 222 special agents that work for the Office of Law Enforcement are expert investigators that work, sometimes even going undercover, to break up smuggling rings, stop commercial exploitation of protected U.S. species, and work with states to protect U.S. game species from poaching, which steals both state income and hunting and fishing opportunities. In 2011, special agents investigated more than 13,000 cases.

Evidence gathered during Operation Crash. (Credit: USFWS)

CSI Wildlife
The Office of Law Enforcement also oversees the FWS Forensics Laboratory in Ashland, Oregon, a real life “CSI Wildlife,” and the only such laboratory in the world dedicated to solving wildlife crimes. Before the lab was established in 1988, law enforcement officers had little or no ability to receive expert wildlife laboratory services in pursuing criminals. Now the lab identifies the species or parts of the animals being exploited, determines the cause of death, decides if a crime has occurred, and uses the evidence to link suspect, victim and crime scene.

Once a crime against wildlife is verified, the FWS Office of Law Enforcement works with other federal agencies, such as the Department of Justice and sometimes state agencies, to pursue it in court. Here are just a few examples of cases that the office has investigated and prosecuted in recent years — crimes that could otherwise have gone unpunished:

• “Operation Crash” was a nationwide Fish and Wildlife Service crackdown on those involved in the black market trade of endangered rhino horns — more than 450 rhinos have been killed this year alone.
• Agents seized one ton of smuggled elephant ivory from a Philadelphia art store — one of the largest seizures of elephant ivory on record.
• In Washington State, the office investigated the destruction of more than 400 bank swallow nests and over 3,000 eggs during the 2010 nesting season.
• In Texas, they looked into the illegal harvest of alligator gar, an important sport fish, which was then being sold in Japan.
• The office prosecuted the largest deer poaching case in Kansas history, an operation that led up to 60 clients to illegally kill about 160 deer.
• The office intervened when bald and golden eagles were being killed and sold in Washington — during their investigation, agents seized 57 bald and golden eagle tails and 52 golden eagle wings.
• An inquiry found that endangered pallid sturgeon were being illegally harvested for caviar in the Mississippi, Missouri and Yellowstone Rivers.
• The office undertook a multi-year undercover investigation of unlawful international trafficking in sea turtle parts and products.
• Agents uncovered more than 40 tons of endangered coral being smuggled into the port of Portland, Oregon.
• An investigation found that jaguar skins were being smuggled and sold in Florida, Texas and elsewhere by e-commerce.
• Work of the agents and the forensics lab resulted in successful prosecution and sentencing for the intentional killing of an endangered Florida panther.
• They discovered that wild-caught turtles were being illegally shipped to China from Florida.
• A three-year investigation uncovered the unlawful trafficking of Arizona state-protected reptiles.

The Office of Law Enforcement is already severely underfunded, making it a challenge to meet the rapidly escalating threats to wildlife in the U.S. and around the world. Any further cuts will hinder these crucial enforcement efforts even more. Please tell your members of Congress that you support a balanced approach to address the budget deficit — one that does not include further cuts to important and beneficial wildlife conservation programs.

Pahranagat National Wildlife Refuge, Nevada (Credit: Jerry Pierce)

Mary Beth Beetham, Director of Legislative Affairs

Cabeza Prieta. Laguna Atacosa. Kenai. Montezuma. Pelican Island. What do these names have in common? Each is a national wildlife refuge — special places where wildlife comes first, strung like a lattice of fine jewels across America, places as beautiful as the names that describe them. If important conservation programs go off the fiscal cliff or are subject to further budget cuts, they could be downsized or eliminated completely, to the detriment of hundreds of species of wildlife. Last week, we talked about one of these: the Endangered Species Program. This week, we’re taking a look at the National Wildlife Refuge System, part of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS).

Birdwatchers at Canaan Valley National Wildlife Refuge

With 560 refuges on approximately 150 million acres, the National Wildlife Refuge System is the largest network of lands and waters in the world dedicated to wildlife conservation. Refuges are home to more than 700 bird species, 220 kinds of mammals, 250 reptiles and amphibians, 1,000 species of fish and nearly 300 threatened or endangered species. The Refuge System forms the backbone of our nation’s efforts to protect our unique and irreplaceable wildlife heritage. And while wildlife comes first on refuges, they are for people, too. There is a refuge in every state and territory, and within an hour’s drive of most major American cities, and the millions of Americans who visit them each year not only enjoy their experiences at the refuge, but also contribute to the local economies of nearby communities.

How does the FWS manage this valuable national asset? The Refuge System’s work is divided into five areas: Wildlife and Habitat Management; Refuge Visitor Services; Refuge Law Enforcement; Conservation Planning and Refuge Maintenance.

Putting Wildlife First
The Wildlife and Habitat Management program is where the actual hands-on work to protect wildlife and habitats gets done. This work includes inventorying and monitoring animal populations and habitat quality; restoring wetlands, forests, grasslands and ocean areas; controlling invasive species; conducting prescribed burns and addressing wildlife disease outbreaks. For instance, this program restored wetlands and streams in a mine-damaged part of Nevada’s Ash Meadows National Wildlife Refuge and reintroduced the speckled dace, a tiny fish that had been extinct there since the 1950s.

Including People Too
Our wildlife heritage belongs to all present and future generations of Americans, and the Visitor Services program works to provide magnificent recreational and educational experiences to about 45 million wildlife enthusiasts each year, whose spending generates more than $4.2 billion and nearly 35,000 private sector jobs in local economies. People visit refuges to hunt, fish, photograph nature, observe wildlife and learn about the environment. The Visitor Services program staffs visitor centers and other facilities, and provides interpretive signs and brochures, tours and structured classroom or outdoor activities. They also manage the network of 40,000 volunteers that do 20 percent of the work across the Refuge System.

National Wildlife Refuge Law Enforcement Officers (Credit: Stefania Moehring)

Protecting ‘Em All
The Refuge Law Enforcement program is staffed with professional law enforcement officers who work to protect not only wildlife and habitats, but also Refuge System facilities and the people who come to enjoy them. Funding goes to emergency managers, field officers, regional law enforcement chiefs, training, equipment and supplies, all of which go to prevent damage or destruction of habitats and facilities, drug trafficking, burglary and other crimes. These workers play an important role in places like Cabeza Prieta National Wildlife Refuge, located along Arizona’s border with Mexico, which has been heavily impacted by smugglers of both people and drugs. The current law enforcement force for the entire refuge system is just 287, but an analysis by the International Association of Chiefs of Police recommended a total of 845 full-time law enforcement officers.

Getting Conservation Right
Conservation Planning may sound boring, but this program is where the FWS develops Comprehensive Conservation Plans that ensure refuges are managed in a balanced, efficient and coordinated way. Refuge managers and planners work closely with the public, states, tribes, private landowners and other stakeholders to develop the plans for each refuge, which must be revised and updated every 15 years.

A walkway at Oregon’s Tualatin National Wildlife Refuge

Keeping it Running
The Maintenance program takes care of the Refuge System’s physical infrastructure — assets that are valued at $26.5 billion. These facilities include a fleet of vehicles and heavy equipment, visitor centers, storage buildings, observation platforms, walkways, roads, bridges, trails, fencing and water management structures, and maintaining such a varied array of assets is an important part of conservation work. For instance, this program maintains and repairs heavy equipment needed to remove thick swaths of invasive plants at Sacramento National Wildlife Refuge in California.

If funding for the National Wildlife Refuge System is cut further, it will have disastrous consequences for all these essential programs. The Refuge System already operates on a shoestring budget of only $3.24 per acre — just about half of what is needed!

Defenders is a member of a coalition of groups called the Cooperative Alliance for Refuge Enhancement (CARE), which released a report this week called Fiscal Cliff Dwellers: America’s Wildlife Refuges on the Edge. This report describes the top 10 impacts that the fiscal cliff or additional funding cuts will have on the Refuge System:

• Visitor centers and even entire refuges will be forced to close.
• Opportunities for hunting and fishing will be lost.
• Without staff to coordinate them or resources to do the work, volunteers will be turned away.
• Local economies that rely on income from refuge visitors will lose revenue.
• Without enough people to enforce laws protecting refuges, their wildlife and their visitors, we will see an increase of poaching, vandalism and drug smuggling on refuges.
• People who enjoy birding and watching wildlife will lose the opportunity to do so.
• Without the staff or equipment needed to remove them, invasive species will spread.
• Habitat restoration and fire management will be halted.
• Responses to devastation caused by natural disasters will be delayed.
• The newly-initiated inventory and monitoring program, which tracks the size and health of wildlife populations and habitat, and can help alert refuge managers to potential problems, could be terminated.

The report calls on Congress to abandon these draconian funding cuts and instead, fully fund the Refuge System. Remember, the many species of wildlife that rely on these refuges for survival cannot speak for themselves — we need to be their voice. Please contact your members of Congress and ask them not to cut funding for national wildlife refuge and other programs that wildlife need.