Vital Wildlife Refuges Need Public Input, Support

As change sweeps America a great concern grows for those of us charged with managing the National Wildlife Refuge System and the nation’s natural resources.

The current political climate in Washington, D.C., could cause drastic changes in how land management agencies operate. The National Wildlife Refuge System, already minimally funded, faces further cuts that could impact how we manage these precious jewels scattered throughout the United States.

My staff and I manage the Turnbull National Wildlife Refuge south of Cheney, and we are worried.

There are now 504 wildlife refuges within the system. Their purposes vary but all follow the same theme: protection of the wildlife resources of America. We have refuges for migratory birds, for waterfowl production and for endangered species protection.

As time has passed, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has come to recognize these refuges for the inherent value they have to the ecosystems in which they fall and the conservation of biodiversity. And as America develops, every one of these refuges has become more valuable for the conservation of wildlife and their habitats.

At the same time the Congress and the administration have added new programs and responsibilities to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in our region - such as the president’s Forest Plan, the Central Valley Project Improvement Act and listing of the Pacific Salmon stocks - the agency is asked to undergo downsizing and streamlining. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in the Pacific Region (Washington, Oregon, Idaho, California, Nevada and Hawaii) has been asked to take a reduction of $1.7 million. We have been asked to reduce our work force 124 positions by 1999. This could happen much sooner as President Clinton wants to increase the pace of downsizing federal government.

Mollie Beattie, director of the Fish and Wildlife Service, has made a commitment to manage the service through an ecosystem approach which will require us to deal with problem-solving in a more holistic manner. We have been asked to coordinate with partners inside and outside government in the development and execution of ecosystem plans.

Turnbull National Wildlife Refuge falls within what the Fish and Wildlife Service identifies as the Columbia Basin Ecoregion. Other refuges in this ecoregion include Little Pend Oreille, Kootenai, Columbia, Umatilla and Malheur.

Of paramount importance to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is the protection and restoration of endangered, threatened and candidate species and their habitats. In fact, administering the Endangered Species Act has consumed much of our region’s budget and management energy.

The Northwest has been highlighted nationally with such issues as old-growth forests and the spotted owl and the declining salmon stocks in the Columbia and Snake rivers. These issues are indications of sick and failing ecosystems.

Through ecosystem management and the partnering and pooling of resources, high-priority issues in the Northwest can be given the attention they need. Support for a strong re-enactment of the Endangered Species Act is needed.

Meeting the challenges that face the National Wildlife Refuge System, and Turnbull National Wildlife Refuge specifically, will require a stretching of resources, a lot of creative problem-solving and support from friends.

Among the ways we are meeting challenges at Turnbull:

Developing a partnership with Ducks Unlimited to restore a 100-acre wetland in the northwest corner of the refuge.

Establishing a partnership with the Northwest Mining Association to develop a new environmentaleducation curriculum and program for school children visiting the refuge.

Continuing a partnership with Eastern Washington University for providing management-based research that will benefit the refuge and provide educational opportunities for college students.

Investigating a partnership with local corrections centers to provide labor to maintain refuge facilities.

For national wildlife refuges to survive the frenzy of cost-cutting, downsizing and land and management dispersal proposed by Congress and the administration, they will need a strong local network. Support at the national level will be less and less unless citizens show a significant interest in the issues that are impacting our environment and our refuges.

Public support is vitally important. You can help keep the refuge informed about local interests. We will keep you informed about refuge issues, concerns and activities.

We need public vigilance and action in defense of the National Wildlife Refuge System now. If you value these national treasures and the underlying concept of their existence, you must move now toward active on-ground involvement wherever possible.

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