CAPITOL FLYER

Today is Election Day, and voters appear to be turning out in high numbers to cast their vote for the next President of the United States, all members of the House of Representatives and one-third of the Senate.

Long lines at the polls are being reported across the country. Throughout the presidential campaign, Iraq, terrorism and national security have taken center stage. Environmental issues, on the other hand, have received limited attention.

Please make your voice heard by voting today.

On October 12, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced the creation of Glacial Ridge National Wildlife Refuge in northwest Minnesota.

The 35,000-acre refuge will be a major waterfowl breeding and nesting area. Currently, there is less than one percent of Minnesota's original tallgrass prairie habitat still in existence. The newly-established Glacial Ridge NWR will provide critical habitat for declining grassland birds, greater prairie chickens, sandhill cranes and other wildlife, as well as the endangered western prairie fringed orchid.

The refuge is a result of the largest tallgrass prairie and wetland restoration project in history. The Nature Conservancy currently owns the large majority of land designated for inclusion in Glacial Ridge.

Initially, Glacial Ridge NWR will be managed by staff from the Rydell NWR, located eight miles south of Glacial Ridge.

The 90-day public comment period for the National Bison Range annual funding agreement has been extended through November 4, due to new cost information made available October 12 (the last day of the original comment period).

The agreement proposed between the FWS and the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes (CSKT) would transfer half of the refuge staff positions and budget to the tribes.

The October 12 cost estimates were made public in a letter from the Interior Department to Senator Conrad Burns (R-MT). Senator Burns, Chairman of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Interior, requested information in August on the costs associated with the proposed annual funding agreement between the CSKT and the FWS at the National Bison Range Complex in Montana.

According to FWS documents obtained by the NWRA through the Freedom of Information Act, initial cost estimates by the Service for the agreement were dramatically higher than Interior estimates, with possible costs capable of totaling $1 million.

Efforts by the NWRA and Friends groups paid off October 16, when H.R. 2408, the National Wildlife Refuge Volunteer Act of 2004, was signed into law. The bill was originally introduced by Rep. Jim Saxton (R-NJ) on June 10, 2003.

The Act reauthorizes the appropriation of $2 million a year from fiscal year (FY) 2004 through FY2009 for volunteer programs and community partnerships for national wildlife refuges (NWR). In addition, the Act gives legal authority for refuge managers to enter into agreements with community partners, such as Friends groups, and coordinate volunteer activities for the Refuge System. Authority is also given to the Secretary of the Interior to hire volunteer coordinators beyond just the pilot projects originally authorized by the original Refuge Volunteer Act in 1998.

The NWRA strongly supported the bill in Congress and the efforts to provide the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) with additional tools and incentives to expand the vibrant Refuge System volunteer workforce. As NWRA President Evan Hirsche told Congress while testifying before the House Resources Subcommittee on Fisheries Conservation, Wildlife and Oceans, "volunteers play an indispensable role in helping the National Wildlife Refuge System meet critical conservation objectives."

The efforts of Friends groups across the country played a large part in the passage of the Refuge Volunteer Act. Working with the NWRA, Friends groups made their support for H.R. 2408 known to their members of Congress, urging passage of the legislation. In addition Evan Hirsche testified before Congress at a June 26, 2003, hearing on the bill.

Before leaving for the campaign trail, Congress passed an FY 2004 emergency supplemental appropriations bill that included funding for hurricane-ravaged refuges. The bill included $40.6 million for the FWS, roughly twice the amount of the administration's initial request. This amounts to a little less than the cost of total damages caused by the four big hurricanes (Charley, Frances, Ivan and Jeanne).

Refuge Advocates in Florida and across the country responded to a Refuge Association Action Alert urging elected officials to support a higher level of funding than was proposed by the administration. As a result, members of Congress heard the call to increase funding for hurricane-damaged refuges. The Refuge Association also coordinated a letter with the Cooperative Alliance for Refuge Enhancement (CARE), a diverse coalition of 21 conservation and sportsman's groups, asking for increases in disaster funding for refuges.

The recent hurricanes in Florida and the Southeastern United States caused extensive destruction and millions of dollars in damage to refuges, such as beach erosion and destruction of visitor centers, offices, and other buildings.

According to U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) estimates, hurricanes Charley and Frances alone have caused more than $20 million worth of damage to national wildlife refuges; natural disasters over the past year are reported to have caused approximately $70 million in damages. Considering the budget shortfalls that continue to plague the National Wildlife Refuge System, adequate emergency funding was critical to the long-term viability of the System.