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Borderline Insanity – An incoherent border security strategy has wildlife on the ropes
Every year thousands cross the border between the United States and Mexico with little regard for established international boundaries -- literally flying, crawling, and hoofing it below the radar of Border Patrol. These legal migrants -- the native wildlife that call the unique arid habitat of the American Southwest home -- are increasingly being caught in the crossfire of a disturbing ecological and humanitarian crisis that has major implications for national security.
Walls, trash left by immigrants and rescue outfits, and reckless border patrol activities have all conspired to turn vital wildlife refuge habitats into lifeless landscapes. The results from these actions are disastrous for wildlife and the fragile habitat they inhabit:
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A FWS employee stands next to the new 20 ft. tall border wall in the Monterey Banco tract of Lower Rio Grande Valley NWR.
© Noah Kahn |
--At Santa Ana and other refuges in southern Texas, concrete walls towering nearly 20 feet tall make it impossible for ocelots to venture back and forth across the Rio Grande.
--Along the Arizona border at Buenos Aires NWR rescue groups are littering the refuge with plastic water jugs, inciting tension between the Refuge and some humanitarian organizations.
--At Cabeza Prieta NWR and many other border refuges, Border Patrol has taken Homeland Security’s exemption from all environmental laws, including the Endangered Species, Clean Air, Clean Water and National Environmental Policy Acts, as a license to trash designated wilderness habitat with off road vehicles and place surveillance facilities miles from the border.
Many border refuges are characterized by a unique and irreplaceable intersection of habitat types. For instance, Santa Ana NWR encompasses great plains, gulf coast and Chihuahuan desert habitats, and occupies the northernmost range of rare species such as the jaguarundi and the ocelot, a small wild cat similar in appearance to the jaguar. Already surrounded by a fragmented agricultural landscape, the refuge was created in part to serve as a migration corridor for these rare animals – a purpose severely hampered by the massive concrete wall that bisects the refuge and cuts off access to the Rio Grande, one of the last free flowing rivers in the United States and a vital water supply for ocelots and other wildlife. Consequently, the fewer than 80 ocelots remaining the US are now genetically isolated from larger ocelot populations south of the border and face likely extinction.
At 860,000-acres, Cabeza Prieta NWR represents the largest unfragmented block of Sonoran Desert habitat in the United States and is home to the only population of endangered Sonoran Pronghorn in America -- 70 of the only a few hundred of these Pronghorn that remain in the wild. Despite being protected from human disturbance as a Congressionally-designated wilderness area, portions of the refuge have been trampled by Border Patrol with little regard for the refuge’s mandate to protect wildlife and wilderness. These repeated disruptions exacerbate problems in a fragile habitat that is already experiencing major shifts due to climate change.
Homeland Security did promise the Interior Department funding to mitigate environmental damages over a year ago, but funding level is woefully inadequate and requested funds have yet to materialize. Refuge and Park Service managers have already requested far more for needed projects than the $50 million mitigation fund could handle.
But money alone – no matter how much – will not solve this problem. The Border Patrol can and should be a full partner in wildlife conservation as previously proposed in legislation that would have mandated such cross-agency cooperation. A better working relationship must be forged between our homeland security, land management, and wildlife agencies to reduce and eliminate uncomfortable confrontations that pit the protection of our unique wildlife and treasured natural landscapes against concerns for national security and humanitarian aid.
The Obama administration should take a close look at the strategies being employed on the borders and implement changes where they can -- starting with monitoring and studying the impacts of existing and potential future border policies on our wildlife and then ultimately by recommending other strategies to Congress where legislation is required.
Onward and upward!
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House Passes Landmark Climate Change Legislation
The House of Representatives in late June took an important step toward helping wildlife adapt to challenges presented by climate change. By dedicating funds for wildlife adaptation, the America’s Clean Energy and Security Act will help ensure that national wildlife refuges and other federal and state conservation areas are better prepared to address critical conservation needs.
The bill creates a “cap and trade” program on greenhouse gases, which will generate trillions of dollars over time. NWRA supports having 5% of the total funding generated through this market set aside for wildlife adaptation. The House bill sets wildlife adaptation funds initially at 1% with possible increases to 4 or 5% by 2040.
These wildlife adaptation funds would support projects such as watershed and ecosystem restoration, invasive species control, land acquisition, demarcation and protection of wildlife travel corridors, and nationwide land use planning that will help species to adapt as their habitats change and their historic ranges are altered due to climate change impacts. The healthier and more resilient our ecosystems are, the better equipped they will be to cope with challenges posed by climate change.
The bill now moves to the Senate, where climate change and health care will dominate debate when lawmakers return from their August recess. Please take a moment to urge your 2 U.S. Senators to pass climate change legislation and include 5% of generated revenue to help species adapt. Take action.
See Press Release.
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Senate Recommendation Lags Behind House-Passed Record Funding Bill
In late June, the House of Representatives passed their Interior & Environment Appropriations bill including a $40 million increase for the National Wildlife Refuge System (NWRS), which, if enacted, would bring the total Operations and Maintenance budget for refuges to $503 million for next year, Fiscal Year 2010. The Senate has recommended funding the System at $488.6 million (a $25.6 million increase), a sum that is more than the President’s request, but less than the House.
Unfortunately, the Senate’s $488.6 million recommendation still would not fully allow the NWRS to cover inflationary costs. The Refuge System needs at least $15 million annually just to keep pace with inflation but the Senate’s version only provides $6.4 million. Only the House passed version provides enough for fixed costs.
Action now moves to the full Senate, which is expected to vote on their final bill in September. NWRA will be working to press the Senate to keep the higher House number in any final bill. To help ensure the Senate adopts the higher number, please send your 2 U.S. Senators an instant message via our Refuge Action Network!
To see the differences between the President's refuge request, the House passed version, and the pending Senate version, click here.
See our Appropriations Update video.
Visit Refuge Funding page.
Read our Press Release.
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Sam Hamilton Confirmed as FWS Director
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Hamilton is a career FWS employee who started on refuges with the Youth Conservation Corps. © FWS |
Sam Hamilton, President Obama’s nominee for Director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), was confirmed with strong bi-partisan support by the U.S. Senate July 31st. Formerly the FWS Regional Director for the Southeast, Hamilton has worked for the Service in an array of capacities for the last thirty years. From his early days building fences on refuges with the Youth Conservation Corps, to restoring vital habitat in areas such as the Florida Everglades, to managing over 128 wildlife refuges in the Southeast, Hamilton has acquired a wealth of experience in both acquiring and reconstructing habitat.
During his July 22nd confirmation hearing, Hamilton highlighted the funding shortages in the National Wildlife Refuge System, noting that the System is under funded and crippled by maintenance backlogs, and that resolving this is will be a high priority. He highlighted the great strides made by volunteers and Friends groups, and emphasized that refuges are personally important to him. We are delighted to congratulate Sam on his new role leading the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and we eagerly look forward to working together.
See press release.
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Deputy Refuge Chief Receives Gabrielson Award
The NWRA congratulates Jim Kurth, Deputy Chief of the Refuge System, on receiving the celebrated Ira Gabrielson Conservation Leadership Award. Presented by the FWS’ Advanced Leadership Development Program graduating class, the award was given in honor of Kurth’s visionary career in conservation.
According to the nomination, “Jim Kurth very much embodies the Ira Gabrielson conservation legacy tradition as evidenced by his accomplishments over his 30 years of Refuge service, being well versed in all Service programs and their development, his vocal conservation leadership commitment maintaining Service excellence and integrity despite the odds, his moving writing and speaking eloquence in his great sense of place…Probably Jim’s most notable personal mark is his passion as a tireless defender of Refuge System wilderness areas. His Wilderness legacy…has been that of a staunch defender of Arctic Refuge wilderness and the broader United States’ wilderness system.”
Jim began his Refuge System career in 1979, and served at Mississippi Sandhill Crane Refuge, Loxahatchee Refuge in Florida, Bogue Chitto Refuge in Lousiana, Seney Refuge in Michigan, and Ninigret Refuge in Rhode Island before moving to Alaska and the Arctic Refuge, where he served as manager for 5 years. Jim then traveled to Washington to become the Refuge System’s Deputy Chief in 1999.
The Ira Gabrielson Conservation Leadership Award is given to a single outstanding leader in the Service each year. Ira Gabrielson’s lifetime career in conservation proved that the profound power of the individual can make a big difference for the cause of conservation. Gabrielson was the first director of the Fish and Wildlife Service when it was formed in 1940. During his time in Washington, he helped pass The Duck Stamp Act and added millions of acres to the National Wildlife Refuge System.
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Duck Stamp Legislation Passes
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The Migratory Bird Hunting and Conservation Stamp - the “Duck Stamp” - will now generate greater funding for land acquisition on wildlife refuges thanks to new legistlation.
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On July 30, the House Natural Resources Committee approved the Migratory Bird Habitat Investment and Enhancement Act. NWRA supported passage of the Act, which will raise the price of the Duck Stamp from $15 to $25 in 2010 to generate much-needed funding for wetland habitat acquisition.
The Migratory Bird Hunting and Conservation Stamp, also known as the “Duck Stamp,” has helped acquire valuable habitat in the National Wildlife Refuge System since 1934. The stamp is currently sold for $15 and has not changed for the past 18 years, while land prices have skyrocketed and the purchasing power for habitat conservation has been diminished.
Few programs in the federal government have such a great rate of investment - 98¢ on every dollar goes directly to acquire vital habitat in the National Wildlife Refuge System. More than 5.2 million acres of wetland and grassland refuge habitat have been added to the Refuge System with the proceeds from this stamp.
Find out more about the Duck Stamp and see how much of YOUR refuge was acquired with Duck Stamp dollars.
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Fragile Pronghorn, Sage Grouse & Bighorn Sheep Habitat Threatened by Pipeline
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Bighorn Sheep habitat in Sheldon NWR in northwestern Nevada is under threat by a proposed natural gas pipeline. © Reid Squyres
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The largest intact sagebrush-steppe ecosystem in the United States and home to pronghorn antelope, sage grouse and bighorn sheep is under threat by a proposed natural gas pipeline that could go right through its center. NWRA, the National Audubon Society and other conservation organizations submitted comments regarding this potentially disastrous proposal that would impact the Sheldon NWR in northwestern Nevada.
Ruby Pipeline, L.L.C. has proposed constructing and operating a 678-mile natural gas pipeline from Wyoming to Oregon that would cut across the fragile sagebrush habitat both within the refuge boundaries and immediately south - impacting the larger ecosystem. The proposal also involves the expansion and use of several roads within the refuge for access to the pipeline, including two roads that are currently undeveloped and under consideration for permanent closure by the refuge.
Even more troubling is the proposal to construct an alternate route running directly through the refuge, which NWRA and our partner conservation organizations have urged be taken off the table for consideration immediately.
Read our comments.
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Check out our new Beyond the Boundaries pages!
NWRA is working on a wide range of projects across the country that are helping to ensure the survival of manatees, desert tortoises, swallow-tailed kites, tufted puffins and a host of other emblematic American wildlife. To learn more about the challenges faced by these species, the refuge landscapes that support them, and the partnerships and strategies we’re pursuing to ensure their survival, please visit or new pages here.
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NWRA Joins Everglades Coalition
The National Wildlife Refuge Association has been welcomed as a new member of the Everglades Coalition - an alliance of local, national, and international conservation and environmental organizations that are dedicated to protecting and restoring the Everglades ecosystem. The Coalition advocates for the restoration of the Everglades, as well as increasing education about the Everglades, supporting and sponsoring research, and facilitating partnerships between Coalition member organizations.
The NWRA will join 52 other coalition member organizations dedicated to fully restoring the greater Everglades ecosystem- a region that spans across much of south Florida, from the headwaters of Lake Okeechobee southward to the Florida Keys. The Coalition’s annual conference is one of the largest forums on Everglades conservation, bringing together scientists, political leaders, and members of the environmental community to discuss important conservation and restoration issues.
The Coalition has supported land acquisition initiatives such as the U.S. Sugar Company land purchase, proposed water flow improvements to the Tamiami Trail highway, supported strengthening and continuing to implement the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan, and has been engaged in multiple local land planning and zoning issues – all of which impact the refuges of south Florida. In January the Coalition passed a resolution regarding the importance of addressing climate change through Everglades restoration.
Refuges such as Arthur R. Marshall Loxahatchee, Ten Thousand Islands, Florida Panther, Lake Wales Ridge, J.N. “Ding” Darling and Florida Keys refuges are important components of the Everglades ecosystem and face constant threats from invasive species, poor water quality and development beyond their boundaries. They also protect endangered species such as the Florida panther, West Indian manatee, wood stork and many others.
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Take our Climate Change Survey!
In an effort to better understand how much the general public and refuge supporters know about climate change, NWRA has launched an on-line survey. Information derived from the anonymous survey will allow us to more effectively communicate with decision-makers and our constituencies on this pressing issue.
Please, take our survey by clicking here. Your participation is greatly appreciated!
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Friends Focus: Friends of Balcones Canyonlands NWR
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The Friends of Balcones Canyonlands NWR's annual Balcones Songbird Festival brought hundereds of visitors from around the country. Many came to see the golden-cheeked warbler and the black-capped vireo, two endangered songbirds that breed on the refuge. © FWS
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If you’re a bird watcher, then the golden-cheeked warbler and black-capped vireo are must-see “life list” birds. And there’s nowhere better to see them than at Balcones Canyonlands National Wildlife Refuge in central Texas! Thanks to the Friends of Balcones Canyonlands NWR, the refuge has big plans to expand its ability to conserve habitat for these species and many others.
Though the refuge currently spans 23,000-acre in the Texas Hill Country just northwest of Austin, one of the Friends’ main goals is to raise enough money and awareness to grow the refuge through land acquisitions, with sixty thousand acres as the final target.
One way the Friends organization raises money and awareness is by hosting the Balcones Songbird Festival. The festival is a celebration of nature through a collection of interpretive events to experience both birds and their habitats. This year’s festival took place April 24 - 27 and attracted over 600 birders, hikers, photographers and conservationists from across the country.
Many came to see the golden-cheeked warbler and the black-capped vireo, two endangered songbirds that breed on the refuge. Other highlights were the painted bunting, canyon wren, canyon towhee, vermilion flycatcher, black-throated sparrow, and grasshopper sparrow - to name just a few. In all, 127 bird species were seen or heard this year, beating a previous record of 123 species in 2007.
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Children enjoyed live wildlife- viewing and games at the Balcones Songbird Festival. © Andrea Price
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The three-day festival had something for everyone. Participants were treated to a variety of nature hikes with topics such as birds, plants, Hill Country ecology, natural history, fire and habitat restoration, and nature photography. Children enjoyed live wildlife- viewing, birdhouse building, bird drawing, storytelling, and a bird walk for beginners. And for the more mature participants, local winery Flat Creek Estate hosted a Wine & Star Shine fundraiser.
The Friends teamed up with Travis Audubon Society and the Sierra Club to draw a bigger crowd and offer more diverse leadership. Numerous sponsors and more than 90 volunteers helped make the festival a success.
The tenth annual Songbird Festival, sure to be bigger and better, is already in the works and will take place on April 23-26, 2010. Friends of Balcones Canyonlands NWR extends a special invitation to all other Friends groups and members to come down to Central Texas next year and join them!
The Friends of Balcones Canyonlands NWR was founded in 2001 with the mission to support, complete, and enhance the Balcones Canyonlands NWR and to promote its use for recreational, educational, and scientific purposes. To learn more, check them out online at: http://www.friendsofbalcones.org/
Have you had an event NWRA should know about?
Email nwra@refugeassociation.org to be highlighted in a future Friends Focus!
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Welcome Friends of Arapaho NWR and Friends of Fish Springs NWR!
The NWRA welcomes two new Friends groups to the Refuge System family; the Friends of Arapaho NWR in north central Colorado and the Friends of Fish Springs NWR in western Utah. These two groups join approximately 250 other Friends groups nationwide in working with decision makers and their local communities to protect and advocate for their treasured national wildlife refuge and the Refuge System.
Arapaho NWR was established in 1967 for waterfowl to nest and raise their young. Mallards, pintails, gadwalls and American wigeons utilize the valley’s willow-lined wetlands and grasslands, while white-tailed prairie dog, badger, coyotes, pronghorn antelope, beaver and muskrat use the emergent wetlands, grasslands and sage brush, especially as winter habitat. The Friends of Arapaho NWR hope to educate the public about this world class wildlife resource in north-central Colorado and in time, assist the refuge staff with trail and maintenance projects and advocate with decision makers about refuge needs.
Fish Springs NWR was established in 1959 to provide habitat for migrating and wintering birds. The refuge is a key sanctuary to a number of avian species due to the large number of spring-fed wetlands on the refuge. Lazuli bunting, white-faced ibis, snowy egrets and coyotes can be seen on the refuge, while native fish include the Utah chub, least chub and speckled dace also populate refuge waters. The Friends of Fish Springs NWR seek to educate the public and decision makers about the refuge and it’s unique resources.
The NWRA welcomes these two friends groups, and looks forward to working with them in the near future.
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August 3 - September 7: Summer district work period - a great time to meet up with your Members of Congress and invite them to your refuge!
August 24: Last day to enter Barbara’s Bakery's "Families Gone Wild" Photo & Video Sweepstakes!
September 4: Deadline for Fall Refuge Friends Grant Cycle, be sure to apply!
For more information visit: www.nfwf.org
The large, inaccessible tracts of Pocosin Lakes NWR provide habitat for the only wild population of endangered red wolves in the world. (Source: FWS)
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