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Reviving the Land and Water Conservation Fund
Next week an unprecedented 200+ Friends of Refuges will descend on Capitol Hill for a day of advocating the needs of wildlife refuges. This uniquely American annual ritual, now seven consecutive years running, has helped refuges ward off severe cuts that have plagued other federal conservation programs, and has helped build an unprecedented foundation of support for the Refuge System. Indeed, there is no more potent message to lawmakers than that from their constituents.
In prior years, Friends have advocated for additional operations and maintenance funding for refuges – a need that remains deeply pressing, particularly in light of recent staffing models that show the System operating at approximately half the necessary staff. Yet, in the face of climate change, competition for water, and harmful activities occurring around refuges, there is a crucial need to secure increased funding for land conservation.
Among the most important tools to conserve lands and waters beyond refuge boundaries is through the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF), a program established by Congress in 1965 to directly meet the nation’s desire to protect natural areas and provide public lands for recreation. LWCF dollars are derived from a portion of the receipts from offshore oil and gas leases, up to an allowed maximum of $900 million dollars for both state and federal land acquisition. Since inception, the LWCF has added 1.5 million acres to the NWRS.
Regrettably, through 40 years of existence, only once has the LWCF been fully-funded. Even worse, over the past decade the amount of money allocated for acquisition from the fund has decreased dramatically. While offshore oil revenue credited to the LWCF approaches $17 billion, the actual amount of money appropriated to the fund has followed a steady decline - last year, the Administration’s request for refuge acquisition was only $900,000. At the same time, funding cuts have resulted in a 30% reduction in FWS professional realty staff, or close to 70 full time jobs.
These decreases have come at a time when land acquisition has never been more important to meeting our conservation goals. Recent studies show that climate change is already altering the ranges of many species of birds and fish, making it more difficult to protect our wildlife within the confines of the existing system. Further, predicted changes in weather patterns will put a strain on many coastal areas, advancing the need for protected wetlands to preserve habitat and provide natural storm buffers for our coastal communities.
Acquiring new land for refuges and creating conservation corridors is a critical tool in conserving and protecting our wildlife and native habitats for generations to come, particularly as we face an unpredictable future. As vocal constituents, Friends will have an opportunity to convey this important and timely message to their decision-makers when they visit the nation’s capitol next week.
Onward and upward!
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Refuge System Standouts to be Recognized
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(Clockwise from top left) Baron Horiuchi, Greg Siekaniec, Marie Springer, and Friends of Pool 9 were selected for the 2009 Employee, Manager, Volunteer and Friends Group of the Year Awards.
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The National Wildlife Refuge Association and the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation will honor National Wildlife Refuge System supporters and employees in February and March with the presentation of the 2009 National Wildlife Refuge System Awards.
The Paul Kroegel Refuge Manager of the Year Award will be presented to Greg Siekaniec for his work at Alaska Maritime NWR, and the Employee of the Year Award will be presented to Baron Horiuchi, horticulturalist at Hakalau Forest NWR in Hawaii. These awards will be presented in conjunction with the 74th North American Wildlife and Natural Resources Conference, March 16 through 21 in Arlington, VA.
The Volunteer of the Year Award will be presented to Marie Springer for her work at Wallkill River NWR in New Jersey, and the Friends Group of the Year Award will be presented to the Friends of Pool 9 for their work on the Upper Mississippi River NWFR’s McGregor District in Iowa. These awards will be presented in conjunction with the 2009 “Friends Unite!” National Friends Conference, February 21 through 23 in Washington, DC.
To learn more about this this year's incredible award recipients, please visit www.refugeassociation.org/Awards.html.
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Momentum and Recognition at the Three Sisters Springs in Crystal River, Florida
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Lynn Scarlett, then-Deputy Secretary of the Interior presents Ellie Schiller, Director of the Felburn Foundation, with a plaque at a ceremony thanking her for her support of the Three Sisters Springs acquisition by announcing that the future interpretive facility at the site will be named in her honor. ©FWS
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NWRA is delighted to announce that the Three Sisters Springs project, an effort to acquire 58 acres and five warm water springs that provide key habitat for endangered manatees, met another fundraising milestone when Jane’s Trust, a private foundation, awarded a grant of $100,000 to The Conservation Fund to support the acquisition effort. The Conservation Fund has an agreement to purchase the property from the current landowner and is working with a broad coalition of groups to raise funds for the project, including the Friends of the Chassahowitzka NWRC, NWRA, USFWS, the State of Florida’s Florida Forever program, Citrus County, the City of Crystal River, the Southwest Florida Water Management District, the Friends of the Manatee and many others. This generous grant from Jane’s Trust gives the private fundraising campaign a significant boost for which we are grateful!
In other news at the Three Sisters Springs, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Department of the Interior recently recognized Ellie Schiller, Director of the Felburn Foundation, for her long-time support of the Refuge, its neighbors and especially the area’s natural resources throughout the years. Lynn Scarlett, Deputy Secretary of the Department of the Interior presented Ms. Schiller with a plaque and photo of a manatee named in Ellie’s honor.
Additionally, the Service recognized Ms. Schiller’s recent contribution through the Felburn Foundation supporting the Three Sisters Springs acquisition by announcing that the future interpretive facility at the site will be named in her honor.
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President’s Stimulus Package Approves $290 million for Refuges and Fish Hatcheries
The President signed the 2009 American Recovery and Reinvestment Act on February 17 and by doing so, secured $290 million for projects on national wildlife refuges and fish hatcheries. Specifically:
- $165 million for Resource Management --deferred maintenance, construction, and capital improvement projects;
- $115 million for Construction -- construction, reconstruction, and repair of roads, bridges, property, and facilities and for energy efficient retrofits of existing facilities;
- $10 million for Refuge Roads projects.
NWRA and our conservation partners in CARE had advocated a level of $1 billion for the Refuge System; the House version included $300 million and the Senate $275 million; the final bill was a compromise in between. This stimulus will provide much needed funding that can be put to immediate use in green projects including building environmentally friendly visitors centers, rehabilitating local ecosystems and increasing energy efficiency on existing refuge structures.
Modeled after depression era unemployment relief programs such as the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC), the green jobs on refuges initiative will put people to work within 90 days on shovel ready projects. This investment in infrastructure and habitat restoration on national wildlife refuges across the country will put people to work today and lay the foundation for tomorrow’s greener and more efficient economy.
Please visit our green jobs page to learn more about the types of projects that will be funded; NWRA will be monitoring how the FWS uses this funding to create jobs and will report in future issues of the Flyer.
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Crane Conservation Bill Reintroduced
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Proposed conservation efforts will be targeted to protect crane species such as the endangered whooping crane.
A pair of whooping cranes in
Wisconsin ©FWS
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Senator Russ Feingold (D-WI) and Congresswoman Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) have reintroduced legislation backed by the NWRA supporting domestic and international conservation efforts to protect crane species worldwide, including the whooping crane.
If passed, the Crane Conservation Act of 2009 (H.R. 1771/S. 1048) will support efforts to protect cranes, by providing $25 million over 5 years to fund international and domestic crane conservation through the Multinational Species Conservation Fund. Conservation efforts will be targeted to protect crane species such as the whooping crane and the “Mississippi” sandhill crane in North America, which would receive 20 percent of the authorized funding.
Cranes are among the most endangered families of birds in the world. Of the 15 recognized species of crane 11 are currently at risk of extinction. In North America, the whooping crane was nearly extirpated in the early 20th century, with only a single flock of about 30 birds remaining after 1950. This flock, estimated in 2006 to contain about 300 individuals, continues to be the only natural whooping crane flock in the world, making the yearly migration between Wood Buffalo National Park in Northwest Territories Canada, and Aransas NWR in Texas.
Captive breeding efforts have led to two additional whooping crane flocks, including a non-migratory population in central Florida, and a population that migrates between Neceedah NWR in Wisconsin and Chassahowitzka NWR in Florida. Imprinting methods and the use of ultra-light aircraft have helped young cranes establish this new migratory path based on the crane’s historic flyway. The National Wildlife Refuge System and the Fish and Wildlife Service play an integral role in providing stopover points and wintering grounds for these fascinating endangered birds.
If passed, the Feingold – Baldwin Crane Conservation Act of 2009 will be an important step in ensuring the protection of crane species around the world.
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Wilderness Proposed for Arctic Refuge
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Senator Joe Lieberman reintroduced legislation to block drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.
"Polar Bear and Bowhead Whale carcass"
Barter Island, Arctic NWR © Brian Zwiebel
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Senator Joe Lieberman (I-CT) has reintroduced legislation (S.231) to block oil and gas exploration in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) by designating 1.5 million acres of the refuge as wilderness. Senator Lieberman’s bill will help to reaffirm the original intent of the refuge, which is to protect Alaska’s unique arctic wildlife. Co-sponsors of the bill include 23 additional Senators, and the legislation is supported by the National Wildlife Refuge Association and other environmental conservation groups.
Lieberman has stated in a press release, “the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge is a pristine natural treasure that must be preserved for future generations. We do not have to choose between conservation and exploration when it comes to our energy future; we can do both simultaneously while moving toward a sustainable and diverse national energy policy."
While supporters of drilling in ANWR contend that the region holds one of the richest known domestic petroleum reserves, studies from the National Geologic Survey estimate that no more than 2% of the nations demand for oil could be met using these reserves at any given time. The Fish and Wildlife Service warns that disruptions caused by oil exploration could seriously damage the abundant populations of polar bears, musk ox, caribou, and migratory birds that live on the refuge.
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New Marine Monument adds 54 million acres to Refuge System
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Aerial of Rose Atoll NWR, one of the recently acquired areas for the National Wildlife Refuge System ©FWS |
In his final days in office, former Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne granted the National Wildlife Refuge System jurisdiction over 54 million acres of land and water that had been recently designated as three different marine monuments by President Bush. This designation, declared through an executive order, expands Refuge System acreage by a stunning 58 percent.
The newly protected areas, which include the Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument, Rose Atoll Marine National Monument, and Marianas Trench National Monument, protect a variety of unique biologic and geologic features including the deepest part of the ocean in the Mariana Trench, active underwater mud volcanoes that release hydrogen, a vent that releases pure liquid carbon dioxide, and a submarine molten sulfur cauldron.
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Map of Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument ©NOAA |
As he did in creating the Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument in the NW Hawaiian islands in 2006, President Bush created the three new marine national monuments by issuing an executive order invoking the 1906 Antiquities Act, which grants the president the authority to create new national monuments without congressional approval. The monument status will protect the three large regions of the Pacific Ocean from natural gas and oil exploration, commercial fishing, and mineral extraction, while still allowing sportfishing with appropriate permits.
Several islands included in the new monuments, such as Rose Atoll, were already managed by the Refuge System prior to being designated marine monuments. Further protecting the waters surrounding these islands will help to protect pristine coral reef habitats and important fisheries. The thousands of pelagic seabirds, including a variety of petrels, shearwaters, and terns that roost on many of the remote pacific islands will benefit from the increased protection of the open ocean fisheries.
http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/011609b.html
http://www.refugewatch.org/2009/01/19/dept-of-interior-expands-refuge-system-by-54-million-acres/
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The “Road to Nowhere” Gains Traction in Congress
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The proposed road through Izembek NWR would have treacherous driving conditions and high maintenance costs as opposed to the more efficient hovercraft already in use. © FWS |
In one of the first actions of the new 111th Congress, the Senate voted to pass S. 22, a public lands omnibus bill which included the proposed road through Izembek NWR on the Alaskan peninsula.
The bill authorizes a destructive proposal to build a road through the wildlife refuge and wilderness area at Izembek, and has been decried by the NWRA and other environmental groups for setting a dangerous precedent. The omnibus legislation included 160 other public lands bills and although NWRA and our conservation partners worked to remove the provision from the larger package, the Senate ultimately included it in their final version.
Action is now with the House of Representatives, where a vote could occur at any time. NWRA and our conservationits partners are working with House leadership to remove the harmful provision from the omnibus public lands bill before final passage.
If the bill passes both chambers and is signed into law by President Obama, an Environmental Impact Statement on the road must be prepared, and will ultimately be reviewed by the new Secretary of the Interior, Ken Sec. Salazar, who will determine if the road is in the overall public’s interest.
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Senator Ken Salazar confirmed as new Interior Secretary
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Former Senator Ken Salazar was confirmed as the new Secretary of the Department of the Interior |
Ken Salazar, the new Secretary of the Department of Interior, was confirmed to his cabinet post by the Senate on January 20th, Inauguration Day. Prior to being nominated to his position by President Obama, Salazar served as the junior U.S. Senator from Colorado, where he has been a longtime supporter of national wildlife refuges.
Salazar will be instrumental in shaping a new direction for the Interior Department, and will be critical in issues such as the proposed “Road to Nowhere” through the Izembek NWR. Salazar will also be the key player in proposing Refuge System budget requests for the new administration.
On January 26th, David Hayes was nominated for the position of Deputy Secretary of the Interior Department, making him second in command to Salazar. Hayes served in this same role during the Clinton administration under Secretary Bruce Babbit. In addition to his previous Interior department experience, Hayes is one of the nation’s foremost natural resource lawyers, and has testified before congress representing the World Wildlife Fund on the topic of international deforestation and climate change. Hayes is awaiting confirmation by the Senate before assuming his role as Deputy Secretary.
The position of Director of the Fish and Wildlife Service has not yet been filled, although it is expected that the new administration will announce a nominee soon. Once nominated the director-to-be will also face a Senate confirmation process prior to taking the helm at FWS.
Stay tuned for updates on the nomination and confirmation of these key Interior Department officials.
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Over the past month, the NWRA has earned considerable attention in the media on behalf of critical Refuge System issues, including funding for land acquisition and the Road to Nowhere through Izembek NWR. To view key stories on MSNBC and the Washington Post, click the following links:
Critics decry land bill's Alaska `Road to Nowhere' – AP Story
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2009/01/14/national/w160622S27.DTL&type=politics
Bush Interior Dept. Is Giving Itself A Pat on the Back – Washington Post
Environmentalists Take Issue With List of Achievements
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/12/31/AR2008123102833.html
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Friends Focus: Friends of the Red River National Wildlife Refuge
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Friends of the Red River NWR were featured in a local news broadcast on the green jobs for refuges initiative.
©KTBS-TV Shreveport, LA |
The Friends of the Red River NWR (formerly the Red River Refuge Alliance) were featured in a local news broadcast on the green jobs for refuges initiative. The news piece, which aired on Shreveport, Louisiana’s KTBS-TV earlier this winter, highlighted the benefits of stimulating the economy through the creation of green jobs on local wildlife refuges.
Lynn Stewart, Vice-President of the Friends group, commented on behalf of the Red River NWR, stressing the importance the refuge plays in local environmental education initiatives, as well as the potential for creating local jobs through the green jobs for refuges initiative. Proposed “shovel ready” projects at the refuge that could benefit from economic stimulus funding include a new environmentally friendly visitor’s center, as well as habitat restoration projects.
The Red River NWR, currently headquartered in Bossier Parish near Shreveport, Louisiana, was established in 2002 to restore the valley’s native ecosystems-bottomland hardwoods, cypress sloughs, and shrub swamps - that years of agricultural activity have damaged. As planned, the refuge will consist of approximately 50,000 acres of federal land and water along a 120-mile stretch of the Red River between Colfax, Louisiana and the Arkansas state line. To date, the refuge has acquired roughly 6,000 of the proposed 50,000 acres.
The Friends of the Red River NWR was formed to assist the FWS in acquiring, restoring, and sustaining this vital habitat. The friends have recently renovated a small building for use as a temporary visitor center, created nature trails in the pecan grove and along the river, and photographically documented over 100 refuge species.
The Friends also engage the local community by organizing events, such as the “big sit” birding event and the annual Refuge Celebration and Catfish Fry. Other annual events include the Great Backyard Bird Count & Breakfast in February and the International Migratory Bird Day Celebration in May.
See the news story online at: http://www.ktbs.com/news/Green-Jobs-in-SBC-22276/
For more information on the Friends of the Red River NWR, please visit their website: http://www.friendsofredriver.org.
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February 21-23: National Wildlife Refuge Friends Conference: Friends Unite!
February 22: 2009 Awards Reception honoring Refuge System Volunteer and Friends Group of the Year
March 19: 74th Wildlife Conference Director’s Reception honoring Refuge System Manager and Employee of the Year
...Cherry Valley NWR Brings the Refuge System total to 549!
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The view of Cherry Valley from the Godfrey Ridge, where U.S. Rep. Paul Kanjorski announced the establishment of the newest national wildlife refuge.
© Darrin Schuler |
The Cherry Valley National Wildlife Refuge in northeastern Pennsylvania was established on December 23, 2008 as the 549th refuge in the Refuge System and the 3rd refuge in Pennsylvania. The Friends of Cherry Valley group was instrumental in the effort to gain approval for the acquisition boundary which encompasses 20,466 acres protecting parts of 13 defined ecosystems and a variety of rare, threatened, and endangered species.
To learn more, visit:
http://www.poconorecord.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20081224/NEWS/812240314
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