A Refuge “Vision” for Our Children and Grandchildren

As the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and partners draw up a new vision for the National Wildlife Refuge System for the next decade and beyond, it is also a good time to celebrate the past. National Wildlife Federation applauds the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for collaborating with partners on the Conserving the Future: Wildlife Refuges and the Next Generation vision document that will be presented for ratification at a conference in Madison, WI this July.  We are eager to give input to the vision document in order to help the system solve the challenges of the 21^st century and are proud to be intertwined with the early history and success of wildlife refuges.

National Wildlife Federation celebrates our 75^th anniversary this year, and our first President, J.N. “Ding” Darling, was instrumental in the early history and success of the refuge system.  Ding Darling was the Director of the U.S. Biological Survey, predecessor to the Fish and Wildlife Service, and he greatly increased refuge acreage, started the duck stamp program and even put his political cartoon skills into action when designing the Blue Goose logo.

The National Wildlife Refuge System is truly unique because it is the only federal system of lands and water that is specifically set aside “to conserve America’s fish, wildlife, and plants.”  That is quite the responsibility given the current stressors to wildlife populations. Many factors have significantly reduced wildlife populations since President Theodore Roosevelt designated the first national wildlife refuge, Pelican Island, in 1903.  But the greatest threat to wildlife today and in the future is global climate change.

Can you imagine Charles M. Russell National Wildlife Refuge in Montana without viable populations of elk, pronghorn, or sage grouse?  Or much of Delta National Wildlife Refuge in Louisiana, gone due to sea level rise? These are the grim realities and challenges laid before us.  Coastal and Alaskan refuges in particular are experiencing these effects—the crisis has already arrived.

The Fish and Wildlife Service should be commended in the way it has led in terms of being one of the first federal agencies to systematically grapple with climate change impacts. The challenge going forward is addressing the need for species to move in light of the growing pace of these impacts.  FWS will need to team up with public and private partners to think creatively about how to manage the arrivals and departures of species in a way that maximizes benefits for wildlife and people.  We shouldn’t just look at what we stand to lose from climate change and other stressors.  We also need to envision the ecological role these lands and waters will play in the future, perhaps hosting different species than originally intended.

Over National Wildlife Federation’s 75 years, we’ve grown to love many different wildlife refuges, as they are home to many of the top wildlife watching spots in the country, and offer unparalleled recreational opportunities. We must recognize their value in order to continue this proud tradition of sustaining wildlife as well as provide direction and support in the midst of challenging conditions.

Continuing to develop a national strategy for adapting to the impacts of climate change to refuges should be one of the main goals of the vision that is adopted by those gathered in Madison, Wisconsin for the “vision conference” this summer.  Our children and grandchildren will thank us.  Please stand with us—we need your voice to combat the greatest challenge of this the 21^st century.

Larry Schweiger, President and CEO, National Wildlife Federation