A Vision for a Bright Future

Refuges have a unique combination of resources – not only land, water, and wildlife that capture the attention of even the youngest visitors, but skilled staff and volunteers that can help all of us understand why conserving these resources is so important for our country’s future.(Image: Tim Haller/FWS)

Izaak Walton League members have been advocates for and supporters of the National Wildlife Refuge System since the 1920s, when the League championed establishing the Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife and Fish Refuge. Today, League members use refuges across the country to hunt and fish, watch wildlife, and connect their children and grandchildren with the outdoors and conservation, and we are excited to help craft a new vision for the refuge system.

“Conserving the Future,” the draft vision for the refuge system, provides a solid foundation for the future of wildlife refuges. The vision recommends steps to prepare refuges for serious natural resource challenges, including climate change, and to better meet the needs of an increasingly diverse population. At the same time, the draft retains the refuge system’s longstanding commitment to conserving wildlife and habitat and science-based decision-making. It also recognizes how important it will be for refuges to continue to meet the needs of hunters, anglers, and others who utilize refuges for wildlife-dependent recreation. As the League works to increase the number of hunters and anglers in America, it is particularly encouraging that one of the recommendations in the vision is to double youth participation in hunting and fishing on refuges by 2020.

The draft vision also identifies areas in which the refuge system can be even more effective. Strengthening volunteer recruitment and management is one example. As a volunteer-based organization, the Izaak Walton League understands how much citizens can accomplish on the ground. Developing a national volunteer strategy makes sense and should be leveraged to engage thousands more Americans who are ready to get their hands dirty to conserve and maintain their wildlife refuges. It is also important for the system to play a leading role in environmental education and connecting the next generation of Americans to the outdoors and conservation. Refuges have a unique combination of resources – not only land, water, and wildlife that capture the attention of even the youngest visitors, but skilled staff and volunteers that can help all of us understand why conserving these resources is so important for our country’s future.

The Izaak Walton League and our members across the country look forward to working with National Wildlife Refuge System leadership to finalize a new vision and use it to achieve conservation successes during the next decade and beyond.

David Hoskins, Executive Director, Izaak Walton League of America