Earth Day, April 22, is just a week away. While you may have volunteered to work at a local wildlife refuge to show your support for conservation, you have one thing to do that is even more important: Tell us what you think about the draft vision for the National Wildlife Refuge System before the comment period ends April 22.
After nearly 60 days of seeking public opinions about the draft vision, you have one week left to give us your comments and bold ideas. If we don’t have your opinion, then we’re missing an important voice.
And that’s true for members of your Refuge Friends organizations, those in your community who visit or support the wildlife refuge, the local chambers of commerce, fraternal organizations – anyone who understands the central place that conservation plays in our lives.
In fact, this is a chance to engage those who never thought about national wildlife refuges.
That’s just what the Conserving the Future vision process did for Heather Hansen, an environmental journalist working with the Red Lodge Clearinghouse /Natural Resources Law Center at University of Colorado/ Boulder. She wrote about the vision process in High Country News. “They’re stealthy public lands that don’t get the airtime our national parks and monuments do,” she said – and then went on for many paragraphs to say what she thinks of the vision document.
So, how do you think that national wildlife refuges can be more relevant to a population that is more urban than ever? What should be the strategic growth plan for the Refuge System? What’s the role of science in the Refuge System? How can the Refuge System encourage and mentor new leaders?
What is your vision for the future of the Refuge System in the next decade or so?
Tell us now. We’re listening.
