CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION
The slaughter of the birds of Pelican Island was more than Paul Kroegel could stand. The destruction of those magnificent birds for the fleeting vanity of fashion stood in stark contrast to the ancient ritual of generation after generation of wild birds nesting and fledgling and living throughout those reaches of the Florida peninsula.
The situation was urgent; the colonies were on the brink of destruction. Kroegel patrolled Pelican Island’s shores with his shotgun trying to safeguard the nesting birds. He talked to anyone who would listen, trying to rally support for the protection of the birds and this special place. He had the ear of some prominent ornithologists and they knew another man with a passionate interest in birds, the young President Theodore Roosevelt.
In a story that would be repeated many times over the next century and beyond, the passionate advocacy of a single citizen responding to an urgent conservation need had succeeded. On March 14, 1903, President Roosevelt established Pelican Island as the first national wildlife refuge. Over the course of his presidency, Roosevelt established 53 refuges, from Key West’s mangrove islands and sand flats to Flattery Rocks along the Washington Coast, where 150,000 pelagic birds nest and migrating birds sometimes swell the population to over one million. He also established our nation’s first waterfowl refuge, Lower Klamath, in 1908. A new concept, protecting a system of wild lands for wildlife, was born.
More than a century later, the National Wildlife Refuge System has grown to become the world’s most extensive network of public lands and waters dedicated to the conservation of wildlife. From the Arctic to the Caribbean, the Atlantic to the Pacific, America’s 553 national wildlife refuges and 38 Wetland Management Districts are present in every state and territory; and they provide important habitat to more than 700 species of birds, 220 types of mammals, 250 varieties of reptiles and amphibians, more than 1,000 species of fish and countless invertebrates and plants. They sustain nearly 300 of the nation’s more than 1,300 endangered or threatened species; and have played a key role in the recovery of several species, including the bald eagle, Aleutian Canada goose, brown pelican and American alligator. We celebrate these successes of today and honor our past and those who laid the foundation of American conservation.
From the very beginning, America’s fish and wildlife depended on the support and concern of hunters and anglers. They first sounded the alarm that fish and wildlife were being exploited, and they hounded lawmakers to enact legal protections. Gaining strength in numbers, they formed conservation organizations like the Boone and Crockett Club, the Audubon Society, the Izaak Walton League and others, and helped enact legislation like the Federal Aid in Wildlife Restoration Act and the Migratory Bird Hunting Stamp Act. They rose to the challenge and gave voice to the needs of wildlife.
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At the same time that federal refuges were being established, state conservation agencies were also forming, protecting lands and waters for wildlife, and developing the art and science of wildlife management. Growing up together during the 20th century, conservation organizations and state and federal wildlife agencies continued to work and learn together, building off each other’s strengths, and providing all American’s with lasting access to the beauty and enjoyment of our fish and wildlife legacy.
Today, this partnership between state and federal agencies is nowhere stronger than in the field, and on refuges. No matter the logo on their shoulders, their sleeves are rolled up together. They assist each other with prescribed burning and fighting wild fires. They patrol and enforce conservation laws together. They maintain roads, water control structures, and enhance habitat. They belong to the same scientific and professional organization and collaborate on studies and research. Increasingly, they are joined in many of these efforts by conservation and environmental organizations. All work together to restore wetlands, grasslands and forests, and together they teach the next generation the skills and traditions of hunting and fishing and the ways of the wild.
While their benefits to wildlife are measured in many ways, Refuges play crucial roles in human communities, too. By protecting wetlands, grasslands, forests and other natural habitats, Refuges improve water quality, relieve flooding, improve soil quality and help trap greenhouse gases that contribute to global warming. In addition, by attracting visitors who come to hunt, fish, take photos or observe wildlife—visitors who spend money at local businesses—national wildlife refuges generated more than $1.7 billion in economic activity and created 27,000 private sector jobs, according to a 2006 study. Most important, in an increasingly urban and high-speed world, these islands of natural beauty offer Americans priceless places to soothe or stir the soul, educate the mind and invigorate the body.
As the System moves into its second century, we must tackle a series of unprecedented challenges. At the root of these challenges is the increasing consumption of natural resources, which has caused loss, degradation and fragmentation of habitat around the world. Habitat loss is largely responsible for the current extinction event, in which Earth may lose half of its species in the next 100 years. Another challenge is the spread of invasive, non-native plants and animals, which, in many places, out-compete native organisms in ecosystems once thought outside their range. And likely the most significant challenge to conservation efforts is climate change. As the globe warms, sea levels are rising, coastal wetlands are disappearing, flooding and droughts are increasing, habitats and seasons are shifting and other changes are occurring that are changing the definition of what is considered ‘normal.’
Along with these environmental challenges, profound changes are taking place in the fabric of America. The population of the United States has increased more than 14 percent since 1998, and citizens are becoming increasingly concentrated in cities. By 2050, the U.S. population is projected to grow to almost 400 million. The country is also becoming more racially and ethnically diverse. Groups that have historically been considered minorities are projected to be
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the majority by 2042. The nation is also aging. By mid-century, the number of Americans 65 and older will double to over 80 million people. Social changes have also been profound. The rapid spread of technology and the rise of the internet and social networking have changed the way Americans interact with each other and the outside world, and how they spend their free time. The result is that people are less connected with America’s great outdoors, and many fail to see the link between the natural world and the food they eat, the water they drink and the air they breathe. While environmental threats still resonate on some level, many citizens feel that conservation threats are a distant concern.
The Service needs to respond to these challenges and trends, both by developing better ways to protect wildlife and by making conservation more relevant to citizens’ lives. Fortunately, we have a long history of successfully overcoming challenges and changes. From responding to market hunters and the plume trade, pollution, natural disasters, and climate change, Service employees have learned to adapt and grow—and continue to meet their mission of protecting wildlife and habitat.
Despite the challenges, there are many opportunities. The hundreds of people, organizations and agencies that took time to comment on this vision document provide evidence that people care about the environment, wildlife and the future of the Refuge System. Humans still have an instinctual connection to nature, and are drawn to it when provided with the opportunity. Improvements in science and technology have not only given us a clearer understanding of the challenges before us, they have allowed us to better see where we can make a difference. And our partners in the conservation community have never been better equipped or motivated to help us take on these challenges.
Given the magnitude of the challenges before us, especially the current need to balance many competing priorities, it is critical that we have help from both our traditional partners—other federal and state agencies, hunting and fishing groups, conservation organizations, refuge ‘friends’ associations—and others who want to ensure that future generations receive a legacy of healthy habitats, clean air and water, open spaces and robust wildlife populations. The establishment of Pelican Island was the result of conservation groups such as the Audubon Society, Camp Fire Club, Sierra Club, and New York Zoological Society rallying around a common purpose with the hunting groups like Boone and Crockett and the League of American Sportsmen. Let these visionaries serve as our model to unite conservation organizations and agencies with diverse mission around the common purpose of conserving fish, wildlife, and their habitats and expanding the conservation awareness in all Americans.
While this document and its recommendations are intended as a guide and an aid for current and the next generation of Service employees to help administer the Refuge System during the coming decades, it is also, and equally, a call to action for other governmental agencies, conservation organizations, corporations and citizens. The Refuge System is a crucial part of our shared natural heritage, and, as President Roosevelt noted, a gift to future generations. To ensure that our natural heritage is passed down intact, we must all join together and commit to a bold, robust 21st century-version of American stewardship.
