National Wildlife Refuge Funding Cut By 10 Percent
WASHINGTON, DC, November 1, 2006 (ENS) - The Bush administration has ordered a 10 percent across-the-board cutback in funding for the National Wildlife Refuge System, leaving dozens of refuges without any assigned staff, according to agency documents released today by Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility, PEER.
The Refuge System, a part of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, will see declining budgets through 2011 under the Bush plan, despite significant increases in the number of refuges, visitors and an array of other costs, according to PEER, a national association of government employees in natural resources agencies.
PEER says that since Congress has yet to act on the Fish and Wildlife Service budget for FY 2007, the Bush administration is implementing the cuts without waiting for Congressional approval.
Each of the seven Fish and Wildlife Service regional offices across the country is now planning to absorb the budget cuts.
The Southeast Region, with the largest number of refuges, 128, will eliminate approximately 80 staff positions, leaving 43 of its refuges with no staff at all, a condition the agency calls "Preservation Status."
Southeast Regional Director Sam Hamilton and Regional Refuge Chief Jon Andrew established three teams to address these issues for refuges in the Southeast.
The Field Team developed a three year plan that will strategically guide the Region through a period of flat or declining budgets. The Regional Office Team addressed the Director’s charge to reduce the Regional Office by 10 percent within two years and move those dollar savings to the field. The Outreach Team will provide information to employees; friend’s groups; state, federal, and nongovernment partners; Congressional; and other interested parties
More than half of the refuges in the Southeast Region will be left with fewer than three staff positions.
"Make no mistake about it – this is the first stage in dismantling the National Wildlife Refuge System," said Grady Hocutt, a former long-time refuge manager who directs the PEER refuge program. "It took a century to build this network of wildlife sanctuaries into the envy of the world but much of that work is being undone in just this decade."
"Redirecting a tiny fraction of what audits show is wasted or stolen in Iraq would allow for full funding of all refuge system needs," added Hocutt, noting that the U.S. is spending an estimated $177 million per day in Iraq."
Established by President Theodore Roosevelt, the National Wildlife Refuge System now covers 96 million acres and encompasses 545 individual refuges and 37 wetlands management areas. Apart from providing critical wildlife habitat, national refuges are a major recreational outlet, with an estimated 40 million visitors each year, including hunters and anglers. There is at least one refuge located within an hour’s drive of every major city in the U.S.
The Bush administration is proposing a slight decrease in the $380 million refuge budget. Given rising costs and more refuge units - 17 new refuges have been established since 2001 - this posture of flat-lining the budget amounts to a significant resource reduction in real terms.
The refuge system is also laboring under a $3.1 billion operations and maintenance backlog.
"If Teddy Roosevelt knew what was happening to his legacy," said Hocutt, "he would be spinning in his grave."
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