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Our refuge is like a basket, holding so many precious things: Wildlife. Habitat. Nature. Visitor experiences. Environmental Education. Events and Activities. But our basket is rotting, and the precious contents are falling through the holes.
This is the image that Rebecca Gomez Chuck, Project Manager for Tualatin River and Wapato Lake National Wildlife Refuges expressed when I asked her what her greatest concerns about our refuges were.
Unfortunately, this is true of the entire refuge system! As the Audubon Magazine described the refuge system in 2020, it is Overwhelmed and Understaffed and things have only gotten worse.
As I said in my written testimony to the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Interior, Environment, and related agencies, as more and more people “discovered” the Refuge [during the Covid shutdown of public areas] as a respite in a very stressful time, there has been a heightened public awareness of its value as a resource to our community. But, with increased awareness and usage comes increased need for upkeep and protection. Being in an urban area results in a higher level of required management to safeguard the wildlife and habitat. Our Fish and Wildlife Staff has done a stellar job of preserving the refuge, but they are working at a great handicap. In 2012, the refuge consisted of 1,384 acres under the management of a full-time staff of 6. In 2013, the 944-acre Wapato Lake National Wildlife Refuge was created and complexed with Tualatin River NWR with no additional staff or funding. Since then, additional acres have been added to Tualatin River NWR, bringing it to over 1,800 acres. In 2021 full-time staff was increased to 7. Managed acres increased by 50% and staff by one position. Complexing these two refuges also results in a situation where staff travel substantial distances several times a week to juggle duties on multiple refuges.
And unfortunately, situations like this are duplicated by refuges across the country!
Because of this decline in the resources available for caring for refuges a group of organizations have embarked on a campaign to improve refuge staffing and Maintenance and Operations funding from the current $541 Million to the needed $1.5 Billion. This campaign is being headed up by National Wildlife Refuge Association and their partner organizations, Coalition of Refuge Friends and Advocates (CORFA) and Cooperative Alliance for Refuge Enhancement (CARE).
But, we need you to get involved. Write a letter, send an email, pick up a phone and call your National Representative and Senators and tell them why you care about refuges and what you want them to do to ensure that our basket is made whole again. Write a letter to the editor and tell everyone about a special attachment you have to our refuges.
If we all do our part, we can mend that basket and make it as good as new!
See you on the Refuge.
-Cheryl
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