National Wildlife Refuge Association (NWRA) Priority Programs
In the Fiscal Year 2010 Omnibus Spending Bill
October 30, 2009 – FY 2010 Interior, Environment and Related Agencies Appropriations Bill
Funding the Department of the Interior and other Government Agencies until
September 30, 2010
NWRA submitted testimony to the House and Senate Appropriations Subcommittees for Interior, Environment and Related Agencies in early 2009. To read NWRA’s testimony for FY 2009, visit: (link to our FY 2010 testimony)
NWRA priorities identified in our FY 2010 testimony and funded in the bill include:
- $503 m for the National Wildlife Refuge System - Operations and Maintenance
- Funding for the Volunteer Invasives Monitoring Program has become a part of the overall Operations budget and no longer requires a congressional earmark
- $60.2 m for the Partners for Fish and Wildlife Program
- $90 m for State Wildlife Grants
- $7.5 for the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation
- $86.34 m for FWS Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) Projects – DOUBLING the amount for refuge land acquisition
NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE SYSTEM (NWRS)
Operations and Maintenance: $503 million -- $40 million increase
The package includes $503 million for refuge operations and maintenance, roughly $3.36 per acre for the now
150 million-acre System. This represents a $40 million increase over FY09 and a 27% increase ($105 million) in the past 3 years.
The request of the Cooperative Alliance for Refuge Enhancement (CARE), chaired by NWRA, and the 190 NWRA Refuge “Friends” Affiliates, was $514 million. NWRA, CARE and Friends are deeply appreciative for the support from Congress which puts the NWRS on the path to receive base funding of at least $808 million annually by FY 2013, the end of President Obama’s first term.
Note: The previous high point in refuge funding came in FY 2004 ($391.5 m), the year of the Refuge System Centennial. Adjusted for inflation, this number would be at least $481.5 million – the FY 2010 funding level surpasses that amount by over $20 million.
| |
FY 2009 Enacted |
Final FY 2010 |
| NWRS |
$462.8 m |
$503.3 m |
| Operations |
$323.3 m |
$362.5 m |
| Maintenance |
$139.6 m |
$140.8 m |
The increase for the NWRS includes $31 m for wildlife and habitat (of which $12 m is for climate change efforts); $4.4 m for visitor’s services; $2.6 m for law enforcement; and $1.2 m for continued work on CCPs.h
The Partners for FWS program also received a boost with funding of $60.2 m – a $7.2 m increase.
| |
FY 09 |
FY 10 |
| Partners |
$52.9 m |
$60.2 m |
NWRA priorities as identified in our testimony include:
- Funding for the Volunteer Invasives Monitoring Program (VIMP) included in base funding;
- $12 million for on-the-ground monitoring and adaptation to climate change impacts in refuges;
- $90 m for State Wildlife Grants, $5 million more than our requested $85 m
- $7.5 for the NFWF, $2.5 m less than our requested $10 m (flat funding from FY08 AND FY 09);
- $60.2 m for the Partners for Fish and Wildlife Service Program, $15 m less than our requested $75 m;
- $86.3 m for FWS LWCF projects, $13.7 m less than our requested $100 m but final number is HIGHER than the House and Senate passed versions
Climate Change Funding
$55 million is included in the overall Interior bill for land management agencies, including $12 million for the NWRS, for on-the-ground monitoring and adaptation to climate change impacts.
The Conference report further stated that conferees were encouraged by the recent Interior Secretarial Order addressing the impacts of climate change, as well as the draft Fish and Wildlife Service national strategy for climate change adaptation, mitigation and engagement.
Land Acquisition: Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF)
$450 m Total / $86.34 m for NWRS including:
| Refuge |
State |
Amount |
| Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge |
AK |
$300,000 |
| Togiak National Wildlife Refuge |
AK |
$325,000 |
| Yukon Delta National Wildlife Refuge |
AK |
$365,000 |
| Bon Secour National Wildlife Refuge |
AL |
$500,000 |
| Leslie Canyon National Wildlife Refuge |
AZ |
$500,000 |
| Grasslands Wetland Management Area |
CA |
$1,000,000 |
| San Joaquin River National Wildlife Refuge |
CA |
$2,000,000 |
| Stewart McKinney National Wildlife Refuge |
CT |
$2,000,000 |
| Prime Hook National Wildlife Refuge |
DE |
$1,000,000 |
| Crystal River National Wildlife Refuge, Three Sisters Spring |
FL |
$1,500,000 |
| St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge |
FL |
$500,000 |
| Bond Swamp National Wildlife Refuge |
GA |
$1,200,000 |
| James Campbell National Wildlife Refuge |
HI |
$7,400,000 |
| Driftless Area National Wildlife Refuge |
IA |
$450,000 |
| Northern Tallgrass Prairie National Wildlife Refuge |
IA, MN |
$500,000 |
| Upper Mississippi River NFWR |
IA,MN, WI, IL |
$1,200,000 |
| Cypress Creek National Wildlife Refuge |
IL |
$500,000 |
| Patoka River National Wildlife Refuge |
IN |
$1,150,000 |
| Clarks River National Wildlife Refuge |
KY |
$750,000 |
| Red River National Wildlife Refuge |
LA |
$1,000,000 |
| Upper Ouachita National Wildlife Refuge |
LA |
$500,000 |
| Silvio Conte NWR |
MA,CT, VT,NH |
$2,500,000 |
| Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge |
MD |
$2,000,000 |
| Maine Coastal Islands National Wildlife Refuge |
ME |
$1,000,000 |
| Rachel Carson National Wildlife Refuge |
ME |
$3,000,000 |
| Big Muddy National Fish & Wildlife Refuge |
MO |
$300,000 |
| Panther Swamp National Wildlife Refuge |
MS |
$500,000 |
| Red Rock Lakes National Wildlife Refuge |
MT |
$1,000,000 |
| Rocky Mountain Front Conservation Area |
MT |
$3,750,000 |
| Dakota Tallgrass Prairie Wetland Management Area |
ND, SD |
$1,000,000 |
| North Dakota Wetland Management Area |
ND |
$1,000,000 |
| Rainwater Basin Wetlands Management District |
NE |
$500,000 |
| Lake Umbagog National Wildlife Refuge |
NH |
$1,000,000 |
| Cape May National Wildlife Refuge |
NJ |
$2,000,000 |
| Edwin B. Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge |
NJ |
$1,100,000 |
| Great Swamp National Wildlife Refuge |
NJ |
$1,000,000 |
| Wallkill National Wildlife Refuge |
NJ |
$1,400,000 |
| Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge |
NM |
$500,000 |
| Nestucca Bay National Wildlife Refuge |
OR |
$1,000,000 |
| Cherry Valley National Wildlife Refuge |
PA |
$750,000 |
| Highlands Conservation Act |
PA,CT, NJ, NY |
$4,000,000 |
| John H. Chafee National Wildlife Refuge |
RI |
$900,000 |
| Ernest F. Hollings ACE Basin National Wildlife Refuge |
SC |
$500,000 |
| Waccamaw National Wildlife Refuge |
SC |
$600,000 |
Chickasaw National Wildlife Refuge |
TN |
$500,000 |
| Balcones Canyonlands National Wildlife Refuge |
TX |
$1,000,000 |
| Laguna Atascosa National Wildlife Refuge |
TX |
$500,000 |
| Lower Rio Grande Valley National Wildlife Refuge |
TX |
$1,000,000 |
| San Bernard NWR, Austin's Woods Unit |
TX |
$1,250,000 |
| Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge |
UT |
$1,300,000 |
| Back Bay National Wildlife Refuge |
VA |
$545,000 |
| Great Dismal Swamp National Wildlife Refuge |
VA |
$500,000 |
| James River National Wildlife Refuge |
VA |
$1,000,000 |
| Rappahannock River NWR, Bowers Property |
VA |
$500,000 |
| Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge |
WA |
$500,000 |
Turnbull National Wildlife Refuge |
WA |
$1,500,000 |
Willapa National Wildlife Refuge |
WA |
$750,000 |
Subtotal Line Item Projects
|
|
$66,785,000 |
Acquisition Management |
|
$10,555,000 |
Cost Allocation Methodology |
|
$2,000,000 |
Exchanges |
|
$2,000,000 |
Inholdings, Emergencies and Hardships |
|
$5,000,000 |
Total, FWS Acquisition |
|
$86,340,000 |
Construction (FWS):
The FWS received $35.5 million for it’s construction account, this includes funding for large scale restoration projects as well as visitor’s centers. This represents a $2.4 million increase over FY 2008 and includes the following:
| Refuge |
State |
Project |
Amount |
| Don Edwards SFB NWR |
CA |
Salt Pond Restoration |
$4,000,000 |
| Guam NWR |
GU |
Invasive Species Fence |
$866,000 |
| Kilauea Point NWR |
HI |
Lighthouse Repair |
$1,000,000 |
Big Oaks NWR |
IN |
Old Timbers Dam Rehabilitation |
$1000,000 |
| Fergus Falls WMD |
MN |
Stang Lake Dam |
$175,000 |
| Theodore Roosevelt NWR |
MS |
Visitor Center, Office |
$2,000,000 |
| Wichita Mountains NWR |
OK |
Lake Rush Dam |
$4,100,000 |
| Turnbull NWR |
WA |
Lower Pine Lake Dam |
$250,000 |
| Canaan Valley NWR |
WV |
Trails |
$850,000 |
| Ohio River Islands NWR |
WV |
Erosion Control |
$800,000 |
| System Wide |
|
Visitor Facility Enhancements |
$3,000,000 |
| System Wide |
|
Green Energy Projects |
$2,000,000 |
| FWS |
|
Dam and Bridge Inspections |
$1,855,000 |
FWS |
|
Nationwide Engineering |
$9,161,000 |
|
