Transportation Bill Offers Pitfalls & Opportunities as Time Runs Short

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March 30, 2012

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March 30, 2012

INSIDE WASHINGTON
Female polar bear guarding her young
The House transportation bilil contains provisions that would open polar bear denning habitat in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to oil exploration | FWS

Congress is currently gridlocked over a transportation bill with serious ramifications for the National Wildlife Refuge System, including Alaska’s Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. The U.S. House and Senate remain at an impasse over the final reauthorization of the Transportation bill, which was set to expire March 30th, but has been granted an extension until June. The bill includes billions of dollars for transportation projects around the country, and could include important funding for wildlife refuge roads and refuge land acquisition. Versions of the bill also include provisions that would open the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to oil and gas drilling.

The Transportation bill is the latest legislation to be tossed around by Congress in election year football, potentially jeopardizing the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and millions of dollars for land acquisition for the Refuge System and other public lands. In a House version of the Transportation bill, passed in February, the provision seeks to open the coastal plain of the Arctic Refuge to oil exploration and use revenues to fund transportation projects.

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Cattle Diplomacy – Montana and Florida Ranchers Share Their Experiences in Landscape Conservation

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March 25, 2012

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March 25, 2012

REPORT From the Field
The Adams Ranch in Central Florida

In February, NWRA and the FWS sponsored a visit by three ranchers and sportsmen and two Fish and Wildlife Service staff from Montana’s Rocky Mountain Front to the Northern Everglades to share their first-hand experience working with conservation easements and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Over a five-day trip, NWRA and the Montana delegation visited some of the finest ranchlands in central Florida – and also experienced spoonbills, gators, airboats and swamp buggies at J.N. “Ding” Darling and Arthur R. Marshall Loxahatchee NWRs on each coast and The Nature Conservancy’s Disney Wilderness Preserve in the middle.

As longtime members of the Rocky Mountain Front Advisory Committee, ranchers Karl Rappold and Dusty Crary, and taxidermist Roy Jacobs were able to speak from experience about “working with the feds” with members of the Northern Everglades Alliance, a group of ranchers and sportsmen who have come together in support of the new and proposed conservation areas in the Northern Everglades region. At the same time, seasoned Fish and Wildlife Service Realty Coordinator Gary Sullivan and Fish and Wildlife Service District Manager for conservation easement projects Jim Lange were able to share the tools of the trade for creating successful partnerships with their southeast Service colleagues Elizabeth Souheaver, Charlie Pelizza, Kevin Godsea, Erin Myers, Sylvia Pelizza and Rolf Olson.

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Refuge advocates testify before House subcommittee

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March 23, 2012

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March 23, 2012

INSIDE WASHINGTON
Bob Christensen, Joan Patterson and Todd Paddock at the Capitol | NWRA

On Wednesday, three wildlife refuge advocates representing the Refuge Friends community took their case to Capitol Hill. Bob Christensen of the Friends of Deer Flat NWR in Idaho, Todd Paddock of the Friends of the Refuge Headwaters for the Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife and Fish Refuge in Minnesota, and Joan Patterson, President of the Friends of Potomac River Refuges in Virginia, testified before the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Interior, Environment and Related agencies in support of Refuge System funding.  Their message was clear; if the Refuge System’s budget receives the 10% cut as proposed for FY 2013, there will be dire consequences to our national wildlife refuges.

Bob, Todd and Joan did an amazing job conveying the consequences of budget cuts to the Subcommittee, while displaying a passion for their local wildlife refuge and the National Wildlife Refuge System as a whole.  Joan’s moving testimony nearly brought the room to tears.  In a deeply personal speech, she discussed her connection with her refuge and the System, and the potential consequences of Refuge System budget cuts to her community.

Here is an excerpt from Joan’s oral testimony:

Every child should have these same opportunities. We need to tap into the resources at Refuges to educate the next generation and foster civic responsibility. The Potomac River Refuges lack the resources to provide a robust education or volunteer program. Read the rest of this entry »

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House GOP Budget Proposal Sets the Refuge System Back a Decade

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March 20, 2012

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March 20, 2012

INSIDE WASHINGTON
Sustained budget cuts for the Refuge System could close popular wildlife refuges to the public.

The House budget proposal, authored by Budget Chairman Paul Ryan (R-WI) would slash the agency’s budget to levels unseen in the past 10 years, severely hampering the National Wildlife Refuge System’s capacity to protect wildlife, ending volunteer programs and closing many refuges to the public. The Budget Resolution for fiscal year 2013 (H. Con. Res. 112) passed the House on March 29th, and would result in a 20% cut to all non-defense government programs, including the Fish and Wildlife Service’s National Wildlife Refuge System, in the next 2 years.

If the proposed budget were enacted, a 20% cut in funding for the Refuge System would reduce the current operations and maintenance levels for refuges by approximately $97 million within the next two years.

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Izembek “Road to Nowhere” Back in Spotlight

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March 16, 2012

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March 16, 2012

New Draft Environmental Review Confirms Proposed Road is a Bad Idea

The proposed "Road to Nowhere" would be impassable much of the year | FWS

Washington DC – The National Wildlife Refuge Association and the Friends of Alaska National Wildlife Refuges call upon the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) to reject the proposed “Road to Nowhere” through Alaska’s Izembek National Wildlife Refuge (NWR), and choose a ‘no action’ alternative. Although the FWS did not select a preferred alternative in their draft environmental review of several transportation options, NWRA and the Friends call upon sound science to guide the final decision.

“The draft reconfirms our long-held position that the proposed road is a boondoggle that pretends to solve a problem already solved with $37.5 million of taxpayers funds from Congress,” said David Raskin, Board member of the Friends of Alaska NWRs. “The proposed road sets a dangerous precedent to remove lands from the National Wilderness Preservation System and has the potential to devastate animals that live in the refuge and millions of migratory birds that rely on its vital food resources during their annual migrations of thousands of miles to the lower 48 states and beyond.” Read the rest of this entry »

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NWRA Gives Awards for Refuge Manager, Refuge Employee of the Year

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March 16, 2012

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March 16, 2012

USFWS Director Dan Ashe presents the Paul Kroegel Refuge Manager of the Year Award to Charlie Pelizza. Jim Kurth, Charlie Pelizza, Dan Ashe, and Evan Hirsche are pictued left to right. | Tom Mackenzie/ FWS

With help from U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Director, Dan Ashe, Deputy Director, and Refuge System Chief, Jim Kurth, NWRA presented the Awards for the 2012 Refuge Manager and Refuge Employee of the Year at the 77th annual North American Wildlife and Natural Resources Conference held in Atlanta, Georgia on March 15, 2012.

Charles A. Pelizza was awarded the Paul Kroegel Award for Refuge Manager of the Year. Manager of the Pelican Island NWR Complex, Charlie’s leadership, professionalism and advocacy of conservation contributed significantly to the creation of the Everglades Headwaters NWR and Conservation Area earlier this year.

Kathleen O’Brien received the Employee of the Year Award. Kate is the wildlife biologist at the Rachel Carson NWR in Maine, where her tireless work with the endangered New England cottontail rabbit and the rare saltmarsh sharp-tailed sparrow have earned her global recognition.

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Birding Community E-bulletin: March

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March 12, 2012

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March 12, 2012

This Birding Community E-bulletin is being distributed to active and concerned birders, those dedicated to the joys of birding and the protection of birds and their habitats.

This issue is sponsored by the producers of superb quality birding binoculars and scopes, Carl Zeiss Sport Optics:

You can access an archive of past E-bulletins on the website of the National Wildlife Refuge Association (NWRA):
http://refugeassociation.org/news/birding-bulletin/

March Birding Bulletin

RARITY FOCUS

BRYAN’S SHEARWATER POSSIBILITIES

IBA NEWS:  MORE GOOD NEWS ON HAITIAN BLACK-CAPPED PETRELS

ACCESS MATTERS: FROM SILT DISPOSAL SITE TO NATURE PRESERVE

HOG ISLAND: HOLDING ON AND DOING WELL

JUST WHEN YOU THOUGHT IT WAS SAFE: SCOTTS FINED ON BIRD SEED

OSPREY-WATCH LAUNCHED

TIP OF THE MONTH: “BECOMING A BETTER BIRDER”

BOOK NOTES:   WHAT’S BEHIND THE FIELD GUIDE

RUBBER-BAND WORMS

 

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Victory for habitat conservation in Senate Transportation bill!

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March 8, 2012

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March 8, 2012

INSIDE WASHINGTON
Black bear, Camas NWR
The Land and Water Conservation Act helps protect habitat for black bears and many other animals | Christopher Balmer

Thanks to the help of Refuge activists, the Senate approved an amendment for a Transportation bill that will dedicate $700 million for the Land and Water Conservation fund as part of the RESTORE Act. Learn more about the Land and Water Conservation Fund and why it is important to wildlife refuges.

Late last night a Gulf restoration and Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) Amendment was filed on the Senate Transportation Bill. Under this Amendment, known as the Nelson (FL)-Shelby-Landrieu Amendment (#1822) for the Senators offering it, LWCF will receive $700 million in mandatory funding in fiscal year 2013 and 2014.

This is big news!  It means the $700 million for conservation would be guaranteed and would not have to be appropriated later.  We are hopeful that $700 million for the whole LWCF program means the Refuge System will receive at least $100-$120 million or more to protect new wildlife refuge habitat. To put it in perspective, the LWCF amount dedicated for wildlife refuges in the current fiscal year is only $54 million. The Amendment would also extend LWCF’s authorization from 2015 through 2022.

Review the list below to see how your Senator voted on this issue. To become a law the bill still must pass muster in the House of Representatives.  Stay tuned for further updates on this exciting development!

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NWRA Attends White House Conference on America’s Great Outdoors

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March 3, 2012

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March 3, 2012

INSIDE WASHINGTON
President Obama speaks to a packed house at the America's Great Outdoors conference | Evan HIrsche

NWRA President Evan Hirsche and Vice President of Government Affairs Desiree Sorenson-Groves attended a March 2nd conference on America’s Great Outdoors hosted by the White House. The conference, which drew conservation leaders from across the country, served as a follow up to an initiative launched by the Obama administration in April 2010 to build public consensus for a future vision of conservation in America.

“Over the past two years we have seen increasing momentum for landscape level conservation projects, thanks to the President’s initiative,” said Sorenson-Groves. “A great example of this is the Everglades Headwaters NWR and Conservation Area in Florida, where the Fish and Wildlife Service is working with partners and diverse stakeholders to protect an incredibly diverse region.”

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$30,000 donation kicks off NWRA Northern Everglades Fundraising Challenge

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February 29, 2012

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February 29, 2012

The new donation and matching funds will help protect Florida panthers in the Northern Everglades | NPS
The new donation and matching funds will help protect Florida panthers in the Northern Everglades | NPS

WASHINGTON, D.C. – A $30,000 private donation to the National Wildlife Refuge Association will be used to initiate a fundraising challenge to help secure land for the newly established Everglades Headwaters National Wildlife Refuge and Conservation Area, according to Evan Hirsche, NWRA president. The new refuge will help protect many endangered and threatened wildlife species, including the Florida panther, will safeguard fresh water supplies for millions of South Floridians, and will provide new opportunities for outdoor enthusiasts and sportsmen.

“NWRA, along with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), ranchers and sportsmen’s groups, refuge Friends groups, and other national conservation groups worked tirelessly to create this refuge,” Hirsche said. “The new wildlife refuge was officially established with a 10-acre donation by the Nature Conservancy, and is a great first step in a larger plan that includes protecting up to 150,000-acres. But we have a lot of work cut out for us if we are going to help protect the other 149,990 acres.”

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