Refuge System Employees on the Chopping Block - Your Help Needed!
The Trump Administration has made it clear that they intend to slash the federal workforce - and this means the staff of the National Wildlife Refuge System - unless we push back!
The Refuge System is no bloated bureaucracy. Its workforce has shrunk to only 2353 - that’s down 30% from where they were 15 years ago. They have been doing more for less for years, and now they face censure, ridicule, and confusion as they are vilified for doing their jobs.
The Refuge System’s tiny contingent of staff is a small fraction of that of other agencies. The truth is, we don’t think any land management agency is overstaffed but the Refuge System has the smallest workforce of any:
US Forest Service - approx. 30,000 FTEs (193M acres)
National Park Service - approx. 20,000 FTEs (85M acres)
Bureau of Land Management - approx. 10,000 FTEs (245M acres)
National Wildlife Refuge System - 2353 FTEs (90M land acres and 760M marine acres)
Please take a stand with the National Wildlife Refuge Association and tell Congress that they must not allow the culling of the workforce of the Refuge System!
A “1-2 Punch” to the Refuge System - Mass Layoffs and Draconian Budget Cuts
While the Trump Administration seeks to implement a “Reduction in Force” and fire a large percentage of the federal workforce, the administration and the GOP-led Congress are simultaneously looking at massive, unprecedented cuts to the budgets of every aspect of the federal government - 30-40% on average.
What will this mean for your refuge? It means if staff aren’t cut by the administration, they could be forced out because there’s no money to keep them.
And what does that mean? It means closed refuges. It means crime - poaching, vandalism, drugs, squatting and more. Without law enforcement or any presence on a refuge, bad people do bad things. We’ve seen it before and we’ll see it again. It also means a loss of management of habitat on refuges, eventually resulting in declining numbers of wildlife and loss of recreational uses such as hunting, fishing, bird and wildlife watching, and education.
It’s up to every one of us as American citizens who care about wildlife and the work of the staff of the National Wildlife Refuge System to step up and speak out.
Refuges are LOCAL assets to communities. Refuges enjoy visitors from around the world who want to connect with and observe America’s unique wildlife. They are economic engines generating on average $4 in economic activity for every $1 appropriated to run them - in many small, rural communities, these wild lands drive the local economy. But perhaps most importantly, refuges are where local people recreate, re-charge, and connect with nature.
Tell Congress and the Trump Administration that cutting the decimal dust budget of the Refuge System will result in “savings” that don’t even make a blip in the total of national spending but will cause significant damage to local economies and communities.
Don’t let the Trump Administration and Congress decimate the Refuge System! It’s time to stand up for what you believe is important to your community!