Desert National Wildlife Refuge bill rejects Air Force attempts to withdraw acres from the Refuge System. More work needs to be done to protect wildlife habitat.

Black-chinned hummingbird Archilochus alexandri at Desert NWR by Peter Pearsall USFWS.jpg

The National Wildlife Refuge Association applauds Senators Catherine Cortez Masto and Jackie Rosen, and the Nevada House delegation, Representatives Steven Horsford, Dina Titus, Mark Amodei, and Susie Lee, for their ongoing appreciation for and efforts to protect the unique wildlife habitat in the Desert National Wildlife Refuge in southern Nevada. The Desert Refuge, created in the 1930s for the protection of the Desert bighorn sheep and Desert tortoise, has been slowly shrinking over the years, due to the incursion from the Nevada Test and Training Range (NTTR). At 1.6 million acres, the Desert Refuge is the largest national wildlife refuge in the Lower 48 states, but over half of it is closed to the public due to Air Force presence as part of a joint-use area. 

This fall, the Air Force has drafted legislation that would take over primary jurisdiction of 1.1 million acres, which is two-thirds of the Desert Refuge. This change in jurisdiction would effectively remove those acres from the Refuge System. This proposal would also change the purpose of the refuge to military purposes, allowing the Air Force to use prime wilderness habitat for Desert bighorn sheep and Desert tortoise habitat for bombing, ground maneuvers, and building infrastructure. 

Desert larkspur in Desert National Wildlife Refuge by Jessica Samuelson USFWS.jpg

Today, the Nevada delegation, led by Sen. Cortez Masto, released a bill that, while significantly less impactful on wildlife habitat than the Air Force proposal, expands the joint use area of the Air Force up to the boundary line of the Alamo Road. This change to the status quo will still further remove tens of thousands of acres from recreation and access to the public. The area of the Refuge that is strictly wildlife refuge habitat would shrink to under 700,000 acres, down from 2.25 million acres as established as the Desert Game Range in 1936, while the NTTR expands to over 3 million acres. The bill attempts to improve the relationship between the Air Force and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, but the Refuge Association believes this language falls short of what is needed. The bill would attempt to permanently protect up to 1.3 million acres as wilderness, but it is unclear what these protections would mean in the joint use area.

Clouds add drama to the view along Alamo Road leaving Pahranagat National Wildlife Refuge and heading into Desert National Wildlife Refuge by USFWS

Overall, we appreciate the delegation’s efforts to bridge the divide between the desires of the Air Force to expand the NTTR and the wildlife needs of the Desert National Wildlife Refuge, but we do have significant concerns about several aspects of the bill. 

We will continue to work with the Senators, Congressmen, and women, and their staff to make changes to the bill to both protect wildlife habitat and improve relationships on the ground. Our priority is the protection of the Desert National Wildlife Refuge, and for the many wildlife and plant species that thrive in this unique desert ecosystem.