News
President Geoffrey Haskett of the National Wildlife Refuge Association testified before Congress on the proposed revisions to the Biological Integrity, Diversity, and Environmental Health (BIDEH) rule for the National Wildlife Refuge System.
President Joe Biden has nominated Martha Williams to be the 23rd Director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The National Wildlife Refuge Association is proud to support Martha Williams, who has been acting as Director since January 20th, and looks forward to supporting her confirmation in the Senate.
Imagine seeing 5,000 redhead ducks on one 300-acre impoundment or a dozen black bears on a single ride through forest roads. These sights are available to North Carolinians in what Mike Bryant calls “the hidden treasures” — the 11 National Wildlife Refuges in the state.
Recently, NPR’s All Things Considered featured a story about the refuge lands that are threatened in the Lower Rio Grande Valley of Texas. Our own Vice President of Government Affairs Caroline Brouwer was interviewed for the report. I couldn’t be prouder of the work she is doing on behalf of wildlife, refuges, and you. But she can’t do it alone. I am asking you to take 7 minutes to listen to the story and ask, what more could you be doing to protect these important refuges?
On Tuesday, December 10th, a federal judge in El Paso, Texas blocked the Trump Administration from using more than $3.5 billion in military construction appropriations to build new border walls in national wildlife refuges and elsewhere at the U.S.-Mexico border. The nationwide injunction will halt projects, including the construction of more than 31 miles of unnecessary and destructive border wall across refuges like the Cabeza Prieta National Wildlife Refuge in Arizona.
In an outrageous move, the Trump Administration announced last night that the Interior Department is planning on transferring 560 acres of federal land to the military for border wall construction. At least one wildlife refuge is impacted, but up to three could ultimately face a handover to the U.S. Army.
