News
The National Wildlife Refuge Association is deeply saddened by the news from Florida regarding the aftermath of Hurricane Ian. Many of our staff, board members, and partners are a part of the Florida community, especially in the southwest which was most directly impacted. As we survey the impacts of Hurricane Ian on national wildlife refuges across Florida, the Refuge Association will work hard to secure funding to repair losses to critical habitats, repair damages to refuge facilities, and assist the communities affected in rebuilding.
The Keep America’s Refuges Operational Act of 2022 (H.R. 6734) recently passed the House of Representatives and now heads to the Senate for consideration. In March, the National Wildlife Refuge Association’s former Vice President of Government Affairs, Caroline Brouwer, testified in support of the bill to the House Committee on Natural Resources Subcommittee on Water, Oceans, and Wildlife.
Rod Colvin has volunteered at Lassen National Park and Death Valley National Park since retiring in 2016, but his current and longest volunteer stop “got my heart.”
Colvin was named this year’s volunteer of the year by the National Wildlife Refuge Association for his work at Ash Meadows National Wildlife Refuge in Amargosa Valley.
We hope you will join us for our 2022 Wildlife Refuge Awards hosted in Washington D.C. and live-streamed on September 14th, 2022 starting at 7 pm ET. Check out a preview of the evening by watching the video!
The National Wildlife Refuge Association has named its Wildlife Refuge Award winners for 2022. The awards, given annually by the Refuge Association, recognize U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service employees, Friends, and volunteers for their outstanding contributions to conserving public lands and waters in the National Wildlife Refuge System.
Some of the most outstanding advocates of the National Wildlife Refuge System’s protected public lands will be honored for their contributions on September 14 in Washington, DC. The 2022 Wildlife Refuge Awards dinner will take place at 7 p.m. at the Mayflower Hotel. Media is welcome to attend and cover the program and the ceremony will be livestreamed for all to attend across the country.
We are excited to announce that our 2022 Wildlife Refuge Awards ceremony is going virtual! The in-person event held on Wednesday, September 14th, 2022 at 7 pm ET will be live-streamed free.
Since 1994, the National Wildlife Refuge Association has presented the Wildlife Refuge Awards to honor the outstanding contributions of Refuge employees, friends, and volunteers. This year, we will celebrate the exceptional accomplishments of awardees in five categories: the Paul Kroegel Refuge Manager of the Year, the Refuge Employee of the Year, the Refuge Volunteer of the Year, the Molly Krival Refuge Friends Group of the Year, and the Refuge Advocate.
President Biden signed the Inflation Reduction Act into law, putting our nation on a new path to tackle the climate crisis and build a clean energy economy. This historic $370 billion package is a critical investment in our future and we applaud the diligent efforts in Congress to get this bill over the finish line. We were pleased to see the inclusion of over $121 million to address the threat of invasive species and increase the resiliency and capacity of habitats within the National Wildlife Refuge System and State wildlife management areas.
