For Immediate Release

Local Refuge and Wildlife Under Threat Due to Lack of Funds
 
Due to increasing pressures of surrounding development and agriculture, San Luis wetlands and funds are drying up

WASHINGTON – San Luis National Wildlife Refuge loses out in the competition for California’s limited water resources, according to a new report released Thursday by Defenders of Wildlife.

The report, “Refuges at Risk,” was released in advance of National Wildlife Refuge Week, October 7-14, and highlights San Luis National Wildlife Refuge, as well as nine other refuges throughout the country which are suffering from a lack of promised funding and a failure to uphold core refuge values. At San Luis, the primary resulting problem is a lack of water.

Today, 95 percent of California’s wetlands have been modified or destroyed, which magnifies the importance of San Luis National Wildlife Refuge as a critical stopover for migratory waterfowl, sandhill cranes and scores of other birds along the Pacific Flyway. But the refuge is struggling to secure enough water to sustain its wetlands due to ever-increasing water demands from agriculture and development. 

Without sufficient funds to compete against commercial neighbors, the grasslands and wetlands of San Luis are drying up, causing problems for the array of wildlife that lives there year-round, including the endangered San Joaquin kit fox, as well as huge numbers of migratory birds that depend on the refuge.

“Water is the lifeblood of the refuge system and for wildlife that depend on the San Luis Refuge Complex,” said Rodger Schlickeisen, president of Defenders of Wildlife. “We have destroyed virtually all the wetlands in the Central Valley of California and a large percentage of wetlands throughout the country. It is time for the president and Congress to prioritize securing and providing water to maintain the precious wetlands we have supposedly protected within the National Wildlife Refuge System.”

“We have an opportunity right now to fund water supply for our Central Valley refuges, including the San Luis refuge,” said Kim Delfino, California Program Director for Defenders of Wildlife.  “Governor Schwarzenegger has called a special session of the Legislature to address critical water issues in California.  Defenders and our Central Valley partners have called upon the Legislature and Governor Schwarzenegger to provide funding in a water bond to buy permanent water rights for these refuges.”

This year’s “Refuges at Risk” report marks the 10-year anniversary of the National Wildlife Refuge System Improvement Act, landmark legislation that outlined core values and standards for all refuges to meet, including establishing a unified wildlife conservation mission. One of the provisions of the act called for the Secretary of the Interior to maintain adequate water quality and quantity to meet the refuge system’s mission. The report documents failures of the Bush administration to implement this and other key provisions of the legislation. 

Over the last decade, federal funding for wildlife refuges has been so inadequate that the refuge system now faces an operations and maintenance backlog of $2.5 billion and is poised to lose 20 percent of its staff nationwide.

To read the full report, go to www.defenders.org/refugesatrisk

Top 10 Refuges at Risk (in alphabetical order)

Cape May NWR, NJ – Each year, thousands of migratory songbirds, including the ruby-crowned kinglet and the Nashville warbler, arrive at this crucial stopping ground for birds traveling on the Atlantic Flyway. But year after year, they arrive to find that their precious habitat is not as they left it. Illegal all-terrain vehicle use, barely hindered by the refuge’s lone refuge enforcement officer, is tearing up the habitat, disturbing nesting birds and jeopardizing their food sources.

Hailstone NWR, MT – This refuge is a vital hub for hundreds of migratory bird species that use the 300-acre lake and the surrounding area as a stopover and breeding ground. However, agricultural runoff has allowed excess salt and selenium from the soil to accumulate in the wetlands, and each year mallards, American white pelicans and hundreds of other species are harmed or even killed by the deteriorating water quality.

Lower Rio Grande Valley NWR, TX – The territories of jaguarundi and ocelot extend into Texas from Mexico, where these rare cats roam among 300 species of butterfly and more than 500 species of birds. But the cats’ territories are not bound by international borders, and their habitat is threatened by a border wall that could destroy the biological integrity of the entire region.

Nisqually NWR, WA – For years, local children living in an increasingly developed region have enjoyed and learned from this rich landscape, where pacific tree frogs chorus in the night and river otters dart after fish. Fewer children will be given this opportunity, however, as refuge staff are forced to cut back or eliminate educational programs that teach America’s future leaders how to appreciate and protect our environment.

Pea Island NWR, NC – This refuge boasts an enormous array of birds, mammals, reptiles and amphibians, including breeding American oystercatchers and loggerhead sea turtles. A planned replacement bridge and highway would carve through the heart of refuge wetlands, requiring constant maintenance as even mild storms regularly inundate the road with sand and ocean water.

Rappahannock River Valley NWR, VA – With one of the largest concentrations of bald eagles on the East Coast, this refuge provides wildlife with an island of wilderness in a region where urban development is steadily encroaching. Without the funds to acquire available neighboring land, the refuge is at risk of bring surrounded by development, making the refuge into a decorative center piece instead of a crucial wildlife oasis.

Rhode Island NWR Complex, RI – Local children have long been taught the importance of the wildlife, habitat and ecology of Rhode Island’s five refuges that provide a haven for thousands of birds traveling the Atlantic Flyway, including hawks, falcons and songbirds. But lack of funds has forced refuge staff to cease their educational programs, despite an increasingly desperate need for environmental education in a quickly developing area.

San Luis NWR, CA – With 95 percent of California’s wetlands drained, filled or destroyed, this critical stopover and wintering grounds for migratory ducks, geese and cranes along the Pacific Flyway is a haven for the weary travelers. But the water they find there is decreasing in quality and quantity, year upon year, due to commercial competition for California’s limited water supply.

Trempealeau NWR, WI - Thousands of wood ducks and black terns share these Wisconsin skies, located at the confluence of the Trempealeau and Mississippi rivers, with monarch butterflies, blue-winged teal, hooded mergansers and tundra swans. But these native beauties are under attack from a marching army of invasive plants and animals that severely undermine the environmental health of the refuge.

Yukon Flats NWR, AK – The retreat of a bitter winter and the arrival of spring brings millions of waterfowl to the refuge, where they transform the landscape from a quiet wilderness to a chaotic courtship and breeding ground. Efforts to drill for oil and natural gas in the refuge are threatening this ancient ritual as an ill-conceived land swap aims to trade away key habitat to industrial developers.

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Defenders of Wildlife is dedicated to the protection of all native wild animals and plants in their natural communities. With more than 900,000 members and activists, Defenders of Wildlife is a leading advocate for innovative solutions to safeguard our wildlife heritage for generations to come. For more information, visit www.defenders.org.