A lot has happened since our last newsletter. To celebrate National
Wildlife Refuge Week this fall, we sponsored the first Kid's Crane Festival
at the Monte Vista Refuge (see related story). The event was a huge
success, with more than 150 people attending. This was the largest event
we have put on and we were very pleased with the turnout. The board
is interested in making this an annual event and we spent a lot of time
discussing aspects of the festival that went well and what aspects we
need to improve. The most rewarding part of the festival for me was
seeing so many children at the refuge and the fun they had participating
in the different activities.
The situation at the Baca refuge has improved somewhat since last year.
Ron Garcia has moved to the refuge full time and is managing its day-to-day
operations. Having one person to manage 58,000 acres is some improvement,
but it falls far short of what the Baca needs to be managed effectively.
Other than Ron's position, the USFWS has still not budgeted operations
money for the Baca so we are pursuing additional funding again this
year with our Congressional representatives.
On a national level, the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) narrowly
escaped being opened for oil and gas exploration. The debate over drilling
in ANWR continues. Estimates of the amount of oil and gas the area holds
vary considerably between the two sides, as do the estimates of the
impact drilling would have on wildlife. We have all felt the higher
energy prices this year, but I do not believe that ANWR should be opened
for energy exploration. Much of the arctic coastal plain is currently
open to energy exploration and I believe that it will be a sad day if
we, as a nation, decide to squander ANWRs rich wildlife to save a few
pennies at the gas pump without first reducing our consumption by conserving
energy. I thank each of you who contacted your Congressional representatives
to urge them not to open ANWR for energy exploration.
Several refuges along the Gulf Coast were hit hard in 2005. Hurricanes
and flooding caused
over $300 million worth of damage to refuges and other USFWS facilities.
According to the National Wildlife Refuge Association, the loss to wildlife
may never be tallied.
We have long known the values of the Refuge system for protecting wildlife
and their habitat, but a recent study by the Interior Department details
the economic benefits of the Refuge system for local communities. Interior
found that in 2004, the 93 refuges studied had nearly 37 million visitors
who:
Generated almost $1.4 billion in total revenues related to refuge recreational
use!
Included in this amount were nearly 24,000 private sector jobs, which
generated approximately $454 million dollars in employment income.
Recreational spending on the refuges generated nearly $151 million in
additional tax revenues.
As an investment by the federal government, the $1.4 billion in total
revenue is nearly four times the $391 million spent on refuge operations
and maintenance in 2004.
