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National Wildlife Refuge is a designation for certain protected areas of the United States
Protected areas of the United States

The protected areas of the United States are managed by an array of different federal, state, tribal and local level authorities and receive widely varying levels of protection....
 managed by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service
United States Fish and Wildlife Service

The United States Fish and Wildlife Service is the unit of the U.S. Department of the Interior dedicated to the management and preservation of wildlife....
. The National Wildlife Refuge System is the world's premiere system of public lands and waters set aside to conserve America's fish, wildlife and plants. Since President Theodore Roosevelt
Theodore Roosevelt

Theodore Roosevelt , also known as T.R., and to the public as Teddy, was the List of Presidents of the United States President of the United States....
 designated Florida's Pelican Island National Wildlife Refuge
Pelican Island National Wildlife Refuge

Pelican Island National Wildlife Refuge is a United States National Wildlife Refuge located near Vero Beach, Florida. The refuge consists of a island that includes an additional of surrounding water and is located off the east coast of Florida of the Indian River Lagoon....
 as the first wildlife refuge in 1903, the System has grown to more than 150 million acres, 550 national wildlife refuges and other units of the Refuge System, plus 37 wetland management districts.

The mission of the Refuge System is to manage a national network of lands and waters for the conservation, management, and where appropriate, restoration of fish, wildlife and plant resources and their habitat.






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National Wildlife Refuge is a designation for certain protected areas of the United States
Protected areas of the United States

The protected areas of the United States are managed by an array of different federal, state, tribal and local level authorities and receive widely varying levels of protection....
 managed by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service
United States Fish and Wildlife Service

The United States Fish and Wildlife Service is the unit of the U.S. Department of the Interior dedicated to the management and preservation of wildlife....
. The National Wildlife Refuge System is the world's premiere system of public lands and waters set aside to conserve America's fish, wildlife and plants. Since President Theodore Roosevelt
Theodore Roosevelt

Theodore Roosevelt , also known as T.R., and to the public as Teddy, was the List of Presidents of the United States President of the United States....
 designated Florida's Pelican Island National Wildlife Refuge
Pelican Island National Wildlife Refuge

Pelican Island National Wildlife Refuge is a United States National Wildlife Refuge located near Vero Beach, Florida. The refuge consists of a island that includes an additional of surrounding water and is located off the east coast of Florida of the Indian River Lagoon....
 as the first wildlife refuge in 1903, the System has grown to more than 150 million acres, 550 national wildlife refuges and other units of the Refuge System, plus 37 wetland management districts.

The mission of the Refuge System is to manage a national network of lands and waters for the conservation, management, and where appropriate, restoration of fish, wildlife and plant resources and their habitat. The Refuge System maintains the biological integrity, diversity and environmental health of these natural resources for the benefit of present and future generations of Americans.

National Wildlife Refuges manage a full range of habitat types, including wetlands; prairies; coastal and marine areas; and temperate, tundra and boreal forests. The management of each habitat is a complex web of controlling or eradicating invasive species, using fire in a prescribed manner, assuring adequate water resources, and assessing external threats like development or contamination.

Among these hundreds of national refuges are home to some 700 species of birds, 220 species of mammals, 250 reptile and amphibian species and more than 200 species of fish. Endangered species are a priority of National Wildlife Refuges in that early sixty refuges have been established with the primary purpose of conserving 280 threatened or endangered species.

National Wildlife Refuges are also places for outdoor recreation. The Refuge System manages six wildlife-dependent recreational uses in accordance with the National Wildlife Refuge System Improvement Act, including hunting
Hunting

Hunting is the practice of pursuing living animals for food, recreation, or trade. In present-day use, the term refers to lawful hunting, as distinguished from poaching, which is the killing, trapping or capture of the hunted species contrary to law....
, fishing
Fishing

Fishing is the activity of catching fish. Fishing techniques include Fish net, Fish trap, Spearfishing, angling and Gathering seafood by hand. The term fishing may be applied to catching other aquatic animals such as different types of shellfish, squid, octopus, turtles, Edible frog and some edible marine invertebrates....
, birding, photography
Photography

Photography is the process, activity and art of creating still or moving by recording radiation on a sensitive medium, such as a photographic film, or an ....
, environmental education
Environmental education

Environmental education refers to organized efforts to teach about how natural environments function and, particularly, how human beings can manage their behavior and ecosystems in order to sustainable living....
, and interpretation. Hunters visit more than 300 hunting programs on refuges and on about 36,000 Waterfowl Production Areas. Opportunities for fresh or saltwater fishing are available at more than 270 refuges. There is at least one wildlife refuge in each of the fifty states.

The National Wildlife Refuge System faces a number of challenges and ongoing issues, including urban intrusion/development, habitat fragmentation, degradation of water quantity and quality, climate change
Climate change

Climate change is any long-term significant change in the expected patterns of average weather of a specific region over an appropriately significant period of time....
, invasive species
Invasive species

Invasive species is a phrase with several definitions. The first definition expresses the phrase in terms of non-indigenous species that adversely affect the habitats they invade economically, environmentally or ecologically....
, increasing demands for recreation, and increasing demands for energy development. However, the system has had numerous successes, including providing a habitat for endangered species
Endangered species

An endangered species is a population of an organism which is at risk of becoming extinct because it is either few in numbers, or threatened by changing environmental or predation parameters....
, migratory birds, plants and numerous other valuable animals; implementation of the NWRS Improvement Act, creating employment and deployment of 200 law enforcement officers, acquisition and protection of key critical inholdings, and establishing leadership in habitat restoration and management.

History

See main article: History of the National Wildlife Refuge System
History of the National Wildlife Refuge System

The National Wildlife Refuge System in the United States has a long and distinguished history....


Statistics (as of 2004)

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Physical features

  • Area of land under management (stewardship lands): = 96,013,646 acres (388,533 km²)
  • Area of land less than fee title = 3,775,246 acres (15,278 km²)
  • Area of wetlands = 45,677,973 acres (184,852 km²)
  • Number of management units = 632 (includes 545 refuges, 37 wetland management districts, and 50 coordination areas)
  • Number of Wilderness areas = 75
  • Area of Wilderness = 20,698,845 acres (83,765 km²)
  • Length of rivers within the National Wild & Scenic Rivers System = 1,051 miles (1,691 km)
  • Length of refuge boundary with Mexico = 120 miles (193 km)


Management

  • Area of wetlands restored in 2004 = 89,262 acres (361 km²)
  • Area burned in 2004 to reduce hazardous fuels = 45,012 acres (182 km²)

Visitation

  • Total visitors in 2004 = 39,847,108
  • Total visits in 2004 = 72,563,393

Volunteers

  • Total volunteers in 2004 = 32,933
  • Total volunteer hours in 2004 = 1,339,427
  • Value of volunteer hours in 2004 = $23,024,750

Real property

  • Length of roads maintained = 11,700 miles (18,800 km)
  • Number of buildings maintained = 5,850
  • Number of employee housing units = 660
  • Number of bridges = 650 (0 tunnels)
  • Length of fencing = 13,500 miles (21,700 km)
  • Number of water control structures maintained = 9,100


Personnel

  • Total staff = 3,809 FTE’s (full-time equivalents, thus two half-time employees count as one FTE)
  • Number of refuge enforcement officers = 491
  • Number of firefighter FTE’s = 538


Special Management Areas


In addition to refuge status, the "special" status of lands within individual refuges may be recognized by additional designations, either legislatively or administratively. Special designation may also occur through the actions of other legitimate agencies or organizations. The influence that special designations may have on the management of refuge lands and waters may vary considerably.

There is a wide variety of special land designations that currently overlay national wildlife refuges that total 175 refuges. Authority for designation of some special management area types (e.g., Research Natural Areas) on refuges lies solely with the Service. For most special management area types, responsibility is held by or shared with others.

Among the other varied special management area types found on refuges are Cultural Resource Sites, Historic Sites, Research Natural Areas, Wilderness, Wild and Scenic Rivers, National Natural Landmarks and National Trails. Some overlay designations may place refuges within international networks of protected lands, such as Western Hemisphere Shorebird Reserves and Wetlands of International Importance (Ramsar Convention).

Refuges may also be included within much larger special management areas designated by other agencies or organizations, such as Western Hemisphere Shorebird Reserves, National Marine Sanctuaries, Estuarine Sanctuaries and Biosphere Reserves. Management policy and procedural guidance for Service special management areas is currently found in the Refuge Manual. Revised guidance is in preparation for incorporation into the new Service Manual. Special management area training for administrators and refuge managers currently includes multi-agency sponsored and university correspondence courses.

See also

  • List of National Wildlife Refuges
    List of National Wildlife Refuges

    As of 30 July 2007, there were 548 National Wildlife Refuges in each of the United States. Refuges that have boundaries in multiple states are listed only in the state where the main visitor entrance is located....
  • Timeline of environmental events
    Timeline of environmental events

    The timeline of environmental events is a historical account of events that have shaped humanity's perspective on the environment. This timeline includes some major natural events, human induced disasters, environmentalists that have had a positive influence, and environmental legislation....
  • Pacific Island Wildlife Refuges
    United States Pacific Island Wildlife Refuges

    The Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument is a group of unorganized, mostly unincorporated United States Pacific Island territories managed by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service of the United States Department of the Interior....
  • Congressional Wildlife Refuge Caucus
    Congressional Wildlife Refuge Caucus

    The Congressional Wildlife Refuge Caucus is a large bi-partisan Congressional Member Organization in the U.S. House of Representatives formed to support the National Wildlife Refuge System through legislation, funding, and education....
  • United States Fish and Wildlife Service
    United States Fish and Wildlife Service

    The United States Fish and Wildlife Service is the unit of the U.S. Department of the Interior dedicated to the management and preservation of wildlife....
  • San Luis National Wildlife Refuge Complex
    San Luis National Wildlife Refuge Complex

    The San Luis National Wildlife Refuge Complex is managed by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service and is composed of the San Luis National Wildlife Refuge, Merced National Wildlife Refuge, San Joaquin River National Wildlife Refuge and the Grasslands Wildlife Management Area which consists of nearly 45,000 acres of wetlands, grasslands...


External links

  • - a Non-profit organization promoting the establishment of the NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE SERVICE as a separate agency within the U.S. Department of the Interior
  • - A nonprofit entity supporting the National Wildlife Refuge System
  • - A blog that follows news and events from the National Wildlife Refuge System
  • Schroeder, R. 2008. Comprehensive conservation planning and ecological sustainability within the United States National Wildlife Refuge System. Sustainability: Science, Practice, & Policy 4(1):38-44. .