National Wildlife Refuges In President Obama’s FY 2010 Budget Request
On May 7, 2009, President Obama made public his budget request for fiscal year (FY) 2010
appropriations for the Department of the Interior, including the U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service’s (FWS) National Wildlife Refuge System (NWRS). Congress will begin hearings on the president’s budget the week of May 11th.
The FY 2010 budget request proposes a $802 million or 7.1% increase for the Department of the
Interior over the FY 09 enacted level. The requested funding level for the operations and maintenance (O&M) account for the Refuge System is $483.3 million, a $20.4 million increase over FY 09. While a needed increase, it falls short of NWRA’s requested $514 million and also does not provide the necessary $15 million increase for fixed cost the refuge must have to keep pace with inflation. The $20.4 million breakdowns as follows:
- $6 m for fixed costs -- spread across all refuge accounts
- $12 m for help refuges deal with climate change
- $2 m for YCC -- part of the department wide Youth Conservation Corps initiative
And more specifically:
- $14.9m for habitat management (includes Climate Change funding)
- $3.4 m for Visitor Services (includes YCC funding)
- $595,000 for Law Enforcement
- $232,000 for Conservation Planning
- $1.27 m for Maintenance
T = $20.4 m increase = $483.3m
Other NWRA priorities included in the budget request include:
- $65 million ($22.6 million increase) for refuge land acquisition through the Land and Water Conservation Fund, NWRA request is $100 million, full breakdown below;
- $58.9 million ($6 million increase) for the Partners for Fish and Wildlife Program, NWRA request is full funding, $75 million;
- $115 million ($40 million increase) for the State Wildlife Grant Program, NWRA request is $85 million;
•
- $29.8 million ($5.7 million decrease) for the FWS Construction account, NWRA request is $100 million, full breakdown of refuge projects below.
Construction:
- Guam NWR - $866,000
- Big Oaks NWR (IN) - $100,000
- Fergus Falls WMD (MN) - $175,000
- Witchita Mountains NWR (OK) - $4.1 m
- Attwater Prairie Chicken NWR (TX) - $2.65 m
- Turnbull NWR (WA) – $250,000
- Green Energy Projects System-wide - $2 m
- Visitor Facility Enhancements System-wide - $3 m
Land Acquisition:
| State |
Refuge |
Project Acres |
2010 Request |
| Alabama |
Bon Secour NWR |
40 |
$500,000 |
| Alaska |
Alaska Maritime NWR |
1,100 |
$300,000 |
| Alaska |
Togiak NWR |
78 |
$500,000 |
| Alaska |
Yukon Delta NWR |
2,980 |
$500,000 |
| Arizona |
Leslie Canyon NWR |
3,335 |
$500,000 |
| California |
San Joaquin River NWR |
213 |
$2,000,000 |
| Delaware |
Prime Hook NWR |
108 |
$1,000,000 |
| Florida |
St. Marks NWR |
143 |
$500,000 |
| Georgia |
Bond Swamp NWR |
304 |
$1,200,000 |
| Hawaii |
James Campbell NWR |
15 |
$500,000 |
| Illinois |
Cypress Creek NWR |
160 |
$500,000 |
| Indiana |
Patoka River NWR |
1,151 |
$1,150,000 |
| Louisiana |
Red River NWR |
333 |
$500,000 |
| Louisiana |
Upper Ouachita NWR |
400 |
$1,000,000 |
| Maine |
Rachel Carson NWR |
93 |
$3,000,000 |
| Maryland |
Blackwater NWR |
1,000 |
$2,000,000 |
| Mississippi |
Panther Swamp NWR |
256 |
$500,000 |
| Missouri |
Big Muddy NFWR |
75 |
$300,000 |
| Montana |
Red Rock Lakes NWR |
616 |
$1,000,000 |
| Montana |
Rocky Mountain Front Conservation Area |
8,157 |
$3,750,000 |
| New Jersey |
Cape May NWR |
56 |
$2,000,000 |
| New Jersey |
Edwin B. Forsythe NWR |
28 |
$1,100,000 |
| New Mexico |
Sevilleta NWR |
25 |
$500,000 |
| North Dakota |
North Dakota WMA |
5,714 |
$1,000,000 |
| Oregon |
Nestucca Bay NWR |
28 |
$1,000,000 |
| Pennsylvania |
Cherry Valley NWR |
85 |
$500,000 |
| South Carolina |
Ernest F. Hollings ACE Basin NWR |
122 |
$500,000 |
| South Carolina |
Waccamaw NWR |
257 |
$600,000 |
| Tennessee |
Chickasaw NWR |
239 |
$500,000 |
| Texas |
Balcones Canyonlands NWR |
340 |
$1,000,000 |
| Texas |
Laguna Atascosa NWR |
447 |
$500,000 |
| Texas |
Lower Rio Grande Valley NWR |
410 |
$1,000,000 |
| Texas |
San Bernard NWR-Austin's Woods Unit |
1,000 |
$2,500,000 |
| Utah |
Bear River MBR |
167 |
$500,000 |
| Virginia |
Back Bay NWR |
27 |
$545,000 |
| Virginia |
James River NWR |
125 |
$1,000,000 |
| Washington |
Nisqually NWR |
36 |
$500,000 |
| Washington |
Willapa NWR |
180 |
$750,000 |
| Multi-State |
Dakota Tallgrass Prairie WMA (ND, SD) |
2,220 |
$1,000,000 |
| Multi-State |
Upper Mississippi River NWR (IA, IL, MN, WI) |
200 |
$1,500,000 |
| Multi-State |
Silvio O. Conte NFWR (CT, MA, NH, VT) |
599 |
$2,250,000 |
| Multi-State |
Highlands Conservation Act (CT, NJ, NY, PA) |
|
$2,000,000 |
| Multi-State |
Northern Tallgrass Prairie NWR (IA, MN) |
500 |
$500,000 |
|
