National Wildlife Refuges On The Precipice

For Immediate Release May 8th, 2025
Contact: Eden Taylor etaylor@refugeassociation.org

National Wildlife Refuges On The Precipice

As Public Service Recognition Week Celebrates Federal Workers, Refuge System Staff Face Unprecedented Staff Exodus, Impending Layoffs, Crippling Proposed Budget Cuts, and Politicization of Careers

WASHINGTON, D.C. – As Public Service Recognition Week shines a light on the value of federal service, the National Wildlife Refuge Association is warning that the very people who protect our nation’s wildlife and public lands are under siege. A massive staff departure due to resignations, retirements and fear of a Reduction in Force (RIF), are converging with harmful policy proposals to create a crisis for the National Wildlife Refuge System unlike any in its 122 year history.

Workforce Decimated, New Threats Looming

The Refuge System has lost over 20% of their staff since January - but it was already in a precarious position having already suffered a 30% reduction in the past 15 years. These most recent losses are the result of retirements, resignations, and those who were fired not coming back after being reinstated, and they come on top of already dangerously low staffing levels. Today, over 10% of national wildlife refuges are completely unstaffed, and not one refuge in the country has the staff and resources it needs to fully function.

Now, additional threats loom. On January 20th, 2025, President Trump issued an Executive Order called “Schedule F” with the objective of removing civil service protections from federal employees in “policy-influencing” roles - which could make every Refuge Manager in the country vulnerable to cursory dismissal from their job. Coupled with a potential RIF, we believe the Refuge System will be unable to conduct the most basic of functions.

“This isn’t only about losing employees, it's also about losing decades of expertise, knowledge, and commitment by people who considered it their patriotic duty to serve their country,” said Desirée Sorenson-Groves, President & CEO of the National Wildlife Refuge Association. “These dedicated Americans are IN communities - they are your neighbors, they sit next to you in church and they are first responders after natural disasters - now vilified because they sought to save wildlife and serve our nation. If we allow this hollowing out to continue, we will be left with public lands in name only—protected on paper, but abandoned in practice.”

Budget Cuts Disguised As Reform

Rather than addressing the cascading losses, the administration’s Fiscal Year 2026 initial budget outline offers little relief calling for a 30% cut to the Department of the Interior. And Congress is adding policy challenges to funding cuts including oil and gas development, the sale of public lands, and truncated environmental analysis with no judicial review if a company just pays a fee. 

Conservation Policy Under Attack

At the same time, key environmental protections are being rolled back:

  • Endangered Species safeguards are under assault, threatening the legal backbone of wildlife recovery efforts.

  • Mandated oil and gas lease sales in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, Alaska have been reinstated, undermining one of the most iconic and sensitive habitats in America.

  • The Idaho legislature is pushing to transfer Camas National Wildlife Refuge to state control, which could set a dangerous precedent for public land management nationwide.

  • Johnston Atoll National Wildlife Refuge, a critical seabird nesting site in the remote Pacific, faces rocket landings from SpaceX.

  • Proposed public land sell-offs in Nevada and Utah included in the House budget reconciliation package—threaten the integrity of all public lands. 

A Moment Of Recognition Amid Ongoing Crisis

This year’s Public Service Recognition Week comes at a time when the workforce of the Refuge System is being stretched to a breaking point. 

“We urge every American to thank a public servant this week - especially if you know one who works to conserve our wildlife heritage on our shared public lands,” said Sorenson-Groves. “Baseball, apple pie, and public lands - that’s America.” 

The National Wildlife Refuge Association is calling on Congress, the Department of the Interior, and the American people to act now:

  • Stop the sale of public lands. National public lands belong to ALL Americans and shouldn’t be used to pay for tax cuts.

  • Hold the line and fully fund the National Wildlife Refuge System in the FY2026 budget to halt further decline. 

  • Maintain civil service protections, ensuring conservation work is guided by science, not politics. 

  • Defend the Endangered Species Act and stop legislative and administrative attempts to undermine it.

  • Reject efforts to privatize or transfer refuge lands, and reaffirm the public ownership of America’s conservation legacy.

National wildlife refuges belong to all of us and the wildlife that calls them home. We must fight to keep them thriving. 

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As the only nonprofit solely dedicated to advocating on behalf of the National Wildlife Refuge System, the National Wildlife Refuge Association protects, promotes, and enhances America’s wildlife heritage through strategic programs that serve the System and wildlife beyond its boundaries. The organization addresses Refuge System funding, management, and strategic growth, while also promoting programs that maximize the system’s conservation impact.

For all media inquiries and questions, please contact Eden Taylor, Director of Communications & Marketing at etaylor@refugeassociation.org. If you are interested in joining our press list please sign up here.