For Immediate Release November 10th, 2026
Contact: Eden Taylor | etaylor@refugeassociation.org
In response to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Refuge System Review, the Refuge Association calls for greater investment in staff, funding, science, urban conservation, and community engagement as the System approaches the 30th anniversary of the National Wildlife Refuge System Improvement Act.
WASHINGTON, D.C. – The National Wildlife Refuge System is one of America’s greatest conservation legacies, protecting fish, wildlife, plants, and their habitats while connecting people with nature. As the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) reviews the Refuge System and considers its future, the National Wildlife Refuge Association urges the USFWS to strengthen its capacity to fulfill the mission established by Congress in the National Wildlife Refuge System Improvement Act of 1997. Approaching the law’s 30th anniversary, the Refuge System must remain focused on its core conservation mission, which should guide all efforts to improve refuge management and operations.
“National wildlife refuges need significant investment and stronger operational capacity to sustain a thriving National Wildlife Refuge System and its mission. Our national wildlife refuges exist above all to conserve wildlife and habitat. Improvements to the Refuge System must strengthen that mission, not redirect it,” said The Honorable Lynn Scarlett, Board Chair of the National Wildlife Refuge Association.
The USFWS’s Refuge System Review, Rooted In Purpose, is timely and identifies the significant challenges the Refuge System faces in order to meet its mission. The Refuge Association agrees with several recommendations such as increasing field staff, strengthening maintenance and infrastructure, enhancing partnerships, improving field-level purchasing authority, and prioritizing long-term planning for the Pacific Marine National Monuments.
The Refuge Association also identifies four priorities that must be addressed to strengthen the Refuge System and ensure it can fulfill its conservation mission:
1. Increase Staffing & Operational Capacity
National wildlife refuges need sufficient staff to manage wildlife and habitat, maintain facilities and infrastructure, plan for the future, provide visitor services, and protect public safety. This includes refuge managers, biologists, maintenance professionals, administrative staff, planners, visitor services staff, and Federal Wildlife Officers. Without adequate staffing, refuges cannot effectively carry out the full range of responsibilities entrusted to them. We agree with several recommendations in the review to add staffing.
2. Increase Funding For The National Wildlife Refuge System
The review must directly address the need for increased appropriations. Additional responsibilities and growing visitation cannot be met without the resources to support them. National wildlife refuges need reliable funding to care for wildlife and habitat, maintain infrastructure, address deferred maintenance, and provide safe and meaningful public access. Reorganization or changes in management practices cannot substitute for the sustained investment the Refuge System requires.
3. Maintain The National Wildlife Refuge System’s Conservation Mission
The National Wildlife Refuge System is the world’s largest network of public lands and waters dedicated to conserving America’s fish, wildlife, and plants. Fulfilling its congressional mission requires science-based management, habitat conservation and restoration, and maintaining the Refuge System’s biological integrity, diversity, and environmental health. This includes the Refuge System’s Inventory and Monitoring Program, which provides essential data to guide conservation decisions and measure success. Grazing, agriculture, timber harvesting, and predator control activities may have appropriate roles on some individual refuges, but these activities should not overshadow the foundational biological work essential to wildlife and habitat conservation that is core to the Refuge System’s conservation mission.
4. Support The Urban Wildlife Conservation Program
The recommendation to eliminate the Urban Wildlife Conservation Program overlooks its significant contributions to conservation, community engagement, and the future of the Refuge System. Urban national wildlife refuges welcome millions of visitors and generate millions of dollars for local economies. These refuges demonstrate how connecting people with wildlife and nature builds partnerships and strengthens support for conservation.
State fish and wildlife agencies also recognize the need to engage broader constituencies as changing demographics and declining participation in traditional outdoor activities reshape the conservation landscape. The Urban Wildlife Conservation Program advances this goal by expanding diverse participation while building broader public support for the future of conservation.
“The National Wildlife Refuge System belongs to all Americans. We have an opportunity to make these places stronger by investing in the people who manage them, providing the funding and scientific resources they need, supporting conservation partnerships, and connecting more communities with wildlife. As we approach the 30th anniversary of the Improvement Act, we must ensure that the Refuge System remains focused on its congressional mandate to conserve wildlife and habitat for generations to come,” said Desirée Sorenson-Groves, President & CEO of the National Wildlife Refuge Association.
The future of the National Wildlife Refuge System must be shaped through a transparent process that includes meaningful input from Refuge Friends groups, Tribal governments, conservation organizations, local communities, and the public who enjoy its six priority public uses (hunting, fishing, wildlife observation, photography, environmental education, and interpretation). As the Refuge System Improvement Act approaches its 30th anniversary, the nation has an opportunity to renew its commitment to this extraordinary conservation legacy. The National Wildlife Refuge Association stands ready to work with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Congress, and conservation partners to strengthen the Refuge System through the staffing, funding, science, and public support needed to conserve wildlife and habitat for generations to come.
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The National Wildlife Refuge System is the largest network of public lands and waters in the world dedicated to wildlife conservation, encompassing more than 570 refuges and more than 850 million acres. Managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, refuges provide critical habitat for thousands of species and offer opportunities for Americans to experience nature through hiking, hunting, birding, photography, and education.
As the only nonprofit solely dedicated to supporting the National Wildlife Refuge System, the National Wildlife Refuge Association protects, promotes, and enhances America’s wildlife heritage through strategic programs that serve the Refuge 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.
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Featured image: Migrating birds at sunset at Valle de Oro National Wildlife Refuge, New Mexico. Photo: Gilbert Quintana/USFWS.
