Look Up. That Bird Was Probably at a Wildlife Refuge

Owl Walk at HNWR, March, 2015

By Cynthia Martinez

Chief, National Wildlife Refuge System

Well-known birder and author Kenn Kaufman said on Facebook, “National wildlife refuges protect some of the most amazing habitats for birds and other wildlife in the USA. These public lands represent a treasure for all Americans.”

I wholeheartedly agree.

Wintering Geese at HNWR, by Bill Powell

Pick up any birding magazine or guide, and you’re sure to see so many references to wildlife refuges that you will lose count. We all know the story of the brown pelican whose protection launched the National Wildlife Refuge System in 1903 with the establishment in Florida of Pelican Island bird reservation – now known as a national wildlife refuge. More than 200 refuges have been established for migratory birds.

In our 113-year history, the National Wildlife Refuge System has made huge strides on behalf of migratory bird conservation. Not only do millions of migratory birds find homes among the National Wildlife Refuge System’s stunning array of marshes, wetlands, deserts, forests, great rivers and small prairies. But they also find a home in the urban areas served by wildlife refuges. Not enough urban residents know that.

The Urban Bird Treaty program has helped make a difference. Cities today are filled with hawks, osprey, songbirds and more.

Now let’s teach kids and families in big and small cities that when we talk about migratory bird flyways, those are not far off places. Flyways include places where millions of people live, city neighborhoods where people can see a breathtaking variety of birds. With effective communications, city residents will recognize that they can go to a nearby refuge to learn more about helping bird populations.

Feather Facts Booth at Geese By Golly, December, 2015, at HNWR, by Bill Powell

The Refuge System has been crucial in nurturing migratory bird species. State-of-the-art waterfowl management is practiced on thousands of waterfowl protection areas and hundreds of wildlife refuges. We’ve brought birds back to their historic ranges, increased populations, given visitors sights that they’ll travel hundreds of miles to see – and helped sustain the economies of communities where birding is a passion.

Pintails at Hagerman National Wildlife Refuge, by Dick Malnory

Fewer people know that our federal wildlife officers are among migratory birds’ best friends. They regulate migratory bird take and possession limits under international treaties like the Migratory Bird Treaty Act. They regulate hunting license capability to ensure that proper limits are met on particular migratory bird species. And they ensure that migratory birds have safe places to rest during non-hunting seasons as they work closely with sportsmen’s groups, tribal law enforcement, and state agencies.

Americans are learning that when they see birds in their communities, vast flocks on the wing, even some hummingbirds at their feeders, they have national wildlife refuges to thank. So, when you look up and experience the magnificence of a bird in flight, you might wonder which national wildlife refuge provided benefit to that bird.

Painted Bunting at HNWR by Brad Imhoff

From USFWS Refuge Friends Newswire

For more information about birds at Hagerman NWR, see fws.gov/refuge/Hagerman and friendsofhagerman.com.

Refuge System Turns 111 Years Old

From the National Wildlife Refuge Association:

Happy Birthday to the world’s largest network of lands and waters conserved for wildlife – the National Wildlife Refuge System! Angered at the slaughter of birds for the women’s millinery trade in the late 19th Century, President Theodore Roosevelt knew something must be done to protect some of our most important natural resources – our native wildlife. With the stroke of a pen, on March 14, 1903, he created, through executive order, a sanctuary for birds at a small bird island in the Indian River Lagoon on the east coast of Florida (Pelican Island).

During his tenure, Roosevelt protected such jewels as the Wichita Mountains National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) in Oklahoma, the National Bison Range in Montana, the Hawaiian Islands NWR in Hawaii and the Three Arch Rocks NWR in Oregon to name a few.  From it’s humble 3-acre beginning at Pelican Island, the Refuge System is now the world’s largest network of publicly owned lands and waters dedicated to the conservation of wildlife spanning 150 million acres.

Without these 562 refuges and 38 wetland management districts, many bird, plant, reptile, mammal, insect and fish species would not be thriving as they are today. These lands and waters, managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, provide vital habitat for thousands of species across the nation.

While the System itself is still woefully underfunded to fully implement its conservation mission – the staff at these amazing places are some of the most dedicated workers you will ever meet.  One refuge employee summed up it up after being asked why they stay with the Service after years of budget cuts, frozen salaries and never enough resources, “We are paid in sunrises and sunsets, birds, bears and bunnies, and knowing we are leaving our world a better place for our children.”

But there is still plenty to celebrate! National Wildlife Refuges are economic engines in local communities, providing an average of $4.87 in local communities for every dollar appropriated by Congress. According to a report released late last year by the FWS, (Banking on Nature Report) refuges generate more than $2.4 million in economic output and create 35,000 jobs. The Refuge System is an economic and conservation powerhouse and has become a haven for hunters, anglers, bird and wildlife watchers, photographers, scientists and children learning about our natural world.

President Theodore Roosevelt would be proud.

NOTE:  Hagerman NWR, established in 1946, celebrated its 68th birthday in February.

Celebrating the Refuge

Observation of  National Wildlife Refuge Week – October 13 – 19 – was lost this year in the shutdown, but every day we can celebrate Hagerman National Wildlife Refuge and all of the refuge system, which continues to become more and more important to wildlife the more new development takes place.

You could say we owe it all to the Egret! The early 1900’s saw the near-extinction of egrets, valued by hunters who could earn big bucks from the sale of plumes for ladies hats.  An ounce of feathers was said to be worth as much or more than an ounce of gold!

Snowy Egret in Breeding Plumage, by Donna Niemann

Then the Conservationist-in-Chief, President Theodore Roosevelt stepped up to the plate and established the first “bona fide” refuge,  setting aside federal land for the protection of these birds, and Pelican Island was officially termed a Federal Bird Reservation.  During this same period,  the conservation movement was picking up steam with support from groups such as the American Ornithologists Union and the National Association of Audubon Societies for legislation protecting non-game birds.

Today there are over 500 refuges across the US, protecting 150 million acres of land and water.  According to the National Wildlife Refuge System website,

National wildlife refuges provide habitat for more than 700 species of birds, 220 species of mammals, 250 reptile and amphibian species and more than 1,000 species of fish. More than 380 threatened or endangered plants or animals are protected on wildlife refuges. Each year, millions of migrating birds use refuges as stepping stones while they fly thousands of miles between their summer and winter homes.

In addition, more than 45 million visitors to refuges annually means that refuge are also a ”refuge for people” from everyday hustle and bustle and an opportunity for enriching experiences in a natural environment

Closer to home, Hagerman National Wildlife Refuge was established in 1946 as an overlay of a portion of the Big Mineral arm of Lake Texoma in north-central Texas. The purpose of the approximately 12,000 acre Refuge is to provide and manage habitat for migratory birds, wildlife, and plants native to this area. A total of 338 species of birds, 36 species of mammals, 60 species of reptiles and amphibians, and 61 species of fish have been documented there, so far. The refuge also offers wildlife-dependent recreational opportunities, including wildlife observation and photography, fishing, hunting, and hiking, and educational programs, all carried out with respect to the goal that wildlife comes first.

Great Blue Silhouette, by Lee Hatfield

We are very thankful for Hagerman National Wildlife Refuge and the refuge system!

Resources for  information given here:

http://www.fws.gov/refuges/history/over/over_hist-a_fs.html

http://www.fws.gov/refuge/Hagerman