FY 2022 Funding Request: National Wildlife Refuge System
As a constituent and a wildlife professional, I am writing to you today to ask you to support adequate appropriations to the National Wildlife Refuge System for FY 2022.
The National Wildlife Refuge System is America’s only set of federal lands and waters dedicated primarily to wildlife conservation and wildlife-dependent recreation. It encompasses more than 850 million land and marine acres across dozens of unique habitat types, making it the largest and most diverse network of conservation areas in the world. These areas protect the country’s natural heritage, support hundreds of rare, threatened, and endangered species, and provide opportunities for Americans to encounter and engage with their public trust resources.
Chronic underfunding continuously threatens the Refuge System. Inadequate funding forces the Refuge System to defer a range of critical services, including wildlife habitat management, conservation planning, maintenance and repairs, visitor services, and law enforcement activities. These chronic issues ultimately limit the ability of wildlife professionals to carry out wildlife research, management, conservation, and education and restrict the Refuge System’s ability to conserve wildlife and their habitats.
To combat this growing challenge, I request your support for a funding level of $600 million for the Operations and Maintenance accounts of the National Wildlife Refuge System for FY 2022. With this funding level, the Refuge System can continue moving America forward as the world’s leader in wildlife conservation and restoration.
Please feel free to let me know if you have any follow-up questions. Thank you for considering my request and the needs of our nation’s wildlife professionals.
Request for support of National Wildlife Refuge System Funding
As a constituent and a wildlife professional, I ask you to support adequate appropriations to the National Wildlife Refuge System in FY 2022.
The National Wildlife Refuge System is the only set of federal lands and waters in the nation dedicated chiefly to wildlife conservation and wildlife-dependent recreation. As the largest and most diverse network of conservation lands in the world, it encompasses more than 850 million land and marine acres across dozens of unique habitat types. These areas protect America’s natural heritage, provide habitat for hundreds of rare, threatened, and endangered species, and allow Americans to encounter and engage with their public trust resources.
Chronic underfunding continuously threatens the Refuge System. Inadequate funding forces the Refuge System to defer a range of critical services, including wildlife habitat management, conservation planning, maintenance and repairs, visitor services, and law enforcement activities. These chronic issues restrict the Refuge System’s ability to conserve wildlife and their habitat and ultimately limit the ability of wildlife professionals to carry out wildlife research, management, conservation, and education.
To address this growing challenge, I request your support for a funding level of $600 million for the Operations and Maintenance accounts of the National Wildlife Refuge System for FY 2022. With this funding level, the Refuge System will be able to continue moving America forward as the world’s leader in wildlife conservation and restoration.
Thank you for considering my request and the needs of our nation’s wildlife professionals. Please feel free to let me know if you have any follow-up questions.