WASHINGTON, DC – January thirty first, 2025 – The Nationwide Wildlife Refuge Affiliation congratulates incoming Division of the Inside Secretary Doug Burgum on his affirmation. We look ahead to working with him and his staff to strengthen the world’s largest system of lands and waters devoted to wildlife conservation— the Nationwide Wildlife Refuge System.
“The Nationwide Wildlife Refuge System was created by President Theodore Roosevelt and we all know that incoming Secretary Burgum values the conservation legacy created by Roosevelt and sustained for over 100 and twenty years by conservationists in our nation,” mentioned Desirée Sorenson-Groves, President & CEO of the Nationwide Wildlife Refuge Affiliation. “We look ahead to working with him to make sure that the Refuge System continues to be a cornerstone of each our nation’s conservation efforts and its financial vitality.”
With over 570 nationwide wildlife refuges spanning greater than 95 million acres of land and 760 million acres of marine areas throughout all 50 states and U.S. territories, the Nationwide Wildlife Refuge System (Refuge System) is an American conservation success story. Supported by hunters, fishers, birdwatchers and wildlife lovers, these public lands and waters defend biodiversity, maintain migratory species, and improve local weather resilience, whereas additionally serving as locations of recreation, analysis, and financial alternative for hundreds of thousands of People. The Refuge System is cherished by a broad spectrum of supporters from a various constituency, together with hunters, anglers, hen and wildlife watchers, scientists, and people searching for peace and rejuvenation in nature.
For over a century, the Refuge System has been a unifying power, having fun with bipartisan assist from leaders who acknowledge the worth of defending public lands for wildlife and other people alike. Refuges should not solely essential to conservation but in addition to native economies. From rural cities to city facilities, refuges generate billions in financial advantages by way of outside recreation, ecotourism, and conservation jobs. In response to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Banking on Nature report, the Refuge System generates over $3.2 billion in financial output annually, supporting over 41,000 jobs in communities throughout the nation.
Lots of of communities have rallied round their native nationwide wildlife refuges, forming Refuge Mates teams that amplify the impression of each federal greenback invested within the Refuge System. The truth is, for each $4 appropriated to handle the Refuge system, volunteers and Refuge Mates teams contribute the equal of a fifth greenback in time and assets, demonstrating the deep, grassroots dedication to those lands.
Because the administration appears to be like to increase outside recreation alternatives and put money into conservation and native economies, the Refuge System gives a mannequin for the way public lands can assist leisure alternatives, group engagement and biodiversity.
“I look ahead to seeing Secretary Burgum at a nationwide wildlife refuge quickly,” mentioned Sorenson-Groves. “We stand able to work alongside him and his staff to make sure the Refuge System stays a cornerstone of America’s conservation legacy, benefiting each present and future generations.”
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Because the main unbiased voice advocating on behalf of the Nationwide Wildlife Refuge System, the Nationwide Wildlife Refuge Affiliation protects, promotes, and enhances America’s wildlife heritage by way of strategic packages that serve the System and wildlife past its boundaries. The group addresses Refuge System funding, administration, and strategic development, whereas additionally selling packages that maximize the system’s conservation impression.
For all media inquiries and questions, please contact Eden Taylor, Director of Communications & Advertising and marketing at etaylor@refugeassociation.org.
