Across the Watershed - Winter 2001 - Wildlife Refuge Notes

The world's largest network of lands dedicated to wildlife conservation received a strong boost last November, when President Clinton signed into law the National Wildlife Refuge Centennial Act. Intended to strengthen and highlight the 93-million-acre Refuge System for its upcoming 100th birthday, the legislation named 2003 as "Year of the Wildlife Refuge," charged the Secretary of the Interior with recruiting a commission of distinguished citizens to rally public support, and required the Department of the Interior to develop new benchmarks for Congress to evaluate progress on the System's maintenance, operations and construction backlog.

The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, an agency of the Department of the Interior, manages the National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) System, which encompasses more than 530 NWRs, thousands of small wetlands and other special management areas. The Great Swamp NWR is one of three NWRs in New Jersey.

Finding that the System "has an unacceptable backlog in critical operations and maintenance needs" that approaches $800 million, and that "visitor centers and public use facilities must be properly constructed, operated and maintained," the new law calls for the Secretary of the Interior to prepare a long-term plan by March 2002 to address the priority operations, maintenance and construction needs of the Refuge System."

After establishing the first refuge in 1903, President Theodore Roosevelt went on to create some 50 more during his presidency, laying the groundwork for what has evolved into the world's most comprehensive effort to conserve wildlife. Refuges range from tiny Pelican Island in Florida, the nation's first, to the 20-million-acrea Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, the crown jewel of wild America. At least one refuge is located in every state and US territory.

Funds Earmarked For NWR Expansion

Rep. Rodney P. Frelinghuysen has secured $1 million in federal funding to continue the expansion of the Great Swamp National Wildlife Refuge, and an additional $2 million to preserve land at the Wallkill National Wildlife Refuge in Sussex County.

"Preserving open space is the number one environmental priority for New Jersey, the most densely populated state in the nation, and increasing the federal government's investment in open space preservation is a top priority for me in my role as New Jersey's only member of the House Appropriations Committee," Frelinghuysen said.

Frelinghuysen was able to negotiate this funding after a bipartisan agreement to increase the Land and Water Conservation Fund was contained in the fiscal year 2001 Appropriations for the Interior Department, signed into law on October 11, 2000.

Frelinghuysen is a leader in Congress on strengthening the Land and Water Conservation Fund. He is also an original co-sponsor of the Conservation and Reinvestment Act (CARA) which would make the Land and Water Conservation fund a permanent part of the Federal budget.

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