NWRA Applauds Congress for Supporting Wildlife Refuge Friends and Volunteers

Volunteers and Refuge Friends are vital in helping the Fish and Wildlife Service achieve wildlife conservation and public outreach goals on our national wildlife refuges. © Robert G. Allen

Washington, DC - The National Wildlife Refuge Association today applauded Congress for supporting volunteer programs on our national wildlife refuges. Passage of the National Wildlife Refuge Volunteer Improvement Act will increase opportunities for citizens to volunteer on our national wildlife refuges and bolster the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s efforts to develop a national strategy for coordinating volunteer efforts.

“Refuge Friends and Volunteers are a cornerstone in helping the Fish and Wildlife Service achieve critical wildlife conservation and public outreach goals on our national wildlife refuges,” said Evan Hirsche, President of the National Wildlife Refuge Association. “Never has this been more apparent than in the overwhelming outpouring of Friends and volunteer support in connection with the BP oil spill this past summer.”

With 553 national wildlife refuges throughout all states and territories conserving a total of 150 million acres – the National Wildlife Refuge System is the world’s premier wildlife conservation system. America’s national wildlife refuges are invaluable to wildlife and offer outstanding opportunities for people to experience and appreciate our natural world -- there’s a national wildlife refuge within just an hour’s drive of nearly every major metropolitan area.

Each year Refuge Friends and volunteers perform roughly 20% of all the work done on national wildlife refuges. In 2009 they contributed more than 1.4 million hours or the equivalent of 665 full-time employees -- a value exceeding $28 million! From helping with habitat conservation projects and environmental education programs to organizing recreational opportunities like hunts and fishing derbies, Refuge Friends and Volunteers are vital to our national wildlife refuges.

Passed by both houses of Congress, the National Wildlife Refuge Volunteer Improvement Act awaits final approval from President Obama before being enacted as law.

The mission of the National Wildlife Refuge Association is to conserve America’s wildlife heritage for future generations through strategic programs that protect, enhance, and expand the National Wildlife Refuge System and the landscapes beyond its boundaries that secure its ecological integrity.

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