As I mentioned on Dec. 12, because of the Bush administration’s stubbornness and unwillingness to work with Congress on a responsible Fiscal Year 2008 budget, Congress has had to go back to the bargaining table and rework their budget. At risk is the proposed budget increase for the National Wildlife Refuge System that both the House and the Senate had passed in order to prevent the Bush administration’s planned staff cuts of 20% in the Refuge System.

The National Wildlife Refuge Association — a nonprofit organization that acts as an advocate for the Refuge System — has just sent out an email alert that offers a promising update on the Capitol Hill budget deliberations:

This morning House leaders announced an omnibus spending package which included funding for the National Wildlife Refuge System (NWRS). Proposed funding for the NWRS is $434 million, a $39 million increase over FY07!

Thanks to your diligence and hard work, Congress has answered your calls for increased funding — and while perhaps not as high as we had hoped and advocated for, this is truly an enormous win in light of these tough budget times. However, there are still hurdles which must be cleared before the President signs this bill.

The House is expected to vote either tonight or tomorrow with the Senate following shortly thereafter. The Senate will add more spending and it will go back to the House for final approval before being sent to the President.

Please urge your U.S. Representative and Senators to support this bill –
the funding for refuges will likely mean a second round of refuge downsizing will not be necessary, or at least will be postponed. You can reach your members by calling the Capitol Switchboard at 202-224-3121.

In addition, the NWRA points out that there was one representative in particular who really came to the rescue:

…there is one person in particular we need to thank — Chairman Norm Dicks of Washington. As a Member of the House Appropriations Committee, and the Chair of its Subcommittee on Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies, Representative Dicks has consistently been a strong proponent for refuges, even when the pressure was on to slash budgets further.

Representative Dicks has repeatedly gone to bat for us and he deserves a hearty thank you for all he’s done. Fax your note to Chairman Dicks at 202-226-1176. Or, better yet, give his office a quick phone call, 202-225-5916, and express your thanks! If you’d prefer to send a letter, address it to Rep. Norman Dicks, 2467 Rayburn House Office Building, Independence Ave. & South Capitol St., SW, Washington, DC 20515.

Please give your representative and senators a call to let them know that you support the new House budget bill that provides an increase in the Refuge System budget.

Because without the increase, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will proceed with the Bush administration’s 20% staff cut, which means the elimination of 565 positions, including wildlife biologists, endangered species specialists, environmental education specialists, refuge managers, visitor services personnel, and law enforcement officers.

The Refuge System needs your calls.

Tags:
wildlife, wildlife refuge, conservation, budgets, National Wildlife Refuge System