The National Wildlife Refuge Association just sent out an email update regarding recent action by the House Interior Appropriations subcommittee for the proposed Fiscal Year 2011 spending bill for the Department of the Interior. The NWRA stated that it is still unclear when the Interior bill will go to the House floor, but it [...]

House Republicans — in their never-ending effort to keep their anti-immigration base happy — have introduced a bill that would remove the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s authority over wildlife refuges along the U.S.-Mexico border.
Rep. Rob Bishop from Utah introduced the bill (and yes, Utah is nowhere near the Mexican border) and claims that the [...]

The National Wildlife Refuge Association has put out an action alert urging citizens to write their representatives and senators about Refuge System funding for Fiscal Year 2011.

Refuge champions in Congress, House Refuge Caucus leaders, Mike Thompson (D-CA), Michael Castle (R-DE), Ed Perlmutter (D-CO) and Frank LoBiondo (R-NJ) and Senators Russ Feingold (D-WI) and Olympia Snowe [...]

The Cooperative Alliance for Refuge Enhancement (CARE) has just released their Restoring America’s Wildlife Refuges 2010 report, which warns of the threat from an Obama Administration proposal to significantly cut the Refuge System’s budget.
From CARE:

America’s National Wildlife Refuge System, comprising 150 million acres, requires a minimum of $900 million annually to operate adequately. The report [...]

The New York Times reports that the Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument, Rose Atoll Marine National Monument, and Marianas Trench National Monument – which were created by former President Bush and given to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service as part of the Refuge System — are being neglected.
The islands’ leaders said the reserve [...]

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service issued a press release related to the end of the gun ban that will take effect at national wildlife refuges and national parks on February 22.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service today announced that effective February 22, 2010, the rules governing possession of firearms on National Wildlife Refuges will [...]

Hawaii News Now reports that Senator Daniel Inouye (D-HI) has announced a deal whereby the James Campbell Company will sell valuable North Shore land (1,100 acres at $22 million) to the federal government to be protected as part of the currently 160-acre James Campbell National Wildlife Refuge. The land includes two miles of pristine coastline [...]

On February 22, a law that was tacked onto a credit card reform bill by the ever controversial Sen. Tom Coburn (R-OK) will take effect and will allow national park and national wildlife refuge visitors to openly carry loaded guns, as well as concealed weapons, as long as they comply with state laws.
But even [...]

The National Wildlife Refuge Association just released details of President Barack Obama’s Fiscal Year 2011 budget, and it contains some disappointment for the Refuge System.

The National Wildlife Refuge Association (NWRA) expressed disappointment over President Obamas proposed $499.5 million operations and maintenance budget for the National Wildlife Refuge System for next year, Fiscal Year 2011. Because [...]

The National Wildlife Refuge Association has laid out their 2010 priorities in advocating for the National Wildlife Refuge System:
Funding: With a renewed emphasis on reducing the federal deficit, as outlined in the President’s State of the Union, federal programs such as the National Wildlife Refuge System are likely to see reduced or frozen discretionary spending [...]

The Wildlife Refuge Caucus in the House of Representatives welcomed two new members: Representative Ben Ray Lujan (NM), and Delegate Gregorio Sablan (Northern Mariana Islands). The Wildlife Refuge Caucus is a bipartisan group that unites members to address wildlife refuge issues. Caucus membership now includes 139 members representing 41 states.
Visit the Refuge Caucus list on [...]

In a pleasant surprise from Congress, the just-passed “FY 2010 Interior, Environment and Related Agencies Appropriations Bill” will give the National Wildlife Refuge System a budget increase of $40 million, which was the higher amount that the House passed earlier this year.
From the press release by the National Wildlife Refuge Association:

This builds upon strong increases [...]