The excellent blog National Parks Traveler has posted an interesting entry regarding the recent ruling by a U.S. district court judge that stopped drilling at Colorado’s Baca National Wildlife Refuge (near Great Sand Dunes National Park) because the judge said environmental groups gave compelling evidence that drilling would cause harm to the refuge (see Refuge [...]

The Associated Press is reporting that a federal judge has blocked exploratory oil and gas drilling at Baca National Wildlife Refuge, which is close to the Great Sand Dunes National Park in Colorado.
U.S. District Court Judge Walker Miller stated that environmental groups gave compelling evidence that drilling would cause harm to the refuge.
This blog [...]

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has selected Ohio River Islands National Wildlife Refuge for the 2009 Refuge of the Year Environmental Leadership Award, which annually recognizes Service facilities and individuals for their outstanding leadership and commitment to the environment.
According to the USFWS press release:

The Ohio River Islands refuge was recognized for construction and operation [...]

Today the Baltimore Sun reported on growing opposition to a proposed power line project that would include 140-foot transmission towers on the Eastern Shore of Maryland. The Mid-Atlantic Power Pathway, which is proposed by Pepco Holdings, could present a special threat to habitat around Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge in Maryland.
From The Sun:

A $1.2 billion, 150-mile [...]

On January 7 and March 20, 2008, this blog reported on an initial agreement between the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Doyon corporation regarding a land exchange at the Yukon Flats National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has now reached a decision on this land swap.
From the National [...]

On March 19, Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar released the first ever comprehensive report on bird populations in the United States, showing that nearly a third of the nation’s 800 bird species are endangered, threatened or in significant decline due to habitat loss, invasive species, and other threats. The report was based on 40 [...]

In the past, this blog has followed the saga of the Izembek National Wildlife Refuge land swap provision, which would lead to the construction of a $15.6 million, nine-mile gravel road through federally designated wilderness in one of the most pristine refuges in the Refuge System.
The Izembek NWR land swap deal could have been defeated [...]

The San Luis Valley Water Protection Coalition is reporting that the San Luis Valley Ecosystem Council, Lexam Exploration, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service have reached an agreement to “cease all construction activities” related to drilling on Colorado’s Baca National Wildlife Refuge until August 2009.
On December 7, 2008, this blog reported that the [...]

On January 25, The Washington Post published an article that highlights the greatest threat to national wildlife refuges — climate change.

At the Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge on Maryland’s Eastern Shore, sea-level rise threatens to drown the brackish marsh on which migrating shorebirds depend. In Northern California, the shrinking snowpack has reduced stream flows that sustain [...]

The Press-Register in Alabama is reporting that the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission is asking for public comments on a proposed natural gas pipeline from Grand Bay to Pascagoula, Mississippi, including a proposed alternate route along U.S. 90 and through Grand Bay National Wildlife Refuge.
According to the Press-Register, Florida Gas Transmission and Transco are proposing the [...]

A new report titled “Keeping Every Cog and Wheel: Reforming and Improving the National Wildlife Refuge System” has been released by the following groups: The Aldo Leopold Foundation, American Bird Conservancy, Defenders of Wildlife, National Audubon Society, National Wildlife Federation, National Wildlife Refuge Association, Trust for Public Land, and The Wilderness Society.
According to the report’s [...]

In past posts (October 25, March 30, March 8, January 20, and September 21), RefugeWatch has followed the ongoing controversy of potential drilling by a Canadian energy firm — Lexam Energy Exploration — at Baca National Wildlife Refuge in southern Colorado.
On December 4, 2008, a new wrinkle developed when the San Luis Valley Ecosystem [...]