What is a National Wildlife Refuge?
By Sam D. Hamilton, Southeast Regional Director, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
On May 13, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service conducted a public meeting at the request of Congressman Marion Berry to provide a forum to discuss waterfowl issues in the Mississippi Flyway and on National Wildlife Refuges in Arkansas. While the meeting, which was held at the Brinkley Convention Center, was useful as an opportunity to establish a dialogue with hunters, guides, conservation interests, and Arkansas residents, it also resulted in several questions that require further elaboration. As Regional Director for the Southeast Region and a member of the Service Regulations Committee (which sets the annual waterfowl hunting frameworks nationwide), I am very much aware of waterfowl management issues throughout the South. Lately, as a result of declining waterfowl populations and harvest opportunity, there has been much public concern related to management issues on national wildlife refuges in Arkansas. I have asked our local refuge managers to respond to these concerns. However, as Regional Director, I am responsible for decisions that significantly alter management practices on these refuges.
The central question that remained unanswered from the meeting is "What is the Fish and Service’s responsibility to manage National Wildlife Refuges for the benefit of wildlife and people?" National Wildlife Refuges are the only Federal network of lands in the world where wildlife comes first. Currently, there are 541 refuges in every state in the country and many of our territories involved in providing habitat for waterfowl, migratory songbirds, endangered species, and other wildlife and plant resources.
Many Federal laws guide the administration of wildlife refuges, but the National Wildlife Refuge System Improvement Act, which was overwhelmingly passed by Congress in 1997, established the fundamental mission for the refuge system which is "... to preserve a network of lands and waters for the conservation and management of fish, wildlife, and plant resources for the benefit of present and future generations."
This mission has since become known as the "wildlife first" mission for the refuge system. However, Congress recognized that some secondary, wildlife dependent activities are appropriate and legitimate and should be given priority consideration on National Wildlife Refuges. These uses include hunting, fishing, environmental education, interpretation, wildlife observation and photography. These activities can only be allowed when they are determined to be compatible with the purposes for which a refuge was established. For example, the Logan Cave NWR in Northwestern Arkansas was established to protect several endangered species including the endangered gray bat. The refuge is closed to all public uses to protect these sensitive species.
There are 10 National Wildlife Refuges in Arkansas. Most of them were established along the Mississippi Flyway to provide habitat for migratory birds, especially ducks, but also migratory songbirds and shorebirds. The Migratory Bird Conservation Act of 1929 authorized legislation creating two of these refuges: Cache River and Bald Knob. This law provided for migratory bird management as a refuge purpose and included a specific provision requiring "inviolate sanctuaries" to provide feeding and resting areas for migratory waterfowl. The law originally prohibited waterfowl hunting, which meant that both refuges were permanent sanctuaries, but was later amended in 1978 (P.L. 95-616) to allow waterfowl hunting on portions of the refuges.
In 1998, an independent, Migratory Bird Biological Review was conducted at Bald Knob National Wildlife Refuge. The committee which conducted this review included the scientific community, the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission, and other migratory bird and habitat biologists who provided expertise in wintering waterfowl dietary requirements, wetlands restoration, shorebird habitat requirements, marsh and wading birds habitat requirements, reforestation, migratory songbird habitat requirements, and life history requirements of different groups of migratory birds. The committee provided recommendations for habitat restoration and management to provide the habitat requirements for all migratory birds on Bald Knob. These recommendations identified the need for providing high value foraging habitat for wintering waterfowl including row crops and moist soil plants and reforesting to restore 60% of the refuge back to bottomland hardwoods. These recommendations also recognized the biological necessity to provide some undisturbed habitat for migratory birds.
The refuges are being managed according to the requirements of the law and the best scientific information available for the benefit of people and wildlife. Cache River and Bald Knob provide many priority public uses including hunting, fishing, birdwatching and photography. More than 120,000 visitors a year come to these refuges to enjoy many activities, including hunting, which is an economic mainstay of Arkansas. At the same time, more and more visitors are enjoying other wildlife related activities and studies show that these users are contributing significantly to local economies.
As wildlife managers, Service employees share the same frustrations as hunters and other conservationists when faced with declining waterfowl populations. We also realize that most of these trends are cyclical and the days of abundant waterfowl will return if we manage our waterfowl and habitat properly. It is this long-term stewardship goal that represents the primary responsibility of all refuge managers and is embodied in the mission of the National Wildlife Refuge System. We invite you to come out and enjoy the myriad of activities that can be found on your National Wildlife Refuges with an understanding that these places are managed for wildlife first and for the enjoyment of all.
For more information about the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, visit our website at http://southeast.fws.gov.
For specific information about waterfowl hunting issues at Arkansas refuges, visit our website at http://cacheriver.fws.gov<.
