SHIRLEY, N.Y. - (Recovery Act Project #R5BA) – Today Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar announced that C&S Companies (www.csoc.com) of Syracuse, N.Y., has been awarded a $485,560 contract to complete the architectural and engineering design for a new administrative and visitor center for the Long National Wildlife Refuge Complex. The new $9.775 million facility, to be built at Wertheim National Wildlife Refuge in Shirley, N.Y., will be funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.
The economic recovery investments that the Department of the Interior is making will create jobs by building trails, restoring habitat, upgrading visitors’ centers, and protecting national treasures in communities across America, while leaving a lasting legacy for our children and grandchildren,” said Secretary Salazar.
The facility will serve as the headquarters for nine national wildlife refuges managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) on Long Island. The refuges are some of the last remaining natural areas in the greater New York City metropolitan area and are located within an hour drive of more than 7.5 million people.
The proposed design for the 12,000-square-foot building includes a visitors’ center and office space for the refuge complex and agency partners. The visitors’ center will include interpretive displays and interactive exhibits, an environmental education classroom, and other services. The facility will meet Service building design standards and the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification criteria for sustainability and energy efficiency (http://www.usgbc.org/www.usgbc.org).
The Long National Wildlife Refuge Complex's current office at Wertheim National Wildlife Refuge is in a former hunting lodge built in 1905. The small building provides insufficient space for current staff and inadequate facilities to host refuge visitors. It is plagued with safety and health hazards. To accommodate Service staff, two houses on the refuge have been converted into office space. Both of these buildings will revert back to refuge housing once the new facility is completed.
In the fall of 2006, the Service completed a 15-year comprehensive conservation plan for the Long National Wildlife Refuge Complex. Local governments, conservation organizations, and other interested members of the public were involved in the process, which identified the need for the new administrative and visitor facility among other management goals.
“Long is an ideal setting to increase public awareness, understanding and support for wildlife conservation,” said Michelle Williams, refuge manager. “The new facility will provide a central location to welcome and orient refuge visitors, bring together diverse audiences from the area, and serve as a catalyst for cooperative wildlife conservation partnerships and projects.”
The national wildlife refuges on Long provide some of the last significant natural areas on the for migratory birds, threatened and endangered species, and other wildlife. From rare grasslands to maritime tidal areas, the habitats are rich and diverse. In addition to the headquarters at Wertheim National Wildlife Refuge in Shirley, other units include Amagansett, Conscience Point, Lido Beach, Morton, Oyster Bay, Sayville, Seatuck and Target Rock national wildlife refuges.
Funding for this project and hundreds more across the nation comes from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. Of the $3 billion appropriated to the Department of the Interior, the Act provides $280 million for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service – which includes $115 million for construction, repair and energy efficiency retrofit projects at Service facilities and $165 million for habitat restoration, deferred maintenance and capital improvement projects. The Service will benefit from an additional $10 million, which is administered by the Department of Transportation and is not included in the Service’s $280 million appropriation that will be used to rebuild and improve roads on several national wildlife refuges. Projects will immediately create local jobs in the communities where they are located, while stimulating long-term employment and economic opportunities for the American public.
For a full list of funded projects nationwide, go to the Department’s Recovery Web site at recovery.doi.gov. For a list of Service projects, click on the Service’s logo at the bottom of the page. Secretary Salazar has pledged unprecedented levels of transparency and accountability in the implementation of the Department of the Interior’s economic recovery projects. The public will be able to follow the progress of each project on the recovery Web site, which will include an interactive map that enables the public to track where and how the Department’s recovery dollars are being spent. In addition, the public can submit questions, comments, or concerns at recoveryact@fws.gov.
