Make your opinions known to decision-makers on issues of importance to you and National Wildlife Refuge Association. http://refugenet.e-actionmax.com/alertlist.asp Sat, 4 Feb 2012 08:05:03 GMT Sat, 4 Feb 2012 08:05:03 GMT en-us action alerts thedatabank, inc. Technology for Change. http://www.thedatabank.com/
The LWCF was established by Congress in 1965 to meet the nation's growing desire to preserve natural areas, culturally and historically significant landmarks, and provide opportunities for outdoor recreation. The Act designated that a portion of receipts from offshore oil and gas leases be placed into a fund annually for state and local conservation, as well as for the protection of our national treasures such as national wildlife refuges, national parks and forests. The LWCF program has added millions of acres to all our public lands - approximately 1.5 million acres of the NWRS were acquired through the LWCF. Despite LWCF's strong track record of success over the past 44 years, the program faces enormous challenges. Lands with significant historic, cultural, and wildlife values are rapidly being converted to other uses. Factors that are responsible for this trend include increasing land values, population growth, and the development of the rural-urban fringe. Yet, in the face of escalating development pressures, funding for the LWCF declined precipitously for years until recent funding increases brought revitalization into the program. Funding History LWCF is authorized at $900 million annually, a level that has only been reached once during the program's 40-year history, and adjusted for inflation, would be north of $3 billion. The program is divided into two distinct funding pots: State grants and Federal acquisition funds, with funding for land acquisition in the NWRS only a portion of that. Until FY 09, program funding followed a dramatic decline, with a total of only $138 million in fiscal year (FY) 2008. The recorded balance in offshore oil revenues credited to, but not appropriated to, the LWCF is approaching $17 billion. LWCF funding for federal land acquisition fell from $445 million in FY 2001 to $138 million in FY 2008.

Deadline for action: 12/19/2012.]]> http://refugenet.e-actionmax.com/takeaction.asp?aaid=5662 http://refugenet.e-actionmax.com/takeaction.asp?aaid=5662 Fri, 9 Dec 2011 21:12:14 GMT
Senate Refuge champions, Chris Coons (D-DE), Jeff Sessions (R-AL) and Ben Cardin (D-MD) have introduced a resolution to designate the week beginning on October 9, 2011, as “National Wildlife Refuge Week” but we need your help to ensure the Senate passes it. This non-binding resolution states that the Senate: (1) designates the week beginning on October 9, 2011, as ‘‘National Wildlife Refuge Week’’; (2) encourages the observance of National Wildlife Refuge Week with appropriate events and activities; (3) acknowledges the importance of national wildlife refuges for their recreational opportunities and contribution to local economies across the United States; (4) pronounces that national wildlife refuges play a vital role in securing America’s hunting and fishing heritage of the United States for future generations; (5) identifies the significance of national wildlife refuges in advancing the traditions of wildlife observation, photography, environmental education, and interpretation; (6) recognizes the importance of national wildlife refuges to wildlife conservation and the protection of imperiled species and ecosystems, as well as compatible uses; (7) acknowledges the role of national wildlife refuges in conserving waterfowl and waterfowl habitat pursuant to the Migratory Bird Treaty Act (40Stat. 755, chapter 128); (8) reaffirms the support of the Senate for wildlife conservation and the National Wildlife Refuge System; and (9) expresses the intent of the Senate to (A) continue working to conserve wildlife, and (B) to manage the National Wildlife Refuge System for current and future generations. It is important to pass this resolution to bring to the Senate’s attention the Refuge System and the leadership it provides in conserving wildlife for the benefit of present and future generations of Americans as well as the contributions of volunteers and “Friends” organizations in helping refuges achieve their goals. This is a list of current Senators who signed the 2010 Resolution: Senator Akaka, Daniel K. [HI] Senator Alexander, Lamar [TN] Senator Bennet, Michael F. [CO] Senator Bingaman, Jeff [NM] Senator Cantwell, Maria [WA] Senator Cardin, Benjamin L. [MD] Senator Casey, Robert P., Jr. [PA] Senator Corker, Bob [TN] Senator Crapo, Mike [ID] Senator Feinstein, Dianne [CA] Senator Inouye, Daniel K. [HI] Senator Kerry, John F. [MA] Senator Landrieu, Mary L. [LA] Senator Levin, Carl [MI] Senator Murray, Patty [WA] Senator Pryor, Mark L. [AR] Senator Reed, Jack [RI] Senator Shaheen, Jeanne [NH] Senator Stabenow, Debbie [MI] Senator Udall, Mark [CO] Senator Udall, Tom [NM] Senator Whitehouse, Sheldon [RI] To read the full text of the this resolution click on "more".

Deadline for action: 9/26/2012.]]> http://refugenet.e-actionmax.com/takeaction.asp?aaid=5515 http://refugenet.e-actionmax.com/takeaction.asp?aaid=5515 Tue, 27 Sep 2011 20:26:20 GMT
Fifty years ago, on December 6, 1960, President Eisenhower created the Arctic National Wildlife Range at the urging of such visionaries as Mardy and Olaus Murie. And twenty years later on December 2, 1980, President Carter signed the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act (ANILCA) which enlarged the Range to its current 19 million acres, designated much of it as Wilderness and officially changed its name to the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. However, also included in ANILCA was a provision that Congress could go back and open the Coastal Plain to oil and gas drilling. For 30 years advocates have successfully relied on simple grassroots mobilization to bar powerful oil and gas lobbies from spoiling this national treasure. Now is the time to permanently protect the Arctic NWR by designating the Coastal Plain as Wilderness – the highest level of protection in the United States. While such a designation allows for visitation and recreation, the goal is to leave no trace of human impact. Federal Wilderness designation requires action by Congress and applies only to public lands: National Parks, Forests, Bureau of Land Management lands and of course, National Wildlife Refuges. Within the National Wildlife Refuge System there are approximately 21 million acres designated as Wilderness on 65 refuges; across all federal lands, there are more than 105 million acres of designated wilderness. Wilderness designation of the Arctic NWR would forever protect this land, not only for the wildlife that depends upon its health and vitality for survival, but for each and every one of us. WHAT’S AT STAKE? The Arctic NWR, among the best-known refuges in the National Wildlife Refuge System, is home to musk ox, polar bears, wolves, shorebirds and many other diverse species of wildlife. The 100-mile coastal plain of the refuge plays a critical role as the calving grounds for 129,000 caribou that make up the Porcupine herd. Arctic NWR also provides vital nesting habitat for millions of migratory birds representing 135 species from all over the United States and other countries – there’s a good chance, no matter where you live in the U.S., that you’ve seen birds that spend time in this pristine wilderness. The Arctic Refuge coastal plain represents the last 5% of Alaska’s north coast that remains legally closed to oil and gas exploration and development. The other 95% of Alaska’s coastal plain is already open to potential oil and gas development. Interestingly enough, this same 5% is also considered the biological heart of the 19-million-acre refuge. Drilling in the Arctic Refuge would introduce a spider web of roads and pipelines across hundreds of thousands of acres on the coastal plain. HOW YOU CAN HELP! Use the Refuge Action Network (RAN) to contact your two U.S. Senators and U.S. Representative and urge them to permanently protect the Arctic NWR by passing the Arctic Refuge Wilderness Act (H.R. 139 & S. 33).

Deadline for action: 7/20/2012.]]> http://refugenet.e-actionmax.com/takeaction.asp?aaid=5427 http://refugenet.e-actionmax.com/takeaction.asp?aaid=5427 Fri, 22 Jul 2011 15:14:27 GMT
Congress is currently assembling their funding bills for next year and they need to hear from constituents that our National Wildlife Refuge System and associated conservation programs such as the Land and Water Conservation Plan, State Wildlife Grants should not be gutted or eliminated. Please ask your U.S. Representative and Senators, via NWRA’s Refuge Action Network, to support and defend funding that will protect America’s wildlife. The Refuge System saw meaningful funding increases from FY 2008 – FY 2010, but unfortunately, the final appropriation for FY 2011, an $11 million cut, is in actuality a $19 million reduction when factoring in the amount the System needs annually to maintain existing management capabilities such as rising fuel costs, rents, etc... The overall budget plan from the House of Representatives would drastically reduce conservation programs by approximately $2 billion – and the Refuge System would not be immune. We urge Congress to reject drastic cuts to refuges and fund the Operations and Maintenance accounts of the Refuge System at $511 million for FY 2012, essentially flat funding from FY 2010. We estimate the refuges need at least $519 million to maintain management capabilities from FY 2010; our request represents a sacrifice as we deal with our nation’s fiscal crisis. Please urge Congress to support and defend funding for the National Wildlife Refuge System, Land and Water Conservation Fund, North American Wetlands Conservation Act and State Wildlife Grants Program in the FY 2012 Interior Appropriations Bill.

Deadline for action: 5/31/2012.]]> http://refugenet.e-actionmax.com/takeaction.asp?aaid=5321 http://refugenet.e-actionmax.com/takeaction.asp?aaid=5321 Thu, 26 May 2011 20:49:15 GMT
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Deadline for action: 4/15/2012.]]> http://refugenet.e-actionmax.com/takeaction.asp?aaid=5259 http://refugenet.e-actionmax.com/takeaction.asp?aaid=5259 Fri, 15 Apr 2011 23:41:16 GMT