Fulfilling the Promise The National Wildlife Refuge System

              Fulfilling the Promise
The National Wildlife
Refuge System
U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service
The Mission
“The mission of the
National Wildlife Refuge
System is to administer
a national network
of lands and waters
for the conservation,
management, and where
appropriate, restoration
of the fish, wildlife, and
plant resources and their
habitats within the
United States for the
benefit of present and
future generations of
Americans.”
National Wildlife Refuge System Improvement Act of 1997
The National Wildlife Refuge System is a
promise to preserve wildlife and habitat
for the benefit of all Americans.
The promise began at Pelican Island, a
small, unassuming island filled with
pelicans, ibises, herons, and roseate
spoonbills, in Florida’s Indian River.
After nearly a century, the system has
grown from this humble beginning to
more than 93 million acres. Today the sun
is almost always shining on part of a
refuge network of more than 500 refuges
and 3,000 waterfowl production areas
spread across every state and several
U.S. territories. Refuges conserve a
stunning array of our nation’s landscapes
and provide lifelines for millions of
migratory birds, open spaces for elk,
pronghorn and caribou, and places for
rare and endangered species.
Each refuge or waterfowl production
area is land; living, breathing places filled
with rhythms of life. They provide a
sense of place, a connection to barely
discernible instincts, and a tie to a
natural world, nourishing our spirit.
Refuges are treasures like monuments in
Washington D.C., boyhood homes of
presidents, sequoias in California, vast
western mountain forests, or expansive
Everglades swamps. Yet, they can help
rescue species from extinction, safeguard
breeding and resting areas for millions of
birds, and slow the loss of wild areas and
open spaces, squeezed by a growing
country.
At refuges, the music of life is rehearsed
to perfection, nature’s colors are most
vibrant, time is measured in seasons, and
a crane’s dance takes center stage. They
are gifts to ourselves and to generations
unborn.
This report on the National Wildlife
Refuge System (System) is based on the
work of many U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service (Service) employees and outside
experts. It is the culmination of a year-long
process that involved teams of
Service employees who examined the
System within the framework of Wildlife
and Habitat, People, and Leadership.
The report was the focus of the first-ever
System Conference held in Keystone,
Colorado in October 1998, attended by
every refuge manager in the country,
other Service employees, and scores of
conservation organizations.
This abbreviated version includes a
reflection on where the System has been,
a review of the present, a vision for the
future, and a summary of the vision
statements and recommendations
included in the full report. We expect
the full report to become a well-worn
document through continual reference
and use. By the System’s 100th
Anniversary in 2003, the System will
be well on its way toward fulfilling its
promise for wildlife, habitat and people
through effective leadership.
Fulfilling the Promise
This blue goose, designed by
J.N.“Ding” Darling, has become
the symbol of the National
Wildlife Refuge System
“Wild beasts and birds are
by right not the property
merely of the people who
are alive today, but the
property of unknown
generations, whose
belongings we have no
right to squander.”
Theodore Roosevelt
From one-ton bison to half-ounce
warblers, the National Wildlife Refuge
System contains a priceless gift — the
heritage of a wild America that was,
and is. Refuges are home to at least
700 species of birds, 220 mammals,
250 reptiles and amphibians, more than
1,000 fish, and countless species of
invertebrates and plants. Also, nearly
260 threatened or endangered species
are either beginning their recovery or
holding their own against extinction.
The way we nurture this diversity of life
and habitat is the foundation of our
mission. Without healthy and diverse
habitat, there is no wildlife — without
wildlife, our mission is not achieved and
the trust with the American people is
broken.
Keeping wildlife first in the Refuge
System will require increased emphasis
on sound objective setting, population
and habitat monitoring, and adaptive
management. Wilderness refuges will
serve as reservoirs for biodiversity and
natural processes. In the future, growth
of the Refuge System will be strategic
and consistent. We will manage refuges
in the context of, and in concert with,
surrounding public and private lands,
and become models for others to emulate.
Our Vision:
Refuges are places where wildlife
comes first;
Refuges are anchors for biodiversity
and ecosystem-level conservation;
System lands and waters will be
biologically healthy;
The Refuge System will be a national
and international leader in habitat
management;
We will add strategically located lands
and waters to the System, in partnership
with others, to ensure that it represents
America’s diverse ecosystems and
sustains the nation’s fish, wildlife,
and plant resources; and
We believe the Refuge System will be a
model and demonstration area for
habitat management fostering broad
participation in natural resource
stewardship.
Wildlife and Habitat
B
A C
E
D
G
H I
B
B
F
“We need the tonic of
wildness—to wade
sometimes in the marshes
where the bittern and
meadow hen lurk, and
hear the booming of
the snipe; to smell the
whispering sedge where
only some wilder and
more solitary fowl
builds her nest.”
Henry David Thoreau
In the early 1900’s National Wildlife
Refuges were sanctuaries with citizen
wardens guarding and protecting them
from poachers and plume hunters. The
only visitors were occasional scientists,
photographers, or bird watchers.
After World War II, Americans started
traveling, and on the hot prairies of the
plains and in the salt marshes of the
south, they discovered their National
Wildlife Refuge System. They came for
many reasons; most for the wonders of
the living world and the sights and
sounds of wildlife.
After nearly a century of growth, a
Refuge System for wildlife and people is
emerging. Thousands of schoolchildren
visit refuges in the shadows of
skyscrapers, while seals and seabirds
visit in remote corners of the Pacific
Ocean. Refuges have a wildlife
conservation mission, but the people of
America receive the ultimate benefits,
today and for generations to come.
To fulfill our mission we must have staff
capable of managing people on refuges,
and invest in visitor services and facilities
that showcase, but do not intrude, upon
our wildlife treasures. We must involve
more people, communities, and
organizations in decisions affecting the
System and work to communicate the
value of refuges to all Americans. By
working together to meet these
challenges and sharing a passion for
wildlife and habitat, the System’s future
is more secure.
The Vision:
A strong and vibrant Refuge System
provides an enduring legacy of healthy
fish, wildlife, and plant resources for
people to enjoy today and for
generations to come;
We will make refuges welcoming,
safe, and accessible, with a variety
of opportunities for visitors to enjoy
and appreciate America’s fish, wildlife,
and plants;
We will help visitors and local
communities recognize refuges as
national treasures, actively participate
in their stewardship, and stand firm in
their defense; and
Americans will know that each wildlife
refuge is a part of an enduring national
system. They will understand and
support the System’s tremendous
contribution toward fish, wildlife,
and plant conservation.
People
B
B A
A
B
J
K L
A
“And it is your obligation
to…move forward…
in a way that does not
denigrate, dilute or
diminish in the slightest
degree that which came
before you, because many
thousands of men and
women gave their careers,
and some even gave
their lives, for what you
are working toward—
saving dirt.”
Lynn Greenwalt
Leadership turns resources into
accomplishments. Without leadership,
our dollars and staff never reach their
full potential. With leadership, these
resources present infinite possibilities.
Peter Drucker and Warren Bennis
distinguish management from
leadership: “Management is doing things
right; leadership is doing the right
things.” In his book The 7 Habits of
Highly Effective People, Stephen Covey
observes that while blazing a trail
through the jungle, determining the most
efficient way to sharpen machetes can
often occupy many managers. But, a
leader climbs the tallest tree, surveys the
situation and shouts “wrong jungle.”
In the next century, our leaders will
strive to do the right things in an
environment of constant change. They
will require agility, vision, passion, and
outstanding communications skills. They
will need to reconcile the rapidly
changing landscape of politics and public
service with the unchanging laws of
nature.
Extending our legacy of leadership into
the future requires a higher priority for
leadership development. We must ensure
organizational vitality by bringing new
and diverse talent into the System,
keeping employee pride high, and
administering our lands as a true system
by paying attention to the consistency of
organizational structure and
management policies.
Meeting the needs and carrying out the
recommendations for improving
leadership for the System and the
Service will, in the end, pay huge
dividends for fish, wildlife, and plant
resources. And doing right by the
resource is what doing the right thing is
all about. Without leadership, the System
visions for wildlife, habitat, and people
cannot be achieved. With effective
leadership, they cannot be denied.
The Vision:
We will identify and mentor America’s
best and brightest to staff refuges and
be future leaders within the System
and the Service.
We will instill Esprit de Corps and
passion for refuges and the System will
be embraced by refuge employees and
throughout the Service.
We will provide a stable organizational
structure and clear policy framework
promoting integrity, adaptability, and
creativity in managing the System.
Leadership
M F
N
O
We hope that by
our centennial
anniversary in
2003 we will be
well on our way
toward fulfilling
the promise of the
National Wildlife
Refuge System for
wildlife, habitat,
and people.
B B
B
A B
A
U.S. Department of the Interior
U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service
Division of Refuges
4401 N. Fairfax Drive
Room 670
Arlington, VA 22203
1 800/344 WILD
http://refuges.fws.gov
July 1999
Cover Photo: Don Hultman
Background Photos:
Karen & John Hollingsworth
Key to Inset Photos:
A. USFWS
B. Karen & John Hollingsworth
C. William Vinje
D. Mike Lockhart
E. J.D. Pittillo
F. George Gentry
G. Tracy Brooks
H. Steve Maslowski
I. Dick Bailey
J. Joe Doherty
K. Milton Friend
L. LaVonda Walton
M. Pedro Ramirez, Jr.
N. Theodore Roosevelt Collection,
Harvard College Library
O. Rachel Carson Foundation