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U.S Fish & Wildlife Service

National Wildlife Refuge System

September/October 2004 Vol 1, No 5

Prairie Science Class CelebratesAnniversary, page 16 Program integrates environmentaleducation into routine public schoolcurriculum.

Focus on Hunting, page 8-15While the National Wildlife RefugeSystem has been shaped by a varietyof public concerns, hunters wereamong the early, substantive voices.

Texas Brochures Turned SomeHeads, page 17 South Texas Refuge series ofbrochures are notable for theirbeauty and more.

Forty Years for the Wilderness Act,8National Wilderness PreservationSystem protects more than 105.7million acres, including more than20 million acres on 65 refuges.

Inside

Hundreds of visitors traveled to Prime Hook NWR, DE, on Oct. 9 for the 3rd Annual Waterfowl Festival,part of the nationwide celebration of National Wildlife Refuge Week. The festival featured live music, guidedhikes and canoe trips, among other events. (USFWS)

“Conservation in Action” ThemeDominated National Wildlife Refuge Week

Volunteer Zeeger de Wilde, right, assisted a familyin observing eagles during his eagle prowl programat the 9th Annual Open House held Oct. 2 atBlackwater NWR, MD, in celebration of NationalWildlife Refuge Week. (Maggie Briggs/USFWS)

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“Conservation in Action” was the themefor the celebration of National WildlifeRefuge Week, Oct. 10-16, as thousands ofpeople were introduced to the NationalWildlife Refuge System at wildlife refugesthat staged special events across the country.

O At Sherburne NWR, MN, visitors tothe Wildlife Festival took horse-drawnhayrides and attended archery and air-rifle workshops.

O Shark Day at Don Edwards SanFrancisco Bay NWR, CA, Oct. 16 gavethousands of people the chance totouch sharks and make shark toothnecklaces.

O About 2,000 students entered theYouth Art Contest, open to grades K-12 in Johnston County, at Tishomingo

NWR, OK. The winner wasannounced Oct. 15. The ChickasawNation of Oklahoma and Citizens forthe Protection of the Arbuckle-Simpson Aquifer sponsored thecontest.

O Daily tours Oct. 13-15 brought scoresof people for their first look at St.Vincent NWR, FL, the lastundeveloped barrier island justoffshore from the Apalachicola River.

National Wildlife Refuge Week wascelebrated in Washington, DC, with aRefuge System reception at theSmithsonian Institution’s NationalMuseum of Natural History, whereportions of the acclaimed film WingedMigration were aired. The RefugeSystem’s history of protecting habitat for

Pg 2 Refuge Update | September/October 2004

Gale NortonSecretary of the Interior

Steve WilliamsDirector – U.S. Fish andWildlife Service

William HartwigAssistant Director –National Wildlife RefugeSystem

Larry WilliamsPublisher

Martha NudelEditor in Chief

Bill BallouGraphic DesignCoordinator

Address editorial inquiries to:Refuge UpdateUSFWS-NWRS4401 North Fairfax Dr.,Room 634CArlington, VA22203-1610Phone: 703-358-1858 Fax: 703-358-2517E-mail:[email protected]

This newsletter ispublished on recycledpaper using soy-basedink

C

RefugeUpdateAs onehurricaneafter anotherpummeledFlorida inAugust and

September, staff from the NationalWildlife Refuge System and the Fishand Wildlife Service showed theirmettle, motivation, training anddedication – making a real difference inpeople’s lives. We have every reason tobe proud.

Eight Refuge law enforcement officersfrom the Southeast Region SpecialOperations Response Team arrived justseven hours after getting the call on

Aug. 14. They worked around the clockto help local police secure homes andbusinesses.

About 90 refuge fire and other staffused 20 refuge-owned pieces of heavyequipment to help clear hundreds ofdowned trees and debris from powerlines and roads across Sanibel andCaptiva islands. The state of Floridathanked us for transforming what couldhave been six to eight weeks of workinto a four-day job.

More than 50 employees from theSoutheast, Southwest, Midwest andCalifornia used their skills to helpFlorida residents

Chief’s CornerThe Best Public Lands in the World

From the DirectorA Lasting Respect for ResourcesWhen I wasgrowing up, Ioften hunted andfished with my

dad. In more recent years, some of mygreatest times with my son have beenspent the same way.

Being outdoors in the crisp of an autumnmorning, waiting quietly for a deer orscanning the sky for ducks, are times thatallow parents and youngsters to bondwhile instilling a lasting respect for wildthings and wild places.

I am proud to direct an agency thatmanages fish and wildlife populations,conserves and restores habitat, andoffers hunting on more than 300 nationalwildlife refuges and wetlandmanagement districts.

Many of the earliest leaders of theconservation movement were hunters,and hunters continue to be vital to theNorth American conservation model.With the U.S. population expected tonearly double by the middle of this

century, the pressures on our naturalresources will increase. Accordingly, it iscrucial that we recruit new hunters whileretaining the ones we already have.

We have worked through many avenuesto spark an interest, appreciation andunderstanding of hunting. For example,through our Federal Assistance Program,the Service has provided a stable source offunding for hunter education programs.In fiscal year 2003 alone, the Servicedistributed more than $14 million forhunter education. I can’t think of a betterway to spend Pittman-Robertson moneythat came from excise taxes on firearms,ammunition, bows and arrows. Workingwith the International Hunter EducationAssociation, we are reaching kids throughthe Internet.

At the same time, scores of nationalwildlife refuges partner with states andnonprofit organizations to offer specialyouth hunts as well as hunts for peoplewith disabilities. I thank the hundreds ofemployees and volunteers involved.

On another front, the Refuge System andthe Service’s Federal Assistance Programhave worked with the BowhuntingPreservation Alliance and ArrowSport toencourage bowhunting, where compatibleon national wildlife refuges.

I cannot list all the ways we support andencourage hunting. But I do believe thatdoing so is very important. Hunters arean essential component of our constituencyand will play an important role in theRefuge System’s future. By igniting andfacilitating an interest in hunting, we helpfurther the mission of wildlife conservationand the National Wildlife Refuge System.

This issue of Refuge Update gives you aflavor of hunting on wildlife refuges, but ithardly gives you a taste for the experienceof seeing the mist rise from an isolatedwetland as wings whistle overhead, or themagnificent bugle of a bull elk breakingthrough the mountain air. Hunting on anational wildlife refuge will providememories that will last a lifetime.

— Steve Williams

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September/October 2004 | Refuge Update Pg 3

The nation’s second oldest nationalwildlife refuge – Breton NWR, LA –celebrated its 100th birthday Oct. 4, butthe festivities began earlier whenTheodore Roosevelt IV, PresidentTheodore Roosevelt’s great-grandson,joined dignitaries June 25 tocommemorate Roosevelt’s historic 1915expedition to the refuge.

Breton NWR is the only national wildliferefuge visited by Roosevelt, whoestablished the National Wildlife RefugeSystem and 53 individual refuges.

Like Pelican Island, the first nationalwildlife refuge Roosevelt established,Breton Refuge was created at the urgingof the Audubon Society. Pelicans, egretsand other shore birds and their eggs werebeing destroyed on Chandeleur and Bretonislands. A day after hearing about thedestruction, Roosevelt declared a numberof the islands as Breton Bird Reservation.

In June 1915, members of the AudubonSociety and the Louisiana ConservationCommission escorted Roosevelt and his

friend and political ally John Parker on afive-day journey to Breton. Parkerbecame Louisiana’s governor in 1920.

Roosevelt wrote about his trip in anautobiography, A Book Lover’s Holiday inthe Open. “I was very glad to have seenthis bird refuge,” Roosevelt recorded.“With care and protection the birds willincrease and grow tamer and tamer, untilit will be possible for any one to make tripsamong these reserves and refuges, and tosee as much as we saw, at even closerquarters. No sight more beautiful andmore interesting could be imagined.”

Despite shifting coastal sands and Gulfcoastal storms, Breton Refuge today looksmuch as it did when Roosevelt walked itsshores. Breton’s estuarine marshes,barrier island beaches, dunes andsaltwater mudflats are home to a varietyof wildlife, including the eastern UnitedStates’ largest nesting colony ofendangered Eastern brown pelicans –Louisiana’s state bird.

Spanning about 5,000 acres of barrierislands in the Chandeleur chain off theeastern coast of Louisiana, Breton

Refuge’s islands are remnants of theMississippi River’s former St. BernardDelta, which was active about 2,000 yearsago. All federally owned lands withinBreton Refuge, except North BretonIsland, became part of the NationalWilderness Preservation System on Jan. 3,1975. The waters surrounding BretonRefuge provide some of Louisiana’s bestcommercial and recreational fishing.

To celebrate all that, Theodore RooseveltIV, Robert Perciasepe of the AudubonSociety and Blanc Parker, John Parker’sgrandson, joined USFWS SoutheastRegional Director Sam D. Hamilton andSidney Coffee from the LouisianaGovernor’s Office of Coastal Activities inthe June ceremony. They celebratedRoosevelt’s conservation legacy andrecognized the importance of Breton todayin protecting Louisiana’s wetland resources.

“As President Roosevelt recognized 100years ago, Breton Island represents thediversity of habitat that we are trying sodesperately to protect and restore,” saidLouisiana Gov. Kathleen Babineaux Blanco.“I salute the efforts of the NationalAudubon Society in raising awareness ofthis important piece of coastal Louisiana andapplaud the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Serviceand its refuge managers for preserving thispristine island for future generations.”

Breton NWR, LA, provides habitat for nesting and wintering seabirds, including black skimmers. The refuge also protects the wilderness character of theislands and provides sandy beach habitat for a variety of other wildlife species. (Marie Celino)

Breton Refuge Celebrates CentennialRoosevelt’s 1915 Expedition Recalled

More than 10,000 brown pelicans have been recordedas nesting on Breton NWR, LA. Bird colony andnest counts are performed yearly to determinepopulation densities and dynamics. (Marie Celino)

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Brad Knudsen, refuge manager atPatuxent Research Refuge, MD, was oneof five Interior Department employeeswho received the 2004 National Take Pridein America Federal Land Manager Award.Presented annually, the Take Pride inAmerica national awards recognizeoutstanding volunteer projects and efforts.

“These land managers have takenextraordinary steps to build strong andeffective partnerships between citizenvolunteers and professional staff,”Department of the Interior Secretary GaleNorton said, presenting the awards Sept.13. “By harnessing this limitless volunteerpotential at the places we enjoy, we haveseen tremendous accomplishments and arebuilding a lasting legacy of responsibilityand community.”

“I was thrilled to receive the award,” saidKnudsen, who has been Patuxent Refugemanager since August 2000. He hasworked for the USFWS for 24 years, allbut four of them with the Refuge System.

Under Knudsen's leadership, PatuxentResearch Refuge hosts the most successfulvolunteer program in the USFWS'Northeast Region. Last year, 357volunteers donated more than 34,000 hoursin almost every aspect of the refuge’soperation. The volunteer hours equate tomore than 16 full-time staff positions.

“Our volunteers do everything, frombiology and environmental education to

interpretation and delivering all the ‘BigSix’ wildlife-dependent recreation to thepublic,” Knudsen continued. “Anythingyou can picture happening on a national wildlife refuge has a volunteercomponent – except active lawenforcement, of course. But they serveas are our eyes and ears in many wayswhile on the refuge, whether it is pickingup litter, checking nest boxes or doingtrail maintenance.”

One of the most outstanding aspects ofPatuxent's volunteer program is itsagreement with the Meade NaturalHeritage Association, which helps therefuge manage one of the largest federalpublic hunting programs, as measured byseason length and the number of hunters.

Knudsen believes some key approachesenhance a volunteer program:

O Promote the volunteer programthrough many avenues, includingnewsletters, on the Web and atcommunity events. Patuxent Refuge,for example, has a booth annually at aBowie Bay Sox baseball game.

O Match a volunteer’s interests as closelyas possible with appropriate projects.“Sometimes, we don’t have room foreveryone who wants to go on a wildlifesurvey, but you have to keep yourvolunteers happy and engaged.”

Patuxent Refuge Manager Honored Nationally

Brad Knudsen, refuge manager at PatuxentResearch Refuge, MD, was one of five Interior Department employees who receivedthe 2004 National Take Pride in AmericaFederal Land Manager Award Sept. 13.

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migratory birds was highlighted at thereception by an exhibit of Duck Stamp art,coming just a week after the 2004 DuckStamp contest winner was announced.

Illustrator and author David Sibley, who hasturned millions of Americans into enthusedbirders, was honored for his conservationwork as was Dr. Leigh Fredrickson, arenowned scientist whose research hasfocused on management of waterbirds andwetlands for more than 30 years.

Also honored were Rep. Jim Saxton (R-NJ), a staunch supporter of the RefugeSystem and an author of the NationalWildlife Refuge System Improvement Actof 1997, and Martin MacDonald, vicepresident of Bass Pro Shops, Inc., whichhas partnered with the USFWS forseveral years. Bass Pro Shops has heldseveral Nights of Conservation at theopenings of new stores, earmarking aportion of the opening day sales receipts tonational wildlife refuges in the community.

Refuge Week– from pg 1


Gone from Seney Refuge But Not ForgottenBy David Klinger

Narrative reports have been the bane ofmany a national wildlife refuge manager.But one storied giant of the RefugeSystem employed the annual reportingsystem to record thoughts andimpressions of life on his station in proseso evocative that, a half-century later, itretains its ability to charm and beguile.

The writings of Clarence “C.S.” Johnsonhave been compiled and reissued by theNational Conservation Training Centerin a small booklet edited by anothercontemporary star of the RefugeSystem, 91-year-old Elizabeth Browne Losey.

In the Words of ‘C.S.’ Johnson … GoneFrom Seney Refuge, but Not Forgottenhas been painstakingly drawn from 14

years’ worth of narrative reports at thefamed northern Michigan refuge, crucibleto so much applied wildlife research sinceits establishment in 1935. The refuge wasa training ground for dozens of managerswhose experiences at Seney continue toshape the Refuge System.

The 29-page booklet records Johnson’ssuccesses and failures at coaxing the 153-square-mile landscape of burned anddenuded Upper Peninsula pine forest backto health in the midst of the GreatDepression. Johnson’s unvarnishedfrustrations with tight budgets, oversightfrom his regional office and supervision ofan especially contentious camp forconscientious objectors during World WarII are related from journal entries thatwere faithfully recorded by a managerwho lived by his innate common sense in

an era of hardship and privation.

Losey has spent most of her professionallife in and around Seney Refuge, whereshe was hired in 1947 by Refuge SystemChief J. Clark Salyer to become theUSFWS’ first female field researchbiologist. An accomplished biologist,historian and chronicler of the early NorthAmerican fur trade, Losey is a volunteerat Seney Refuge. She remains active infield research, writing and photography.

Single copies of the booklet are availablefrom USFWS Historian Mark Madison,304-876-7276.

David Klinger is the senior writer-editor at

the National Conservation Training Center, WV.

In the Words of ‘C.S.’Johnson … Gone FromSeney Refuge, but NotForgotten has beenpainstakingly drawnfrom 14 years’ worth ofnarrative reports at thefamed northern Michigan refuge

“Wildlife refuges are not just criticallyimportant for wildlife, but they areimportant for the health of families andcommunities,” noted USFWS DirectorSteve Williams. “There is no better placeto reconnect with both wildlife and thefamily than on a wildlife refuge. Some ofmy best hours have been spent huntingand fishing on national wildlife refuges.”

“We were thrilled to see so many peoplevisiting a wildlife refuge during National

Wildlife Refuge Week,” noted NationalWildlife Refuge System Chief BillHartwig. “We encouraged people not justto visit, but to volunteer their time andtalent. Wildlife refuges can engage aperson’s skills, passion and imagination.”

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Clarence “C.S.” Johnson with his hounds. (USFWS)

Entrants in the woolly caterpillar race at BlackwaterNWR, MD, prepared their caterpillars at the startingline during the 9th Annual Open House Oct.2 incelebration of National Wildlife Refuge Week.(Maggie Briggs/USFWS)


Wildlife biologists at the LowerSuwannee NWR, FL, in April foundthree endangered salt marsh voles, one ofthe world’s most rare mammals. Prior tothe discovery, just one population of thesub-species had been identified anywherein the world: 15 were captured in 1979-80in Waccassassa Bay, about seven milessouth of the refuge boundary. The volesare mouse-like, brown animals that weighabout an ounce and live under seashoresalt grass.

Although other researchers had searchedFlorida’s Big Bend Region for voles since1980, none succeeded until WildlifeBiologist Steve Barlow searched therefuge’s 15,000 acres of salt marsh. Tofind potential sites, he evaluated plantcomposition, patch size, proximity toWaccassassa Bay, and protection from theGulf of Mexico. Then he picked AssistantRefuge Manager Mike Mitchell to applyhis trapping skills.

Scientists not associated with theUSFWS verified the animals as saltmarsh voles.

A trapping survey at a new site in Julyyielded no new finds, but Barlow andMitchell plan to launch new searches andconduct detailed life history studies on theknown population to get a better idea oftheir habitat needs and population density.

Ronald Fowler, coordinator of the LandAcquisition Priority System with theRefuge System’s Division of Realty,celebrated 40 years of service with theUSFWS on Aug. 14. He began his careeras assistant manager at Delta NWR, LA.After serving in the Army in both Koreaand Vietnam, Fowler worked atMattamuskeet NWR, NC, and asassistant manager at Okefenokee NWR,GA. Over the span of his career, heworked in the Ecological Services FieldOffice in Lafayette, LA, and in theWashington Office of the Division ofRefuge Management.

“I’ve been fortunate on this long journeyto have some great role models,” Fowlernoted. “When you go to the NationalConservation Training Center in WestVirginia, take note of the portraits onthe wall in the cafeteria. They depict

people whohave madewonderfulcontributionsand who havebeen rolemodels for all of us.”

The MigratoryBirdConservationCommission in

early September approved more than $27million for wetland habitat conservation,including acquisition of several importantparcels for migratory bird habitat in theRefuge System:

O The Conservation Fund and theGordon and Betty Moore Foundationwill receive $750,000 and contributeup to $1.5 million for Phase III of theIzembek Refuge Complex, AK, toconserve more than 18,000 acres of wetlands.

O The USFWS, American ElectricPower and The Conservation Fundwill receive $1 million and contributeup to $2.2 million for restoration andexpansion of Catahoula NWR, LA, toconserve more than 6,400 acres.

O Acquisition of nearly 11,000 acres toprotect bottomland hardwood forestin the Tensas River NWR, LA.

Sen. Blanche L. Lincoln (D-AR) has beenappointed to replace retiring Sen. John B.Breaux (D-LA) on the commission.

Great Lakes/Big Rivers (Region 3) Realty Chief Patrick G. Carroll receivedthe Rudolph Dieffenbach Award at theNational Wildlife Refuge SystemLeadership Meeting Aug. 12. He wascited for his considerable involvement inauthoring Director’s Order No. 164, whichauthorized an alternative valuationmethod in the acquisition of low-value,minimally restrictive wetland andgrassland easements funded under theMigratory Bird Conservation Fund.

This method has cut down to a few dayswhat once took more than eight weeks.The new process makes the SmallWetlands Acquisition Program moreeffective and is critical in helping theUSFWS acquire high-quality habitat formigratory birds.

The Dieffenbach Award is one of threeawards presented annually by theDivision of Realty to honor Realty staff,USFWS employees, partnerorganizations and others for outstandingcontributions to the Refuge System’s landprotection mission. It was named for theman who managed the Branch of Landsfrom 1929-47 and served as the firstsecretary of the Migratory BirdConservation Commission.

Aroundthe Refuge

System

Lower Suwannee NWR, FL, Assistant RefugeManager Mike Mitchell, left, and Wildlife BiologistSteve Barlow searched the refuge’s 15,000-acre saltmarsh to fine three salt marsh voles, one of theworld’s most rare mammals. (USFWS Photo)


Connecting Nature to Social History in South Carolina On the Land, In the Classroom

The air was still moist on the April 27morning when the USFWS staff waitedon Sandy Island, SC, for 57 students fromWaccamaw Middle School, part of the 170students to take extraordinary day-longexplorations of the 12,000-acre island thatlies in the heart of the Waccamaw NWRacquisition boundary.

The day crowned eight months ofenvironmental study under the“Environment as the IntegratingContext for Learning” (EIC) model,created by the State Education andEnvironmental Roundtable (SEER) toteach youngsters the natural and culturalhistory of Sandy Island.

Equally important, the program showedwhat a relatively new refuge – WaccamawRefuge was established in December 1997– with just one permanent employee cando when it joins forces with partners.“This collaboration shows how committedService employees are to our cause, evenbeyond the refuge boundaries,” stressedRefuge Manager Craig Sasser.

Sasser, a SEER mentor during theprogram’s first year, provided the middleschool with information and a videodepicting conservation successes atWinyah Bay Focus Area. SEER is acooperative of 16 states’ departments ofeducation that seek to integrateenvironmental studies into the K-12 curricula.

Waccamaw Middle School is one of 11South Carolina middle schools in the EICprogram, which uses natural andcommunity surroundings to foster anunderstanding of the interrelationshipsamong natural and social systems. Guidedby teachers and other members of aninstructional team, students personalizethe curriculum to develop basic life skills,citizenship and problem solving skillswhile learning about natural systems.

South Eastern Wildlife EnvironmentalEducation Association (SEWEE)partnered with the USFWS to bringstudents to the island, located betweenthe lower reaches of the Waccamaw andPee Dee rivers, whose rice plantationsonce made Georgetown County and SouthCarolina among the nation’s richestagricultural communities.

Sandy Island is home to about 140residents, descendants of slaves. Theisland has no paved roads. Its wetlandsare among the world’s most diverse. TheSouth Carolina Department ofTransportation owns nearly 9,200 acres,managed by The Nature Conservancy(TNC). Eventually, the entire island willbe permanently conserved by TNC.

Here, students can see on the land whatthey learn in the classroom.

Staff from Waccamaw, Santee and CapeRomain refuges talked to the studentsabout the island’s natural resources andconservation practices. Sasser discussed“Carolina gold”– the rice crop – and howthe slaves built wooden rice trunk anddikes to control water flow to the fields.Trunks are still used to control waterlevels in refuge impoundments.

Students sat on the porch of the formerschoolhouse. There, they examined skullsof animals typically found in the coastalecosystem. “Look at the teeth to tellwhether the animal was a carnivore,omnivore or herbivore,” advised SEWEEAssociate Director Karen Beshears andCharleston Ecological Services OutreachSpecialist Jennifer Koches.

Surrounded by longleaf pines, SanteeRefuge Park Ranger Kay McCutcheonand Cape Romain Refuge Park RangerTricia Lynch introduced students to theendangered red cockaded woodpecker andits recovery programs, including creationof artificial cavities and prescribed burnsto enhance habitat.

Waccamaw Middle School students sawfirsthand the beautiful, remote islandwhere their Sandy Island classmates liveand how they catch a “school boat” eachday. This school year, the 7th graders willhave the same chance since EIC is beingadopted for their math, science, socialstudy and language arts curricula.

Waccamaw NWR, SC, Manager Craig Sasser, farright, talked to students about “Carolina gold,” therice once raised by slaves that made the state one ofthe nation’s most important agricultural centers.(USFWS)

SEWEE Educator Molly Olson led students as partof their scientific observation, challenging them touse their senses to find the elusive “pipe lizards,”pipe cleaners placed along a short stretch of trail.The students were asked to discuss the importance ofcolor to an animal’s survival. (USFWS)

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By Matt J. Hogan

In the frenetic pace of modern America,hunting bestows a respite, a few cherishedhours to connect in a most personal waywith the natural places that the nation’swildlife refuges have protected for morethan a century.

While the National Wildlife RefugeSystem has been shaped by a variety ofpublic concerns, hunters were among theearly, substantive voices. Those includedsuch renowned hunter-naturalists asPresident Theodore Roosevelt, creator ofthe Refuge System, and George BirdGrinnell, founder of the first AudubonSociety chapter.

Indeed, hunters have often clamored forcreation of new wildlife refuges, as wasthe case with Upper Mississippi NationalWildlife and Fish Refuge, MO, which, in

1924, became the first national wildliferefuge approved for hunting. The IzaakWalton League, a nonprofit organizationcomposed predominantly of hunters andanglers, successfully petitioned Congressto establish the refuge, which stretches250 miles and is the nation’s longest refugeoutside Alaska. It is still a populardestination for hunters.

But that was hardly the only refugechampioned by hunters. A group of duckhunters in Alabama convincedcongressional leaders to establishEufaula NWR in 1964 as an overlay to aUS Army Corps of Engineers’ waterproject. The refuge lies on the easternedge of the Mississippi Flyway inAlabama and Georgia.

Even earlier, during the Dust Bowl of the1930s, when waterfowl populationsplummeted, hunters came to the rescue of

When ACE Basin NWR, SC, began itsmobility impaired hunt in 1993 – thestate’s first such event for those inwheelchairs – the refuge couldn’t fill itsavailable blinds.

When the refuge holds its 12th annualhunt for deer and feral hog Nov. 12-13, the17 hunters will have competed for theirspots from a pool of at least twice thatmany applicants. Little wonder.

“People want to be part of the hunt, notjust because of the harvest, but because ofthe comradery,” said Bobby Harrell,president of the South Carolina DisabledSportsmen Association. The associationhelped refuge staff build 15 permanent

blinds for the disabled. The annual hunt isheld part of Friday and then a full day – 5a.m.-10 p.m. – on Saturday.

The hunters, most of whom arewheelchair users, range in age, skill leveland experience at the sport. Indeed, a 14-year-old girl with muscular dystrophy hasparticipated as has an 80-year-old man.

What they have in common is theirdetermination. Danny Caine and DavidMaybank, who were roommates atShepherd’s Spinal Center in Atlanta,launched ACE Basin’s hunt. Both hadfallen out of deer stands and severed theirspinal cords. That didn’t mean theyturned away from hunting.

People Want to be Part of the HuntOpening Opportunities for Disabled

FOCUS . . .On Hunting

Hunters Have Been Steadfast, EarlyAdvocatesThey Taxed Themselves for Habitat

Not only were hunters among earlyadvocates of the Refuge System, but huntingis among the six priority wildlife-dependentuses identified by the National WildlifeRefuge System Improvement Act of 1997, theRefuge System’s governing legislation.(John and Karen Hollingsworth)


wildlife habitat. They proposed to taxthemselves through the Migratory BirdHunting Stamp Act, which today is areliable source of money to acquire refuge land.

Not only were hunters among earlyadvocates of the Refuge System, buthunting is among the six priority wildlife-dependent uses identified by the NationalWildlife Refuge System Improvement Act of 1997, the Refuge System’sgoverning legislation.

Today, hunting is permitted on more than300 national wildlife refuges and wetlandmanagement districts, attracting

approximately 2.2 million visits each year.Indeed, the Refuge System is dedicated tooffering accessible hunting to all. TheRefuge System also offers youthwaterfowl hunting, specialty hunts, huntereducation and a host of services that teachthe techniques and ethics of hunting.

Certainly, hunting on refuges has aneconomic benefit for communities. Of the247,000 visits to the 1.1-million-acreCharles M. Russell NWR, MT, more than78,500 were made by hunters drawn to arefuge famous worldwide for its elk andmule deer. The refuge accounted for

about $8 million in hunting expendituresin 2002, adding jobs and financial benefitto surrounding communities.

More importantly, hunting has been animportant part of the Refuge System’slegacy of wildlife conservation. TheRefuge System’s future is bright becausehunters and others who appreciate thenatural world have close and continuouscontact with national wildlife refugesthrough wildlife-dependent recreationoffered there.

All who appreciate the delicate linkbetween wildlife habitat and a world ofhealth and beauty will continue to helpchart a course for the Refuge System asit works to protect and enhance anetwork of public lands that is the envyof the world.

Matt J. Hogan is deputy director of the

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

“Rehabilitation centers want thosereturning home to return to hobbies theylove, to return to their regular outdooractivities,” Harrell said. “The mainproblem for those with disabilities isgetting to where you have to be to hunt.Without opportunities like this, many ofthese hunters would not have the chanceto hunt and enjoy the special places andpeople – like those at ACE Basin.”

To solve the problem, the refuge recruitsvolunteers for each hunter, who can huntfrom three different blinds during theweekend. Last year, hunters took 10 deerand three hogs, statistics that are similarto the kill rate of other hunters.

“Most of the mobility impaired huntersdrive special vehicles that can’t be takento the blind,” ACE Basin Refuge ManagerJane Griess pointed out. Each hunter

must be driven to a blind. Because a manand his wheelchair can weigh as much as400 pounds, several volunteers are neededto help a disabled hunter into the blind.

Volunteers are easily recruited, notedGriess, who believes that volunteers haveas much fun as the hunters. Harrell andGriess suggested a few basic considerationsin building blinds for the disabled:

O Blinds that are 10x10 feet provideplenty of room for a wheelchair and anyhelper the hunter wants to bring along.Indeed, Harrell sat in his wheelchair withhis gun to help ACE Basin decide how theblind should be built. The blinds areuniversally accessible, allowing everyoneto view the wildlife.

O Flooring is especially importantbecause wheelchairs can bog down in wet

soil. Many refuges use plywood for thefloor. ACE Basin has laid expandedmetal, much like metal grating, that isquieter and will not warp as plywood does.

O Blinds need cover in case the weatherturns wet, especially dangerous for thoseusing electric wheelchairs. ACE Basinbuilt the roofs with plywood covered byeveryday shingles.

Disabled hunts have become morepopular, if not common. There are nowseven hunts in South Carolina alone. TheNational Wild Turkey Federation’sWheelin’ Sportsmen program, inpartnership with the USFWS, holds fourhunts for the disabled each year onwildlife refuges.

“ACE Basin is such a special placeanyway,” noted Harrell, “but this hunt isreally special.”

Hunting is permitted on more than 300 national wildliferefuges and wetland management districts, attractingapproximately 2.2 million visits each year. (Bill Krohn)

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by Craig Bitler

In 1974, Great Swamp NWR, NJ,instituted a public deer hunt to reduce thedeer population and protect habitat. Eventhough hunters were encouraged to takeany deer that presented a safe shot, asignificant number of hunters werepassing up does and only hunting bucks. Consequently, the deer herd didnot decrease.

After the refuge instituted an “earn abuck” program in 1999, the harvest ofadult does increased by 60 percentbecause hunters had to check in an adultdoe before they could take a buck. In thelast five years of “earn a buck,” huntershave harvested more adult does than inthe previous eight years of hunter’s choice.

Presently, the refuge’s deer density isabout 38 deer per square mile. Research


“Earn A Buck” Increases Adult Doe Harvest

In the Missouri River “Breaks”,September is busy, for it marks thebeginning of hunting season on the CharlesM. Russell NWR, a 1.1 million landscape

that straddles theriver in central andeastern Montana andis one of the nation’spremiere huntingdestinations.

Named for the famedwestern painterCharlie Russell, whodepicted the refuge’slands in manypaintings, CMR, as therefuge is widelyknown, was a heavilyused hunting groundfor several PlainsIndian tribes. Today,it is routinely touted innational publications

for high quality hunting opportunities formule deer, elk, pronghorn and, morerecently, bighorn sheep.

The refuge’s fame presents Manager MikeHedrick and the CMR staff with achallenging dilemma. “While we are proudthat CMR is number one in the Refuge

System for recreation produced by biggame hunting,” said Hedrick, “we remindpeople that hunting is only one of severalimportant uses on CMR. Conservation ofwildlife populations and their habitats is themost important purpose.”

What makes CMR such a popular huntingdestination?

“There is the vastness – you could spend alifetime at CMR and not see it all,” Hedricknoted. “Then the openness of the habitats,which lends itself to a ‘spot and stalk’hunting that many find challenging. Thevariety of available wildlife is incredible.But most of all, hunters are attracted to thetype of populations we manage.”

“CMR manages big game populations toexhibit a natural range of age and sex ratiosin a hunted population after our huntingseasons are over,” explained RefugeBiologist Randy Matchett. “This maintainsthe biological integrity of these populationsin accordance with Service policy andensures that other wildlife uses that wemanage for, like wildlife observation andphotography, are not affected.

“To do that, you have to establish soundobjectives not only for population density,

Storied Refuge Carries On Big GameHunting Tradition

Charles M. Russell NWR, MT, launched itsyouth elk hunt in 2003, attracting 15 first-timers,ages 12-14. During Youth Hunt Field Day,young hunters could shoot at a life-sized elksilhouette, which had a metal plate in the vitalzone so shooters knew instantly whether theirshot would have been successful in the field.(Matt deRosier/USFWS)

Great Swamp Refuge’s“earn a buck” program hasproven to be a win-winsituation.


has shown that deer densities above 20per square mile impact forestregeneration and songbird speciesrichness, abundance and habitat. By usingthe “earn a buck” program, the refugehopes to reduce the deer herd to less than20 deer per square mile.

While a significantnumber of does werebeing passed upduring the years ofhunter’s choice, this

was not the case for bucks. As a result,the refuge had a truncated buck agestructure with less than 5 percent of thebucks living to three years of age. The“earn a buck” program has reduced thebuck harvest by nearly 50 percent, andhas improved the buck age structure by

allowing bucks that normally would havebeen harvested to advance in age. Theharvest data indicate more than athreefold increase in the harvest of bucksat least three years old.

Great Swamp Refuge’s “earn a buck”program has proven to be a win-winsituation.

Craig Bitler is the wildlife biologist at Great Swamp

NWR, NJ.

but also for male/female ratios and the agestructure of the males,” Matchett explained.“You then have to monitor the results of theharvest strategies and change as necessaryto meet the objectives.” Matchett esti-mates that monitoring requires about 90hours of flight time annually after hunting seasons.

CMR expanded opportunities for disabledhunters by building a blind, which was mostpopular during the elk archery season.Located in prime elk habitat along theMissouri River, the blind will be used by atleast two disabled hunters this year.

In 2003, the refuge initiated its first youthelk hunt for 15 first-timers, ages 12-14. Thehunt for antlerless elk included a full dayorientation, marksmanship training, hunterethics and proper field care of a harvestedanimal. An experienced adult accompaniedeach youthful hunter.

Another youth hunt will begin Oct. 21 incooperation with Montana Fish, Wildlife andParks Department and the Montana WildlifeFederation, which participated in the 2003event, considered a “resounding” success byHedrick and those who participated.

Archery SeasonNothing is more popular than CMR’s elkarchery season, which attracts more than3,000 avid bow hunters in a six-week periodthat is followed by the general three-weekrifle mule deer season. These, and other big

game hunts,accounted for morethan 85,000 visitordays in 2003.

Hunting on CMRgeneratessubstantialeconomic benefits tolocal communities.The Banking OnNature 2002 studyestimated big gamehunting on therefuge generatedmore than $7.6million to localcommunitiesannually. Big gameand upland birdhunting combinedon CMR generatedalmost $8.3 millionlocally in 2002.Participationcontinues toincrease.

Asked about opposition to CMR hunts,Hedrick replied, “Rather than opposition,we have more hunters than we canaccommodate and still maintain a qualityhunting experience that promotes a greaterunderstanding and appreciation of wildlife.”

What makes this all work at CMR? “Goodbiological information, achievable objectives

that emphasize quality huntingopportunities and quality populations, and asound working relationship with our statefish and game agency,” said Hedrick.

“Everything takes place within theconstraints of existing state seasons andbag limits, so extensive coordination withstate partners is essential,” he concluded.

The “earn a buck” program at Great Swamp NWR, NJ, increased the harvest ofadult does by 60 percent and ultimately improved the buck age structure on therefuge. (George Hall)

Megan Berg bagged her second elk during the 2003 youth hunt on Charles M.Russell NWR, MT, which opened the hunt three days before the general big gameseason. Youth tags are also valid throughout the five-week general season.Megan plans to hunt again this year. (Bill Berg/USFWS)

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By Andrea Stewart

Last hunted in 1974, the white-tailed deerpopulation on the 2,550-acre WertheimNWR, NY, was four times larger than the

refuge’s carryingcapacity. The deer hadstripped much of theregenerating groundand lower canopylayers. Nesting andfeeding habitat forseveral species ofmigratory birds wasvirtually gone.

Even the refuge’sLong Islandneighbors knewsomething had to bedone.

At four meetings inJune – including twospecifically for the

public – refuge staff outlined fourmanagement alternatives, including acontrolled public hunt, the choice that staffpreferred. In fact, the Wertheim familyhad used the land as a private huntingreserve before they deeded it to theUSFWS in 1947.

Less than a handful of people opposedhunting during two hearings, whichattracted about 100 refuge neighbors,conservation and sportsmen’s groups andavid hunters. The vast majority favored acontrolled public hunt.

The New York State Department ofEnvironmental Conservation (DEC), theFriends of Wertheim, Ducks Unlimitedand the Suffolk Alliance of Sportsmensupported the proposal. Three LongIsland newspapers ran favorable storiesabout the refuge’s efforts to work with the public.

How did the refuge garner such success?

Meeting with Success First, credit personal experience. With somany deer/car collisions, incidents ofLyme disease and chewed landscaping,many neighbors knew only too well thehealth and safety risks that accompanydeer overpopulation.

Second, the Refuge always communicatedopenly with the community. Staff hasmade refuge management “an open book”by using personal communication, lettersto neighbors and press releases regardingrefuge events and issues. Information isreadily available on the Web and in fact sheets.

Finally, because deer management islargely a state responsibility, refuge staffexpanded its partnership with DEC,which strongly supported the option of apublic hunt. The DEC provided huntsuccess and safety statistics, as well asadvice on how to run and advocate apublic hunt. They also participated in anaerial deer population survey to comparethe number of deer in hunted areas withareas not hunted.

Benefiting from the state’s experience andknowledge, as well as safety and scientificdata, refuge staff reached an informeddecision about the preferred deermanagement alternative. DEC’s localstaff, including the biologist, lawenforcement personnel and citizenparticipation specialist, participated in allmeetings to field questions about theeffectiveness and safety of hunting onLong Island.

10 Steps to OutreachWhen it came time to announce therefuge’s management alternatives, staffworked from an outreach plan:

1. Identify potential audiences broadly.Leave no stone unturned.

2. If your issue is controversial, involvelaw enforcement personnel to discusssafety.

Supervisory Biologist Mark Maghini, right,fielded questions from a South Shore Pressreporter on a trip to see deer “damage” firsthand.(USFWS)


Taking the Hunting Message to the Public


3. Carefully craft your core messages andrepeat them in all interactions, displaysand correspondence.

4. Appoint an individual, who, along withthe project leader, is the primarycontact for inquiries.

5. Plan meetings with your audience’sperspectives in mind. Wertheim Refugeorganized meetings with elected officialsand the media, detailing the problemand management alternatives andoffering a field trip to demonstratefirsthand the effects of deeroverpopulation. Separately, the refugeheld an open house for the public, whenstaff gave a brief presentation similar tothe one for elected officials and thenmade themselves available for one-on-one conversations. Comments from allmeetings were recorded and addressed.Displays summarizing the presentationwere available to the public.

6. Appoint a facilitator – preferablysomeone who will not make apresentation – to keep meetings inorder and on schedule.

7. Provide informative communications,and announce meetings at least threeweeks in advance. Refuge staff sentinvitations and a press release, followedby faxes and phone calls, to electedofficials and the media. Printedmaterials summarized the problem andthe proposal for a controlled public hunt,in addition to meeting details. Similarmaterial was sent to refuge partners,conservation groups, sportsmen groups,and all neighbors within 500 feet of therefuge boundary.

8. Remember that everyone’s opinions and experiences are valid and should be respected.

9. Never underestimate the public’sreaction. Based on conversations withcommunity members, the refuge projectleader got the sense that archery wouldbe much more palatable than a shotgunhunt. However, during the publicmeetings, many people raised concern

that archery was less humane, fearingthat the deer may not die as painlesslyand quickly.

10. Continue communication well after themeetings. More than two months afterthe meeting and media coverage, peoplestill asked about the proposed public hunt.Remember your core messages andrepeat them to all callers.

What’s Next?Wertheim Refuge expects to release adraft Environmental Assessment (EA)this fall and complete the opening packagein the Federal Register. The EA willaddress questions and concerns raised bythe public, including safety, hunterselection and effectiveness of the hunt.Refuge staff does not anticipate muchopposition since the public cry for actionstill resonates.

The refuge’s first controlled public huntwill take place in the 2005. No dates havebeen set.

Andrea Stewart is the outdoor recreation planner for

the Long Island NWR Complex. She has a strong

interest in public involvement.

Outdoor Recreation Planner Andrea Stewart, left, explained meeting rules andlogistics, while Refuge Manager Patricia Martinkovic, right, waited in the wings topresent deer management options to the public. Less than a handful of people opposedhunting during two hearings, which attracted about 100 refuge neighbors, conservationand sportsmen’s groups and avid hunters. (USFWS)

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The deer had strippedmuch of the regeneratingground and lower canopylayers. Nesting andfeeding habitat for severalspecies of migratory birdswas virtually gone.



By Mike Rearden

The first time I encountered traditionalAlaskan goose soup, I was startled to findthe head, feet and edible innards alongwith the requisite rice and potatoes. But then, many things in rural Alaska are different.

I soon learned it is proper etiquette – andculturally respectful – to eat every lastremnant of meat off the bones. Thosebones are not thrown into the trash. As agesture of respect for all living things, thebones are returned to the land from whichthey came.

The native people’s long tradition ofrespect for all living things is alsoreflected in the difference between thespring “subsistence season” on nationalwildlife refuges in Alaska, launched in2003, and traditional fall hunting that haslong been legal across America. Thespring season provides for the nutritionalneeds of rural indigenous Alaska residents.

Fall waterfowl hunting is part ofAmerica’s heritage. Hunters across thecountry prepare for the rituals and joys ofbird hunting on the cold crisp days of falland early winter. Likewise, springwaterfowl hunting is a rural Alaskatradition, when families across the “bush”begin longing for that first taste of fresh meat during the lengthening days of spring.

Winters are long in Alaska. Not everyoneis blessed with easy access to caribou ormoose. Many bush residents depend onfish and game throughout the winter forsustenance. Local stores don’t carry muchmeat, and what little they do have is veryexpensive. It is easy to understand whypeople yearn for the taste of a fresh goosereturning in the spring.

These two American waterfowl huntingtraditions are sometimes at odds. Thespring hunts were illegal since theMigratory Bird Treaty Act of 1916 closedwaterfowl hunting annually from March10-August 31. Although the act was aconservation milestone, it overlooked the nutritional needs of Alaska’s native people.

Strong Hunting TraditionThe USFWS largely failed when it triedto enforce the hunting closure in ruralAlaska: the spring hunting tradition wasstrong, the need for food was real, andagents were too few. After manyconfrontations and meetings with hunters,the USFWS and others eventuallyrecognized the nutritional need andpermitted spring hunting in the late 1970s.Nonetheless, the hunts were still illegaland strained relationships between theService and Alaska’s native people.

Around 1984, the Hooper Bay Agreement,eventually renamed the YukonKuskokwim Delta Goose Management

There’s a Lot in a Bowl of Goose SoupSpring Brings First Taste of Meat to Alaskan Natives

Even youngsters provide fortheir families in rural Alaska.This photo was taken atNewtok, a village within theYukon Delta NWR, AK, thatrelies heavily on waterfowl forsubsistence food. (PaulLiedberg/USFWS)


Plan, was signed by the native people onthe Yukon Delta, USFWS, the AlaskaDepartment of Fish and Game and thestates of Washington, Oregon andCalifornia to regulate subsistence huntingof Pacific Flyway geese.

Then, in 1997, Congress, supported by adiverse group of sporting groups, states,conservationists and the USFWS,amended the Migratory Bird Treaty Actto allow indigenous Alaska residents toharvest migratory birds during the closedperiod. Several years of public outreachand regulation development followed.

Finally, in 2003, for the first time in nearly90 years, rural indigenous residents ofAlaska were allowed to hunt migratorybirds legally during the spring.

The federal, state and native members ofthe Alaska Migratory Bird Co-Management Council are responsible forrecommending regional regulationsannually for the spring hunt. Althoughthey meet frequently and haveprogressed, concerns andmisunderstandings linger. Some believethe regulations are too liberal; others feelthey should stay that way. Typically asubsistence hunter shares his catch withmany families and strict limits often don’tfit subsistence needs.

The spring hunt on the Yukon DeltaRefuge took place this year April 2-Aug.31, but was closed for 30 days in June toprotect nesting birds. On average, theannual harvest amounts to about 40,000geese, 43,000 ducks and about 2,000 otherbirds, such as loons, seabirds, shorebirdsand gulls.

So, if you have a bowl of hot goose soup ona cool spring day in rural Alaska,remember, tradition – in respect fornatural resources and in hunting – is themain ingredient you’re savoring.

Mike Rearden is refuge manager at Yukon Delta

NWR, AK.

Alaska native people havelong depended on waterfowlfor food, particularly in thespring. Although this photodates back to the 1950s,native people in ruralAlaska today still huntwhite-fronted geese, takingabout 12,000 annually onthe Yukon KuskokwimDelta. (USFWS)

“I soon learned it isproper etiquette – andculturally respectful – toeat every last remnant ofmeat off the bones. Thosebones are not thrown intothe trash. As a gesture ofrespect for all livingthings, the bones arereturned to the land fromwhich they came.”

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“Other environmental educationexperiences are rarely more than one-day interpretive field trips and socialoutings to refuges to escape the confinesof the classroom,” observed GlennCarowan, refuge manager at ChesapeakeMarshlands Refuge Complex, MD, aftervisiting the Prairie Wetlands LearningCenter at Fergus Falls, MN.

Not true, he noted, for the center’sScience Class program, which celebratedits first anniversary June 5.

To integrate a routine public schoolcurriculum with environmentaleducation, the program brought 50 5thgraders to the learning center for twohours daily throughout the school year.The center’s environmental educationspecialists and interns helped as often asthey could. The school system assignedtwo teachers to the program, one ofwhom worked at the Learning Center.

Most of the instruction in math, scienceand writing took place right in the field.Teachers reinforced math skills byasking students to measure the bill, wingand tarsus lengths when they bandedmallard ducks, for example. Percentageswere taught when youngsters comparednesting success with previous years.Students honed their writing skills by

completing scientificreports on variousenvironmental processes.

Students spent the rest ofeach day at their school,Fergus Falls MiddleSchool, where mathconcepts, reading, socialstudies, physical educationand health were covered.

While students enjoyed theprogram, they also realized they werelearning in new ways. “I’m better atmath,” said one student. “You know, likethere are seven geese on the pond and somany blackbirds. Looking at all thosethings, we can say, ‘A third of thesegeese is how many?’ and you don’t evenrealize you’re doing math. I think if Iwere just sitting in a classroom, Iwouldn’t have learned as much.”

Parents were equally enthused. “Mydaughter has ADHD,” wrote one parent,“but you wouldn’t know it this year. Ithink that’s because this program was sogood at focusing her. She had realtrouble staying on task, but we hardlysee any of that now because there is somuch variety in the school day. “

“It’s important that students inenvironmental education programs comeaway with a greater awareness of ourresources. All too often, that’s hard to doin typical one-day field trips to refuges,”said Supervisory Park Ranger KenGarrahan. “This program demonstratesthat daily contact can make a difference.”

Moving ForwardThe program will expand this schoolyear to 100 5th graders. Other schooldistricts are thinking about replicatingthe program, which is being formallyevaluated to determine the educationalimpacts and how it affects environmentalattitudes and resource stewardship.Because this program is unique withinthe USFWS, other refuges and

universities also are interested in the model.

But Garrahan does not believe a shift tothis environmental education concept hasto be costly in terms of new facilities,additional staff or greater operatingexpenditures. Rather, having adedicated environmental educator aspart of the USFWS staff is critical as aremotivated personnel on both sides of theeducational aisle – including refuge staffas well as the school superintendent,principal and teachers.

“Everyone must share the vision,” notedGarrahan. “You can’t overemphasize theimportance of having the right teacher,someone who is passionate about theenvironmental and has a personalcommitment to the project.”

The program is a partnership betweenthe USFWS and the Fergus FallsIndependent School District 544. TheFriends of the Prairie WetlandsLearning Center, Fergus FallsEducation Foundation, USFWS Region3, Fergus Falls Fish and Game Club,Vinje Family, Bittenbender Family,Otter Tail Power Company, OttertailCoaches, Toshiba Foundation and theNational Fish and Wildlife Foundationalso supported the program.

Right now, ideas are bubbling forth,including discussions about internshipsand university coursework to trainpeople in such integrated, field-based instruction.

“The entire public teaching philosophy ischanged here, along with the way Servicestaff do business,” Carowan observed.“‘Wow’ is the appropriate word.”

For more information, contact KennethA. Garrahan, 218-736-0938, or go to theWeb, http://midwest.fws.gov/pwlc andclick on the link for the Prairie Science Class.

Prairie Science Class Celebrates Year of LearningProgram Can Be Replicated

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Fergus Falls Middle School 5th grader Lizzy Linkcollected data for a snow water content study,measuring depth, compaction and water content.(PWLC/USFWS)


Three years indevelopment, the SouthTexas Refuge series ofbrochures on birding,butterflies and flowershave turned a profit andturned some heads withtheir beauty.

For Refuge Friendsgroups interested increating similar brochures,the essential keys tosuccess are starkly simple:format brochures so theyare easy to handle; insiston high qualityproduction; use marketingand writing professionals;and charge for theproduct.

“Sell brochures. That’show people knowsomething is worthwhile,”stressed Keith Hackland,treasurer of the Friendsof Santa Ana Refuge, TX.“If you give somethingaway, then people toss itbecause they think it isworth what you charge —nothing. Because we charge $2 for eachbrochure, people pin it up on the wall, justto look at the photos.”

Each brochure has turned a $10,000 profit,although the birding brochure is clearlythe most popular. Each brochure also hasa panel sponsored by a local business,which considers it a terrific advertisingvenue since every copy will be sold. Forexample, each of the 48 birds depicted inthe brochure, which debuted in thesummer of 2003, is sponsored by a localbusiness that was given five lines of typefor its description.

Advertisers along with sponsors of thenonprofit Valley Nature Center, whereHackland is president, paid for printingand production, which cost $10,000 perbrochure, including $6,000 paid as

commission for $20,000 worth ofadvertising. A professional photographerwas hired; 32,000 copies of each brochurewere printed.

The Friends group puts every dollar fromthe brochure’s sales back into the refuge.Advertisers can buy copies for $1 each.Hackland has fashioned some basic rulesthat can be used by any Friends groupinterested in creating a refuge brochure:

O Production elements are critical.Because the overwhelming majority ofpeople are right handed, brochuresshould open to the right. Varnishbrochures because they last longerthat way. Use solid 100-pound stock.Use a vertical fan fold because it is easier to handle and a fan is useful outdoors.

O An experienced marketingprofessional is key. “Hire someonewho understands that you’re notlooking for a handout, but are offeringaccess to a specific demographic groupthat can help the advertiser,”Hackland noted.

O Content is crucial. Find a niche for thebrochure and add information that isnot readily available elsewhere.

“South Texas happens to have the mostspecies of birds and butterflies of anyregion in the country,” Hacklandsummarized. “But every region hassomething unique that people will come tosee. Talk to people who visit the area andsee it through their eyes. Find out whatthey’re looking for and provide it.” ◆

Texas Brochures Turned Profits, Heads“Find What’s Unique About Your Area”


After 65 versions of the bill, 18 hearings –including six in Washington, DC –thousands of pages of transcripts andeight years of wrangling, PresidentLyndon B. Johnson signed the WildernessAct on Sept. 3, 1964 – 40 years after theForest Service established GilaWilderness Area as the first suchprotected place.

Unfortunately Howard Zahniser, whodrafted the legislation and was its mostardent and vocal champion, had died in hissleep in May 1964, just days aftertestifying at the final congressionalhearing on the bill.

Indeed, two of the early pioneers in thefight for wilderness protection had dieddecades earlier. Renowned conservationistAldo Leopold, who, as a Forest Serviceofficial had originated the Gila Wildernessin 1924, died in 1949. Robert Marshall,founder of The Wilderness Society andhead of the Forest Service lands division,died in 1939.

But their legacy lives in the NationalWilderness Preservation System that

protects with thefull force ofstatutory lawmore than 105.7million acres,including morethan 20 millionacres on 65refuges.

“Today, this idea ofa system ofprotected landsseems perfectlyobvious to us, butit was not alwaysso,” wrote Douglas

W. Scott, policy director of the Campaignfor America’s Wilderness in The EnduringWilderness: Protecting Our NationalHeritage through the Wilderness Act.

In fact, in the early 1940s, there was nonational policy to recognize wilderness asa resource of value, no practical definitionof “wilderness,” no consistentmanagement guidance and no nationwidesystem of wilderness areas. Only a fewgovernment agencies had delineatedwilderness areas. Others entirely ignoredthe idea of wilderness.

No one had more influence on wildernessthinking than Zahniser, often called the“midwife” of the Wilderness Act. Heunveiled the draft proposal in a speechbefore the first Northwest WildernessConference of the Federation of WesternOutdoor Clubs in April 1956. For the nextdecade, Zahniser was a tireless advocatefor wilderness legislation, first introducedin the Senate in 1956 by Sen. Hubert H.Humphrey (D-MN) and in the House byRep. John Saylor (R-PA).

When the Wilderness Act passed, itimmediately incorporated more than 9.1million acres of national forest areas inthe National Wilderness PreservationSystem. Today, the USFWS, theNational Park Service (NPS), the ForestService and the Bureau of Land

Management protect and manageAmerica’s wilderness heritage under theact’s aegis. Thanks to scores of lawspassed since the 1964, the system includesmore than 650 areas in 44 states.

With the act’s passage, the Forest Servicewas required to review the remaining 5million acres of its primitive areas, whichhad been studied since the 1930s, whilethe NPS and the USFWS each reviewedtheir roadless lands for possibledesignation. Indeed, the Wilderness Actestablished the most advanced set ofenvironmental study and publicparticipation requirements of any law upto that time.

As the Wilderness Act was beingimplemented, Congress included somelands that had the fading marks of oldlogging and roads, including wildernessareas in national parks and wildliferefuges. “That Congress intended suchformerly abused lands to be within theWilderness Act’s pragmatic designationcriteria was clear from the areas the actmandated for study under the 10-yearwilderness review – areas such asShenandoah and Great Smoky Mountainsnational parks and Seney and Moosehornnational wildlife refuges – each of whichhad a history of land abuse,” wrote Scott.

Setting the Stage for AlaskaProtectionWhile no areas in Alaska came into theNational Wilderness Preservation Systemin 1964, the Wilderness Act set the stagefor the single bill that has had the mostimpact on the growth of the RefugeSystem – the 1980 Alaska NationalInterest Lands Conservation Act. The actset aside more wild country – 104.3 millionacres – than had been preservedanywhere in a single act.

Wilderness Act Still ProtectsWe Enjoy Wilderness for Its Pure Challenge

The National Wilderness Preservation Systemprotects more than 105.7 million acres, including morethan 20 million acres on 65 refuges. National wildliferefuges in Alaska, such as the Arctic National WildlifeRefuge, contain most of the Wilderness acreage withinthe Refuge System. (USFWS)

continued pg 20


The designation in 1968 of Great SwampNWR, NJ, as the first wilderness areawithin the Department of the Interior isreally the story of grass-roots passionfacing a powerful Port Authority to save acommunity resource from becominganother vestige of urbanization.

The refuge was established in 1960,shortly after the Port Authority of NewYork and New Jersey proposedconstruction of a major jet port in theGreat Swamp, located just 26 miles fromTimes Square. Outraged citizens launcheda campaign that stopped the PortAuthority, thanks in large measure tosupport from Remington Arms ownerMarcellus Hartley Dodge.

Although the refuge was growing andhad been designated a RegisteredNational Natural Landmark in 1966, thejet port proposal was still rearing its headin 1967. Wilderness designation for about3,700 acres of the Great Swamp Refugeseemed necessary to halt the relentlessPort Authority.

First, Congress had to be convinced that“wilderness” was an appropriatedesignation for an area that was neithervast nor pristine. The public needed noconvincing. Of the 6,212 individuals whocommented on the proposal, just two wereopposed. Support was voiced by 245organizations and 30 elected andappointed officials.

Once President Lyndon Johnson signedthe Great Swamp Wilderness Act in 1968,the USFWS began restoring the area’swilderness character by removingbuildings, bridges and a road andrestoring previously drained wetlands.

“The designation of Wilderness at GreatSwamp Refuge took vision,” stressedRefuge Manager Bill Koch. “It tookforesight to understand that we coulderase the handprint of man, restore theland and leave only our footprints thatsoon melt away.”

Wilderness Restored“It was a challenge from the first,” hecontinued. “There were intrusions –dumps, drained wetlands – but we dealtwith them all. Where there were roadsand bridges, we now have hiking trails.We have fulfilled the requests of Congressand our promise to the American people.”

Within the wilderness area, 5.5 acresbecame part of a Superfund site in themid-1990s. Asbestos shingles had beendumped years before the land becamepart of the refuge. The 5.5 acres wereopened to the public in spring 1998 afterfull remediation.

Today, just one structure remains: a barnowned by a woman in her 90s who retainsa “life use reservation”. Eventually, it willbe removed and wilderness restored

Indeed, support for Great Swamp Refugeand its wilderness area has grown,especially as the watershed becomes evermore developed and the refuge is thearea’s only green oasis. Koch noted thatthe refuge regularly works with local landuse decision-makers to help themappreciate the delicate balance that mustbe maintained to preserve the ecologicalintegrity of the Great Swamp. Specialdistinctions such as designated Wildernessand Registered National NaturalLandmark help to protect the refuge fromoutside threats and conflicts.

“This refuge was established in apartnership with people who caredpassionately about the future of the GreatSwamp,” Koch reiterated. “Thewilderness designation has repeatedlybeen instrumental in protecting the refugeand is often endearingly referred to bythose, who, with similar passion, stand upto protect it from new threats.

“Wilderness continues to serve us well,”he concluded.

First Designated Wilderness in Refuge SystemGreat Swamp Refuge Was Born of Conflict

“The designation of Wilderness at Great SwampRefuge took vision,” stressed Refuge Manager BillKoch. (USFWS)

“The wildernessdesignation hasrepeatedly beeninstrumental inprotecting the refuge andis often endearinglyreferred to by those, who,with similar passion,stand up to protect it fromnew threats.”

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Just what has the Wilderness Act done forthe Refuge System? Beyond charting acourse that led to protection of millions ofacres in Alaska, the act creates a sense ofsanctuary when other proposals areraised, noted Nancy Roeper, the RefugeSystem’s national wilderness coordinator.

Many of the act’s accomplishments arequalitative, not easily quantified.

“Of course, millions of birds useWilderness as nesting and winteringgrounds and resting places whenmigrating,” said Roeper. “Rare andendangered species often require habitatsthat are relatively undisturbed.Wilderness helps maintain the geneticmaterial needed to provide a continuingdiversity of plants and animal life.

Roeper noted that Wilderness is anirreplaceable “living laboratory” formedicinal and scientific research becauseit is comparatively unmanipulated.

“Wilderness areas are scenic places whereyou can escape from crowds, cars and thenoise of machines. We enjoy Wildernessfor its pure challenge and its pure joy.The wild teaches us something aboutbeing human and our relationship tonature. Wilderness is a haven,” Roeperconcluded.

USFWS-NWRS4401 North Fairfax Dr. Room 634CArlington, VA 22203-1610

RefugeUpdate

STANDARD PRESORTPOSTAGE AND FEES

PAIDU.S. DEPARTMENT OF THE

INTERIORPERMIT G-77

Send Us Your CommentsLetters to the Editor or suggestions about Refuge Update can be e-mailed [email protected] or mailed to Refuge Update, USFWS-NWRS, 4401 North Fairfax Dr., Room 634C, Arlington, VA 22203-1610.

Chief’s Corner– from pg 2

Havasu Wilderness in Havasu NWR, CA, extendsdown to the bankline on both the Arizona andCalifornia sides of the lower Colorado River. Itoffers quiet desert beauty for the prepared hiker. Thefirst rule is to bring plenty of water. (USFWS)

Wilderness Act – from pg 18

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after Hurricane Frances. Thatcontingent included firefighters and firemanagers, refuge managers, assistantrefuge managers, law enforcementspecialists, incident commanders,information officers, dispatchers andother who provided management ortechnical support. Gratefully, only oneemployee was mildly hurt in the line ofduty. During the Conservation inAction Summit, we often talked aboutthe Refuge System acting as a goodneighbor. In those tumultuous andterrifying days of August andSeptember, we acted as good neighborsand true friends.

Our people tired. They were away fromtheir families for too many days. Theymay even have been frightened – andwho could blame them. But in everyinstance, they acted withprofessionalism and the human touch.

They bestowed pride on the uniformwe wear and on those of us who workalongside them every day. The actionsof those on the ground, facing dangerand human anguish, have brought asense of honor and accomplishment tothe entire Refuge System and to the Service.

u.s fish & wildlife service national wildlife refuge system inside€¦ · u.s fish &...

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