Director's Priorities FY1999-2000

"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

Introduction

The American character has been molded by its connections with the land and its spirit fortified by a close connection with the wild creatures of prairie, forest, coast, marsh, and river. The American spirit of independence and self-sufficiency became legendary. Settlement of the continent often spurred an untempered exploitation of wildlife and its habitat. The clouds of passenger pigeons vanished and the thunder of bison was silenced.

These changes in the natural world did not go unnoticed. Early conservation movements were rooted in the reaction of people who saw the devastation of market hunting and were appalled by the slaughter of birds for fashion. These people caught the ear of presidents and others who crafted the principles of modern wildlife conservation.

It was in these times the National Wildlife Refuge System was born. It was born on an island in Florida's Indian River with a promise from President Theodore Roosevelt; and carried out by a boat builder, cook, and orange grower, Paul Kroegel. Quietly, the first refuge proclaimed a determined, emerging consciousness about the value of things natural, wild, and free. Pelican Island was a promise to preserve wildlife and habitat for its own sake and the benefit of the American people.

Today, the System has grown to more than 93 million acres in size. It includes more than 500 refuges and over 3,000 waterfowl production areas spread across all 50 states and several territories protecting a vast array of the nation's ecosystems. Refuges are gifts to the Nation's people and to generations yet unborn. Most of all, each refuge and waterfowl production area is land. They provide a sense of place, of timeless connections to the natural world. They are places to rediscover the "sense of wonder" Rachel Carson so eloquently described.

However, for many years the System functioned without an organic act. Refuges were established by a patchwork of Executive Orders and other laws. Uses and activities allowed on refuges varied greatly and did not always complement the wildlife purposes.

Charting a course for the future

This all changed in 1997 with the signing of the National Wildlife Refuge System Improvement Act. The Act provided a mission for the System, and clear standards for its management, use, planning, and growth. Forcefully, faithfully, and consistently implementing this law will provide a solid foundation as the System approaches its second century of service to wildlife, habitat, and people.

In October 1998, a historic first-ever national gathering of refuge managers took place in Keystone, Colorado. One result of this conference was Fulfilling the Promise, a document that articulates a clear vision of the future of the System and recommendations on how this vision can be achieved. The objectives included here are a subset of the recommendations in Fulfilling the Promise, and achieving them will be a key part of the Service's concerted effort to protect America's wildlife and habitat legacy for future generations.

Action Plan

Goal 1: Conserve wilderness values within the Refuge System.

Wilderness, due to its very nature, is extremely important to the conservation of biodiversity within the System. Wilderness is a reservoir of biological diversity and natural ecological and evolutionary processes. Wilderness is also a way of perceiving and valuing; it is as much about a relationship with the land as a condition of it. Wilderness is a symbolic landscape, encompassing values and benefits that extend beyond its boundaries.

Currently, there are 20 million acres of wilderness in the Refuge System. The Service needs to evaluate these areas, internally and externally, and become a full partner in the interagency wilderness management community.

Action: Director will issue a memo that states that the Wilderness Act establishes wilderness as a purpose of the encompassing administrative unit, that proposed wilderness areas should be managed as if they were designated wilderness (except for Alaska), and that training is an integral component of sound management. The memo will clarify the criteria for wilderness designation and ask for formal designation of Regional Wilderness Coordinators. (ARW/RF. Target: July 1999).

Opportunity: Members of Directorate participate in 50th Anniversary celebration of publication of A Sand County Almanac being sponsored by a coalition of organizations. A special event would be an ideal opportunity to promote the 35th anniversary of the Wilderness Act. An event could be tied to establishment of an Aldo Leopold National Wildlife Refuge (Public involvement and planning currently underway in Wisconsin).

Opportunity: Member of Directorate initiates and participates in a 25-year anniversary celebration of wilderness establishment on Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge (this could be celebrated as an early National Wildlife Refuge Week event since it takes place October 1). Partners should be encouraged to participate.

Action: ARW/RF will take lead on completing revision of Wilderness Management Chapters for the Service Manual. (Team members receive draft management chapters in July 1999. Draft chapter completed September 1999).

Action: ARW/RF and Regions will work with BLM, NPS, and USFS to develop consistent policies to help unify the National Wilderness Preservation System. (Continuing; initial meeting of Agency Directors -- September 1999).

Opportunity: Director recommends the Secretary invite agencies to a wilderness management forum to develop consistent management policies in support of Secretary's Protect Our Parks and Refuges Initiative.

Opportunity: Director submits a wilderness proposal to the Secretary for recommendation to the Congress in support of the President's Lands Legacy and the Secretary's Protect Our Parks and Refuges Initiative. Memorandum will be transmitted to Regional Directors directing certification that Wilderness Study Areas are being managed appropriately and the lands continue to support wilderness designation.

Action: Regions will identify areas that qualify as Wilderness Study Areas on all refuges that have not conducted a formal wilderness review and on refuges that have added significant acreage since their last formal wilderness review. (Regional Directors. Target: September 1999).

Action: Regional Wilderness Coordinators will work with Arthur Carhart staff to develop and maintain a strategic plan for wilderness training that identifies training needs for personnel, location and position of personnel, and a plan for implementing the training. The Washington Office Wilderness Coordinator will complete an annual report on wilderness training accomplishments. (Regional Directors. Target: June 1999; ARW/RF. Target: September 1999).

Opportunity: Member of Directorate addresses participants at the September 1999, National Wilderness Stewardship course regarding Service leadership and new initiatives for protecting wilderness.

Action: Regional and Washington Office Wilderness Coordinators will review all Wilderness Management Plans for consistency with Service wilderness policy. (ARW will draft policy memorandum by September 1999. Target for initial reviews: December 1999).

Action: RONS and MMS will be updated so that activities that will benefit wilderness and other special management areas are identified. National Wilderness Coordinator will work with RMIS coordinator to notify regional RMIS coordinators of change. (ARW. Target: May 1999).

Goal 2: Ensure good scientific information and expertise for sound management decisions.

In order to make sound management decisions, refuge managers must have reliable information about causal relationships between habitat quality and quantity, and fish and wildlife population dynamics. An interdisciplinary biological workforce will help meet these information needs. This workforce will need opportunities for continuing education and interaction with the larger professional community in order to keep abreast of the latest scientific developments.

Action: Establish draft policy on maintaining biological integrity of the Refuge System as called for in the Refuge Improvement Act. (ARW/RF. Target: July 1999).

Action: Direct an analysis of current refuge staffing relative to each station's administrative complexity, and determine minimum levels of staffing on all refuges. Ensure each refuge has RONS project supporting staffing analysis. (ARW/RF. Target: May 1999).

Action: Establish or designate at least one Regional Refuge Biologist position assigned to the ARW/ PARD. Assure that these individuals meet at least annually to ensure biological programs are consistent with Biological Needs Assessment. (Regional Directors. Target: October 1999).

Action: Designate cross-program teams of biologists in each Region to provide biological technical support to field stations. (ARW/RF will prepare memorandum for Director to send to Regions. Target: June 1999).

Action: Develop a process for biological field station evaluations and conduct at least one pilot in each Region. (ARW/RF will develop biological review guidelines. Target: August 1999; Regional Refuge Biologists conduct pilot reviews. Target: November 1999).

Action: Encourage biological staff to participate in professional societies and technical meetings as part of annual 40 hours of training and continuing education. (ARW/RF will draft memorandum. Target: June 1999).

Action: Develop with NCTC a Refuge Academy module related to the administration of a System-wide biological program. Module would include standardized implementation of policies related to inventory/ monitoring, planning, development of biological objectives, and strategies for adaptive habitat management. (ARW, NCTC. Target: Implement module in FY 2000).

Opportunity: Director or Assistant Director announces development of standing committee on Refuge System training issues, to be comprised cooperatively of individuals from the Division of Refuges and NCTC, and related ARW programs, which would develop training needs, policy, and programs for refuge staff.

Action: Develop an annual or bi-annual forum on refuge biology in conjunction with the annual meeting of The Wildlife Society. The technical meeting would feature papers and other presentations on refuge biology by and for station biological staff from across all Regions. All biological staff would be encouraged to attend. (ARW will coordinate first forum. Target: FY 2000).

Opportunity: Director opens technical meeting with keynote address emphasizing science-based biology as the core of refuge management and the conservation mission of the Refuge System.

Goal 3: Provide a strong Refuge Law Enforcement Program to assure public safety and resource protection.

Protecting refuge resources, and assuring the safety of visitors are among the most fundamental responsibilities of refuge managers. Law enforcement responsibilities are carried out by full time and collateral duty refuge officers whose line of work daily puts them in harms way. For example, recent crime statistics for one year revealed that refuges were the scene of seven homicides, 26 assaults, two rapes, 200 burglaries, over 4,000 acts of vandalism, and 10,000 natural resource violations. In addition, refuge lands are the scenes of a large number of drug-related crimes. In 1998 there was a total of 346 drug related crimes on refuge lands and 25 tons of marijuana and nearly two tons of cocaine worth $200 million seized on Service lands. More disturbing, an estimated one out of every 10 drug violations occurred in association with a hunting or fishing activity. It is clear that public safety and resource protection require the Service's most professional and dedicated efforts to assure safe and enjoyable experiences for refuge visitors.

The Service must work harder to increase staff and funding while also working more effectively with the resources at hand. This will mean maintaining and continuously improving training efforts, improving policies to reduce officer liability and enhance visitor and officer safety. It will mean training and equipping refuge officers with the specialized equipment and skills they will need to meet the challenges of the 21st century. It will also mean improving opportunities for career enhancement through development of a career ladder within the Service and by assuring consistency in recruiting and in the application of standards that are used to select and supervise refuge law enforcement officers.

Action: Hire a national law enforcement coordinator to be stationed in the Division of Refuges in Arlington, Virginia, per staffing plan. (ARW/RF. Target: June 1999).

Opportunity: Director or Assistant Director stresses the importance of the role of refuge law enforcement officers in address to the Refuge Officer Basic School, Federal Law Enforcement Training Center Basic Training, or through other opportunities.

Opportunity: Members of Directorate communicate interest and support for refuge officer program through established media such as Fish and Wildlife News, People Land and Water, and press releases noting significant refuge law enforcement successes.

Action: Establish standards/criteria to aid in determining which positions should be designated for full or collateral duty law enforcement as well as standards for the recommended law enforcement staffing patterns at field stations. (ARW/RF, draft standards ready for program review. Target: July 1999).

Action: Establish a standard position description for full-time refuge officers to be used throughout the Refuge System. The standard position description should incorporate the requirements necessary to qualify for 6(c) special retirement and have a grade structure that provides for a career ladder. (ARW/RF, draft position description ready for program review. Target: July 1999).

Goal 4: Provide consistent policies on Refuge uses for implementation of the Refuge Improvement Act.

The Refuge Improvement Act clearly defined the mission of the National Wildlife Refuge System and provided guidance on the priorities to be considered in management of the System. The law now clearly states that the needs of fish, wildlife, and plants come first.

Congress also established priorities for which types of public use should be facilitated when compatible with the mission of the System and the purpose of the refuge. These priority public uses are as follows: hunting, fishing, wildlife observation, wildlife photography, environmental education, and interpretation.

To implement the Refuge Improvement Act, comprehensively written, consistently applied policies must be developed. These policies must result in clear guidance on the application of the compatibility standard, address how the six priority public uses will be administered, and provide guidance on assessing the appropriateness of other uses of the System.

Action: Finalize Service Manual chapter and regulations establishing the process for determining compatible uses. (ARW/RF. Target: Late 1999).

Action: Finalize Service Manual chapter on Comprehensive Conservation Planning. (ARW/RF. Target: Late 1999).

Action: Finalize Service Manual chapter providing guidance on determining the appropriateness of refuge uses that are not priority uses under the Refuge Improvement Act. (ARW/RF, draft

policy ready for program review. Target: June 1999).

Action: Finalize Service manual chapters on administration and management of priority public uses. (ARW/RF, draft policy ready for program review. Target: August 1999).

Opportunity: Director, Assistant Secretary, and Secretary announce major policies developed under the Refuge Improvement Act through press conferences and Congressional and constituent briefings. These announcements are opportunities to raise awareness of refuge management and strengthen relationships with key partners.

Action: Public Use Minimum Requirements for refuges will be updated to include the intent of the Refuge Improvement Act and provide consistent national standards for offering the highest quality visitor programs and facilities. Formal review process will be established in all Regions. Station evaluations of fulfilling these requirements will be used to develop RONS and MMS packages. (ARW/RF, draft standards ready for program review. Target: August 1999).

Goal 5: Enhance community partnerships to assure conservation of Refuge resources.

Today, the System benefits from the work of more than 30,000 volunteers who annually contribute more than one million hours per year supporting almost every facet of refuge management.

The System also benefits from partnerships with citizen groups who organize to support individual refuges in protecting resources. Experience has shown that Service employees who take the time to serve as envoys in their communities can accomplish great things for their refuge and the System.

To that end, the Service needs to enhance its capacity to meet the challenge of developing community partnerships for the System. In particular, the Refuge Support Group Initiative will continue, community partnership training and networking opportunities will be expanded, and the National Wildlife Refuge System Volunteer and Community Partnership Enhancement Act will be implemented. Refuge managers also need more flexibility to work with concessionaires providing services to the public on refuges.

All programs must work together to achieve ecosystem goals. Refuges can serve as important anchors of habitat, maintaining biological diversity, and leading to conservation of additional lands and waters.

Action: Encourage cross program expertise in all Comprehensive Conservation Planning teams. (ARW/RF will incorporate into draft planning policy. Target: May 1999).

Opportunity: Members of Directorate will attend ecosystem team meetings and stress how Refuges can help other Service programs meet objectives.

Action: Cross program teams will review draft refuge management policies. (ARW/RF, now and continuing).

Opportunity: Director or Assistant Director address program issues at one or more community partnership training workshops.

Action: Complete an implementation plan for the Volunteer and Community Partnership Enhancement Act, including a charter for an implementation team. (ARW. Target: August 1999).

Opportunity: Director and Assistant Director approve and sign charter and implementation plan and fund team's efforts.

Action: Develop budget initiative for FY 2000 to begin implementation of Volunteer and Community Partnership Enhancement Act. (ARW/RF. Target: December 1998).

Action: Draft legislative amendment for exemption from 40 USC 303(b) that will allow concessionaires to make repairs and improvements to concession facilities. (AEA, ARW. Target: June 1999).

Action: Continue to provide support to the Cooperative Alliance for Refuge Enhancement. (Ongoing support, ARW/RF).

Opportunity: Members of the Directorate will highlight cross program, ecosystem, and partnership successes in speaking engagements.

Goal 6: Enlarge the number of U.S. Citizens who know and appreciate the values of the National Wildlife Refuge System.

Five years ago, the Service began a concerted effort to build public recognition and support for the System by implementing a nationwide communications strategy called the 100 on 100 Outreach Campaign. The key strategy behind this campaign is a focus on communications with five priority audiences considered to have the greatest opportunity to support the System.

The campaign and investments in outreach personnel at all levels have helped bring about many successes for the System, including passage of the Refuge Improvement Act, the solidification of 18 sportsmen's and environmental groups into the Cooperative Alliance for Refuge Enhancement, and the largest funding increase in the System's history to address maintenance and operations needs.

Action: Develop charter, expertise qualifications, and guidelines on the role of the Refuge System Outreach Team. (ARW/RF. Target: June 1999).

Action: Refine Refuge System Outreach Campaign document to ensure strategic activities by formalizing key messages, evaluating needs for baseline information on public knowledge of the System, clarifying expectations for working with core audiences, and improving guidance on delivery of messages to those audiences. The refined campaign will also incorporate new efforts such as the National Outreach Strategy, Refuge Improvement Act, and Volunteer and Community Partnership Enhancement Act. In addition, it will outline a Centennial Publicity Campaign that will raise visibility for all Service programs as a major focus of outreach efforts for the next few years. (ARW, External Affairs. Target: June 1999).

Opportunity: The Director and Assistant Director continue to support the Refuge System Outreach Campaign to advance internal buy-in and ensure strategic outreach efforts are carried out. This support will become increasingly important leading up to the Centennial, which presents an exceptional opportunity to raise visibility of the Service.

Opportunity: The Director and Assistant Director are involved in special events, major announcements on Refuge System issues, and in combating threats to refuges with national implications, which offer opportunities to raise public awareness of the Refuge System's important role in wildlife conservation.

Action: Reevaluate established dates of National Wildlife Refuge Week and recommend alternatives. (Refuge outreach team. Completed in time for Refuge Week 2000).

Action: Recruit celebrities to help promote activities outlined in the Centennial Publicity Campaign (Refuge outreach team, External Affairs, Directorate. Continuing process).

Opportunity: The Director and Assistant Director help recruit celebrity spokespersons for the Centennial products and activities.

Action: Identify high profile special events for the Centennial celebration, such as establishment of a Theodore Roosevelt National Wildlife Refuge and a historical celebration at Pelican Island in 2003. (Refuge outreach team, External Affairs. Target: November 1999).

Opportunity: The Director's and Assistant Director's involvement in planning Centennial activities maximize potential for visibility.

Goal 7: Provide a national approach for selecting and prioritizing lands for acquisition, incorporating the goals of trust resource conservation, biological integrity, diversity, environmental health, and ecosystem conservation.

The Service recognizes that one of the most important challenges in the land acquisition process is the development of integrated National and Regional habitat goals and objectives. Additional data on North American floral and faunal distribution, species conservation status, and land cover information will help focus acquisition priorities.

National guidance will ensure that the Service is pointed in the right direction and achieving the maximum possible benefit from land acquisitions and protection. This guidance will provide consistent direction in defining the areas of greatest conservation concern.

Opportunity: The Director will appoint a task force to develop a nationwide process and policy for selecting lands for acquisition priority. The process will involve all Service programs and will establish guidance appropriate for ecosystem teams to use in developing acquisition goals and priority sites in each Region.

Goal 8: Improve employees' ability to easily locate guidance on Refuge management and operations.

Conversion of guidance and policy contained in various Fish and Wildlife Service management and administrative manuals and handbooks into the Service Manual was mandated by the Director in the late 1980s. In its current state, accessing appropriate refuge policies in the Service Manual is complicated by the dispersal of these policies through a much larger document covering all Service activities. Finding all the pertinent policies which need to be reviewed when making a management decision is complicated and the likelihood that a pertinent policy will be overlooked increases.

The preparation of a "refuge manual" which gathers together all policies pertinent to refuge management activities would greatly enhance the effective implementation of those policies. The manual should be made available on-line to ensure that the most current policies are available in a timely manner.

Action: Restore the Refuge Manual and establish a site on the Internet and/or Intranet where all pertinent policies can be accessed. (ARW/RF. Target: December 1999).

Goal 9: Reduce the negative impacts caused by problem and invasive species on Refuge lands and ecosystems.

Habitat alteration has resulted in major changes in wildlife population numbers and the way they are distributed. Exotic species introductions and expansion of species to areas where they are not endemic have caused native species to be displaced or reduced. Feral animals have direct impacts on wildlife populations. Policies need to be developed providing sound justification for reducing impacts of predators and competitors on fish, wildlife, and plants. Clear messages on restoring ecological balance must be provided to stakeholders.

Action: Revise Service manual chapter on trapping. (ARW/RF, draft chapter available for review. Target: March 1999).

Action: Adjust staffing to designate National Invasive Species Coordinator in the Division of Refuges. (ARW/RF. Target: May 1999).

Action: Regional Directors (R2, R3, R4, R6) are directed to establish a joint coordinator position to support implementation of the mid-continent snow goose management plan. The coordinator will be stationed in the mid-continent flyway area to coordinate management plan with partners. Coordinator would serve as Service liaison and work cooperatively to ensure that Refuges are responsive to recent Conservation Order for white goose management. (ARW/RF will draft memorandum for Director's signature. Target: June 1999).

Action: Establish cross-program team to develop a plan for prioritizing invasive species threats on System units. This could be accomplished by each Region appointing or hiring an invasive species specialist with funds from Invasive Species budget initiative. (Regional Directors. Target: October 2000).

Action: Establish position to develop mosquito management policy and management handbook. Work cooperatively with states, American Mosquito Control Association and Districts, local municipalities, counties, and specialists in mosquito management to develop biologically sound guidelines for use by refuges. (ARW/RF. Target: May 1999).

Opportunity: Members of the Directorate highlight problem and invasive species issues in speaking engagements. Opportunity: Director ensures invasive species issues on refuges are represented in Departmental initiatives and events.