Posted on 03/15/2007 8:50:59 PM PDT by NormsRevenge
WASHINGTON - Faced with a $2.5 billion budget shortfall, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is eliminating hundreds of jobs, cutting back programs and leaving more than 200 national wildlife refuges unstaffed.
In all, the agency is planning to cut 565 jobs from wildlife refuges by 2009 — a 20 percent reduction.
The national refuge system encompasses 547 wildlife refuges and more than 96 million acres in all 50 states, attracting more than 40 million visitors a year.
Environmentalists say the staffing cuts — which follow two years of reductions — will leave an already lean work force depleted and result in a decrease in habitat management, restoration projects and education projects. More than 200 wildlife refuges across the country will be unstaffed.
"Our national wildlife refuges are literally crumbling before our eyes. Across the country we're seeing how the culmination of years of negligent funding devastates these special places," said Rodger Schlickeisen, president of Defenders of Wildlife.
William Reffalt, director of the National Wildlife Refuge System in the 1980s, lamented the deterioration in the refuge system, which celebrated its 104th anniversary this week.
"Our nation had the foresight to establish these sanctuaries to conserve fish and wildlife, but we are failing to provide the ongoing stewardship that is required," he said. "We need leadership in the spirit of Theodore Roosevelt," who established the first wildlife refuge in Florida in 1903.
Agency officials acknowledged that the budget cuts will affect services, but said that with a $2.5 billion backlog in operations and maintenance, the reductions were unavoidable. Few, if any, layoffs will be needed, they said, with most job losses occurring though attrition.
"If the Service does not act decisively now, it will become unable to effectively operate most national wildlife refuges within a few years, even if budgets remain level," said David Eisenhauer, an agency spokesman.
The job cuts should increase efficiency and free up funding for refuge management and operations, Eisenhauer said.
But critics said leaving refuges unstaffed could lead to problems with invasive species — and increased crime or vandalism on the rustic sites, many of which are within an hour's drive of a major city
"In this day and age, no land can really be left alone," said Noah Matson, director of federal lands programs for Defenders of Wildlife. About 8 million refuge acres nationwide are infested with invasive species such as beetles and carp, Matson said.
The cuts also mean fewer law enforcement officers. In the Pacific region, only six officers will patrol a four-state area. In Oregon, just one full-time officer patrols the entire coastline, with a half-dozen wildlife refuges.
"That's just pathetic," Matson said.
President Bush has requested about $398 million for the National Wildlife Refuge System for the next budget year, a $12 million increase over current spending but far short of what is needed, critics say.
The agency estimates it needs a $15 million annual increase to keep pace with inflation, and a much larger amount to chip into the $2.5 billion backlog for maintenance and operations.
About 221 refuges will be unstaffed after the staffing reductions are finished, Eisenhauer said. All refuges will continue to be managed, he said, although some will become unstaffed "satellite units" of larger refuge complexes with no day-to-day management.
Fish and Wildlife Service: http://www.fws.gov
Defenders of Wildlife: http://www.defenders.org
Oh, the huge manatees!
Is anyone going to STOP building the NWS Welcome centers that they cannot staff NOW????
EVERY mountain town seems to have one....
This is easy, just let the F&G Service get some of the royalties from ANWAR
Not to worry. Global warming will wipe out most species
and their habitats within the next few decades. The work
load will fall off to meet the job loss levels....JJ61
Them Indians are much better at caretaking the land than us whites, no joke.
It would be real nice if our government could hack away at some of the fraud and waste in the tar pit of social programs staff the Park Service and refuges. From what I've read, they are genuinely underfunded.
How many field jobs are being cut vs. the number of "headquarters" jobs?
From what I have seen, the "headquarters" folks cut the field jobs (you know, the folks who actually do the work), while keeping all of the management jobs. Doesn't matter that there are fewer folks to manage, those "headquarters" jobs are the absolute last to go.
Google: Pournelle's Iron Law of Bureaucracy
If you are lazy, here is a piece from Wiki:
Pournelle has popularized a "law", which he calls Pournelle's Iron Law of Bureaucracy. This law "...states that in any bureaucratic organization there will be two kinds of people: those who work to further the actual goals of the organization, and those who work for the organization itself." The Iron Law states that in all cases, the second type of person will always gain control of the organization, and will always write the rules under which the organization functions.
I really hope you are joking. Just rode through the Navaho Nation from Gallup, NM to Tuba City, Az last summer on 264. That was the trashiest road I have ever been on. The was more garbage, empty beer/soda cans, water bottles, etc per mile than I have seen anywhere in the country. I remember the old commercial from about 20 years ago with the old Indian Chief crying over littering. I guess he hadn't looked at the reservation.
What will happen is this- the 'cuts' will just be people forced to leave the agency with a pension and benefits. No new workers will be hired to fill the jobs. Now only if the federal government would lay off 20% of the ATF... that would be a step in the right direction.
It's much, much more important to give this money to thugs who avoid the law, slugs who refuse to work, young women who think they can drop a kid then live off society, your next door neighbor who stubs his/her toe then goes on unemployment, and so on.
We've spent more than 7 trillion bucks since the Great Society began in 1967 (courtesy of Democratz) and what has the money bought us? Every year, a greater amount of the same bad behavior with growing costs borne by you and me.
ANWR Bump
Indians came from throw away society, when something broke you just dropped it on the spot. 100 years back; everything was made of wood & leather; it rotted.
INdians same up here with beer cans & trash; but most of that comes from our society, we encircle them and sell them all the beer cans and garbage; they drop it like they always have when empty.
Our Indians here are distant cousins of yours (Athabaskan). Sure they're rough and alot of alcohol and culture clash since they met up with us (they did get worse part of bargain)but no joke they don't do much with the land, except hunting; all the trash is nx to roads and village anyway, not back in the refuge.
I could show you place after place here in alaska where on one side of river was given to village and other side to state from feds, like back in 1950's. On states side of river its subdivisions, gas stations, and mini-marts,,,, and on Indians side its still wilderness and forest. They ain't real big into development and selling this and that. If you want the land to look the same as it does now, give it to indians and it will in 100 years. Us whites use the politicals to change everything around and make money. They don't think like us.
I've been on and off reservations a lot in my life. I've also watched you post for a few years. I see a change in thought pattern, language use, grammar, and ideation in your posts. Eska, get out for a while, you're going native.
About par for the course on a lot of reservations. Roads get lined with broken glass quick. BTW, that "indian chief" wasn't. Google Iron Eyes Cody for an interesting story.
"More than 200 wildlife refuges across the country will be unstaffed."
Gee! I wonder how the animals lived before they were managed by people.
In reality, for each worker who actually maintained the grounds and animals, there were probably 20 "pencil pushers."
"Them indians are much better at caretaking the land than us whites, no joke." You've got to be kidding, this guy evidently hasn't been to the RES. lately if ever and see how they tend the land.
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