Sharp-eyed folks at the Oregon Coast National Wildlife Refuge Complex report sightings there.  Other sightings come from as far east Parker River National Wildlife Refuge in Massachusetts and as far south as Kansas.  Snowies also were spotted in Connecticut, New York, Maine, Vermont, Illinois, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, North Dakota and Washington state.

Why do snowy owls sometimes fly south en masse?  Snowy owls’ favorite prey are small rodents called lemmings, which are notorious for boom and bust population cycles.  Biologists think the owls’ “irruptions” south from the Arctic occur when lemmings are in short supply.  Sightings of snowy owlers in the Lower 48 ere compiled on a  map from reports on eBird and state bird listservs.

Unlike many other owls, snowies are active in the daytime.  They tend to perch at high points overlooking open sites such as beaches and airports.  Exhausted from their long flights, some starve if prey is scarce.

The Cornell Lab of Ornithology has more information on snowy owls.

Photo: Pat Gaines, Creative Commons

The first phase of the report, titled “The Economics Associated with Outdoor Recreation, Natural Resources Conservation and Historic Preservation in the United States,”   http://www.fws.gov/refuges/news/pdfs/TheEconomicValueofOutdoorRecreation[1].pdf, completed in September 2011, found that the economic value of all U.S. natural resource conservation, outdoor recreation and historic preservation came to $1.06 trillion.

The report said, “The total value of ecosystem services provided by the acres of natural habitats in national wildlife refuges totaled $32.3 billion per year.”  In addition, it noted, “The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service contributed about $4.2 billion in economic activity and supported more than 32,000 jobs through its management of refuges and thousands of smaller natural areas.”

The researchers further determined that homeowners near parks and protected areas are repeatedly seen to have property values more than 20 percent higher than similar properties elsewhere.

The report also concludes that the loss of nearly 10 million acres of wetlands in the United States since the 1950s has resulted in an economic loss of more than $81 billion in all wetlands-related ecosystem services. Ecosystem services include all the functions performed by nature that provide benefits to humans, such as waste treatment, water supply, carbon sequestration, and other aspects of nature that help modulate and regular climate. Saltwater wetlands, freshwater wetlands, temperate and tropical forests, grasslands, lakes, etc. all provide different levels of these environmental services.

By Dan Ashe, Director, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

Like all duck hunters, I know that, oftentimes, the worse the weather, the better the hunting. I look at our current conservation climate in much the same way.

Although our nation is going through some rough economic weather right now, we can’t lose sight of the fact that there are still enormous needs – and opportunities – for fish and wildlife conservation.

I understand and respect hunters, anglers and shooters who believe that in the current budget climate, conservation programs should share in any cuts. This community has always put what is right ahead of what is easy, and I believe the reluctant support some may give for budget reductions comes from genuine patriotism.

But we should recognize that America has always found a way to enrich her conservation legacy despite difficult times. During the Civil War, President Lincoln inked a land deal for what later became Yosemite National Park. In the 1930s, during the Great Depression and the Dust Bowl era, hunters supported landmark legislation that created the federal Duck Stamp and the Wildlife Restoration Act, contributing to the establishment of 142 wildlife refuges across the nation in that decade alone.

Now, the legacy of a century of conservation – indeed the future of the North American model of wildlife conservation – is threatened by the prospect of draconian cuts to conservation programs. These programs, though only a sliver of a percentage of the federal budget and largely inconsequential for deficit reduction, have been disproportionately singled out by some in Congress and their supporters.

This is not deficit reduction. These are policy and political objectives dressed-up as deficit reduction by those who seek to get those pesky fish and wildlife agencies – federal and state – out of the way of development. Never mind that America’s outdoor recreation economy generates 8.4 million, non-exportable U.S. jobs, most in rural areas, generating over $100 billion annually in federal, state and local taxes.

We recognize that we are stewards of taxpayer dollars, but I believe your state and federal conservation agencies have a demonstrated record of getting the most out of every dollar we do receive.

I urge everyone who cares about wildlife conservation and the future of hunting and fishing in America to stand up for our way of life. Demand that we live up to the courage and vision of our predecessors by holding the line on conservation funding. Participate in Ducks Unlimited’s “Double Down for Ducks” campaign and purchase two federal Ducks Stamps instead of one. Most of all, get out on the landscape with your kids and grandkids, and think about the kind of world we should leave to them.  It takes investment, and now is not the time to cut back on conservation spending.

The 2011 – 2012 Duck Stamp was painted by James Hautman of Minnesota

Ever since the first Duck Stamp was issued in 1934, the annual Migratory Bird Hunting and Conservation Stamp has been a popular collectors item for hunters and non-hunters alike.

Today, the Duck Stamp also serves as an admission pass for all refuges that charge an entrance fee.

Haven’t bought yours yet? Buy one today! The Refuge System—and all the birds and other wildlife that call them home—will thank you!

Draconian budget cuts will close many wildlife refuges to visitors and limit visitor services.

Debt Ceiling & Reduction Bill: The first $917 billion in spending cuts triggered in the debt-ceiling bill will be to discretionary programs, where all conservation programs fall, including the National Wildlife Refuge System. The second stage of reductions, more than $1.2 trillion, will be to both discretionary programs (which must be appropriated every year and are at the discretion of Congress) and mandatory spending (which is not subject to annual appropriations, such as entitlement programs – Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security), and will be determined by a “super committee” of 12 lawmakers, six from the House and six from the Senate, with equal numbers of Republicans and Democrats. The Refuge System will need the help of NWRA, Friends, conservation partners, hunters, anglers, birdwatchers, wildlife photographers and other concerned individuals to ensure that members of the super committee understand the vital role refuges and all our public lands play in our nation’s economy and our health. We will keep you updated, and will be contacting you often to urge you and every other refuge supporter to take action on behalf the refuges you love. We’ll be counting on your help!

FY 2012 Interior Spending Bill: When the House returns, they will likely not have enough time to complete work on the Interior bill and will instead look to bundle it together with several other spending bills and pass them as an omnibus; alternatively, they could pass a short, one or two month, continuing resolution or “CR” awaiting the outcome of the Super Committee. That means that the current House-proposed funding level for the Refuge System, $455 million, will be the starting point when budget negotiations resume.
Based on the House bill that was being debated before the August recess, we believe that the Refuge System is in great peril unless refuge supporters take action. The House proposal would:

• CLOSE entirely or significantly reduce programs at 128 National Wildlife Refuges
• ELIMINATE 275 Refuge Staff Positions
• ELIMINATE virtually any new land acquisitions or conservation easements under the Land and Water Conservation Fund
• ELIMINATE 40 law enforcement officers (at a time when the Refuge System has only 213 of the 845 officers needed to patrol its 150 million acres)

We will continue to closely follow the budget negotiations, and will keep you informed of opportunities to make your voice heard. Right now, you can help by attending “town meetings” in your state during August to advocate for refuge funding, and by using our Refuge Action Network can contact your U.S. Representative and your 2 U.S. Senators to urge their support of the Refuge System.

Recently appointed Fish and Wildlife Service Director Dan Ashe and Deputy Director Greg Siekaniec.

NWRA is pleased to report that Dan Ashe has been confirmed as the new Director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The U.S. Senate confirmed Ashe on June 30, 2011, several months after being nominated to the position by President Obama in early December 2010. His nomination was held up by a few individual Senators seeking to secure guarantees by the Department of Interior over many non-FWS related issues, most notably, Louisiana’s Sen. David Vitter, who wanted the Interior Department to approve more offshore oil leases in the Gulf, something the FWS has no jurisdiction over.

NWRA also congratulates Gregory Siekaniec for his appointment as Deputy Director for Policy of the FWS. A career FWS employee for more than two decades, Siekaniec has served as the Chief of the National Wildlife Refuge System since 2009. Most recently, he oversaw the “Conserving the Future” process to create a reinvigorated vision to guide the Refuge System to meet the challenges of the next decade. The new vision was ratified in July, and reflects more than 10,000 comments submitted from refuge supporters across America. “We’re confident that Greg is exceptionally qualified to provide strategic program direction to the Fish and Wildlife Service in these challenging economic times,” said NWRA President Evan Hirsche.

Assistant Secretary for Fish, Wildlife and Parks nominee Rebecca Wodder.

Unfortunately, another key Presidential appointee is still being held hostage over Gulf oil permits. Rebecca Wodder has been nominated to become the new Assistant Secretary of the Interior for Fish, Wildlife and Parks and would oversee many refuge issues. Senator Vitter is pursuing the same tactic used in Ashe’s nomination with Wodder’s. He has placed a hold on her confirmation until additional Gulf oil permits are issued.

As with Ashe, NWRA is urging Vitter to lift his hold and Congress to approve Wodder to head the management team that will help the FWS and National Wildlife Refuge System navigate the rough fiscal waters ahead.

It would authorize $3 million for a national program to help set up and standardize programs for volunteers who want to assist federal employees in conservation and education programs. The bill calls for the Interior Department to develop the program within one year.
Paul Schmidt, the Fish and Wildlife Service’s assistant director for migratory birds, said his agency supports the bill, which would allow them to build capacity to recruit volunteers, manage the volunteer work force more effectively and offer enhanced training and mentoring programs.
“You’ll never be without volunteers, people want to volunteer — the question is, do you have the refuge staff to set them up and train them? You have to know what you are doing,” said Thomas Hook from the volunteer group Friends of Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge. “This will help create a consistent program across the system, a place to review best practices and coordinate.”

Care Urges Refuge Funding

• Refuges face a $3.7 billion backlog in deferred maintenance and operations funding. Washed-out trails, leaking roofs, closed roads, and broken equipment are just a few of the more than 11,000 problems currently waiting to be addressed on refuges nationwide. Unless funding is secured to address the backlog, many refuge facilities could deteriorate beyond repair.
• Crime is a big problem in the Refuge System, yet only 213 officers patrol its more than 150 million acres. A minimum of 209 additional officers are needed (at an additional annual cost of $31.4 million) to protect refuge visitors and respond to crimes that include drug production and dealing, wildlife poaching, illegal border activity, assaults, and a variety of natural resource violations.
• The Refuge System is fighting a losing battle against invasive plants and animals. Approximately 2.3 million acres of refuge lands are overrun with non-native invasive plants, while more than 4,400 invasive animal populations ravage millions more acres. The Refuge System needs at least $25 million per year to treat just one-third of its infested plant acreage and begin low-level control of invasive animals.
• There has been a dramatic increase in oil and gas drilling on 155 refuges, but the Refuge System is not well equipped to oversee these activities or clean up degraded sites. Some $15 million per year is needed to adequately oversee oil and gas operations on wildlife refuges.
• With the recent addition of more than 50 million acres of marine monuments in the Pacific Ocean, the Refuge System faces increased management, coordination, restoration, and law enforcement challenges. These increased responsibilities carry a price tag of between $18 and $35 million annually.

CARE has urged that Congress boost refuge operations and maintenance funding to $578 million for FY 2011. These funds are needed to provide nature programs to the public, maintain high water quality, complete critical habitat restoration projects, and properly patrol and enforce laws in the Refuge System. Since 2008, Congress has begun to reverse a damaging trend of budget cuts that started in 2003. “We need to maintain this momentum and continue to invest in these special places at a level that recognizes their importance to so many Americans,” notes Hirsche.

The Cooperative Alliance for Refuge Enhancement (CARE) is a diverse coalition of 22 conservation, recreation, sporting, and scientific organizations that represent more than 15 million members and supporters across the United States. CARE has been working since 1995 to help the National Wildlife Refuge System fight a serious funding crisis.