Editorial: Wildlife funding lacking

Sunday, Oct. 14, 2007 | 1:29 a.m.

In 1997, President Bill Clinton signed a law to improve the conditions and protections of the nation's wildlife refuges.

But on Tuesday, the 10th anniversary of the National Wildlife Refuge System Improvement Act, former Interior Secretary Bruce Babbitt told the Associated Press that the system's 548 refuges have fallen into significant neglect and disrepair because of the Bush administration's years of funding cuts.

Babbitt, who now chairs the private World Wildlife Fund, says that the Fish and Wildlife Service faces a $2.5 billion budget shortfall that, by the end of 2009, will have forced the elimination of 565 jobs and will leave 200 of the nation's refuges - more than a third of the entire system with no staff whatsoever.

More than 96 million acres are included in the nation's wildlife refuges. Every state has at least one. Nevada has nine, including the Desert National Wildlife Range at the northern edge of the Las Vegas Valley. This refuge, which actually encompasses four smaller national wildlife refuges and 1.6 million acres, is considered the largest wildlife refuge in the continental 48 states. Its six mountain ranges support more than 500 species of plants and provide important habitat for a host of birds, reptiles and mammals. Advocates say that budget shortfalls have resulted in a lack of money for maintenance and upkeep.

White House officials are quick to note that overall funding for the wildlife refuge system has increased by $83 million since 2001. But that has not been nearly enough to keep up with the rising costs of maintenance and protection. It illustrates the Bush administration's overall attitude toward habitat protection and conservation programs, which have seen drastic cuts in recent years.

Just as the 1997 law was a bipartisan effort to improve preservation of these important areas, Congress must mount such a bipartisan effort to reinstate the funding behind the 10-year-old law. The nation's wildlife refuges need more than a few one-shot upgrades. They need an administration that truly believes in protecting and preserving these areas for future generations.