The federal agency charged with the protection of our nation’s fish and wildlife resources has a big portfolio when it comes to conservation. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), a bureau of the Department of the Interior, has responsibility for the management of the 551 wildlife refuges of the 150-million-acre National Wildlife Refuge System. In addition to the National Wildlife Refuges, FWS manages thousands of smaller wetlands, special management areas, and fish hatcheries and management areas. These lands comprise some of the most outstanding wildlife habitat in the nation, and as such are afforded some of the highest protection for public lands.
FWS enforces the nation’s fish and wildlife laws, protects federally designated endangered species and manages migratory birds. Since most wildlife resources are on private lands, U.S. law and regulations apply to these species that FWS regulates. Recently, FWS has seen increased news coverage regarding endangered species protection, the impact of climate change on our nation’s fish and wildlife resources, and new initiatives that FWS is taking including the launch of the Urban Wildlife Program, which focuses on their role in urban environments and with the purpose of engaging the public in the mission of conserving our nation’s fish and wildlife resources.
FWS is headed by Director Dan Ashe, who spent much of his Atlanta childhood on national wildlife refuges and in fish hatcheries in the Southeast, where he learned to band birds, fish, hunt and, most importantly, simply enjoy the outdoors. Prior to his appointment as director of FWS, Ashe served as the Service’s deputy director for policy, as science advisor to the former director and as chief of the National Wildlife Refuge System.
NRPA had a chance to catch up with Ashe recently to discuss his views on the challenges the agency faces heading into the future and how parks can work with FWS on national conservation objectives.
Richard Dolesh: What are the biggest conservation challenges that FWS is facing, and what are the top priorities going forward in the next year?
Director Dan Ashe: The biggest challenge we face is dealing with threats to our nation’s natural resources and the loss and conversion of wildlife habitat. This is not just the traditional challenges of the conversion of wildlife habitat to agricultural land, or the dredging and filling of wetlands, but a more insidious form of habitat degradation caused by water scarcity, changing climate and most recently, invasive species. These factors are changing natural systems. It’s becoming much more complicated to do our jobs.
The top priorities for us right now are priority species and priority landscapes. The monarch butterfly is a great example of how we are prioritizing conservation efforts to address the needs of a species in need of conservation. Certain wildlife species strike a deep chord in people. With the monarch, there is very strong public support, and people want to help the monarch. If we can get them engaged, they are not only helping the monarch but helping to protect and enhance habitat for many other important species.
The efforts to protect the sage grouse in some ways are similar to protecting the monarch. When we talk about threats to the sage grouse — fire, invasives, soil moisture — we are really talking about ecological function of 200 million acres of habitat for this species. Yes, it’s about the sage grouse, but it’s also about sagebrush habitat.
Some want to assign blame — to chemical companies, agriculture or other reasons. We want American agriculture to be as efficient as possible. We need to figure out how to we can make alternative habitats. Let’s focus on things we can agree on, and we can move forward and build consensus and find solutions.
Dolesh: We have heard about some exciting new initiatives from FWS. In addition to the new partnership with the National Wildlife Federation and the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation for monarch conservation, we are learning about the recently announced Urban Wildlife Refuge program. Tell us more about some of these new initiatives.
Ashe: Building a connected conservation constituency is a priority for the entire Service. This is grounded in the notion that we have to make conservation relevant to all American citizens, citizens who are becoming increasingly urban and increasingly disconnected from nature and wildlife.
We have been trying to achieve this for years, and in my mind, it has been largely unsuccessful. Connecting to a new generation of Americans is vital. It is a vision that respects diversity and engages people in conservation stewardship. And there are abundant opportunities for cooperation to do this in city parks, local parks and state parks. We understand that much of this effort needs to be local. The urban refuge partnership is founded on the notion that conserving urban, suburban, and local open spaces and natural resources is important.
A great example of an urban wildlife refuge prototype is Masonville Cove near the Inner Harbor in Baltimore. The centerpiece is a local city park. Partners include the National Aquarium, the city of Baltimore, the Port of Baltimore, local civic associations and the FWS. Another example can be found in New Haven, Connecticut. There are no federal assets here; it’s really focused on local participation and support. We are putting together an urban refuge in Albuquerque, New Mexico, the Valle del Oro. It will be connected to city parks on the northern end of the refuge, and visitors will be able to hike and bike on trails through the parks to access the refuge.
Our new partnership with the National Wildlife Federation and the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation on monarch conservation is another example of how we want to engage the public. Monarchs are such a great opportunity to engage young people. In addition, monarchs give an opportunity to explain and understand pollinators. If people get monarch conservation, they will also be supporting pollinator conservation and understand the issues and needs of all pollinators. The fact is that if you love wildlife, you know that everything depends on plants, which are the foundation of the food chain. Without pollinators, we lose the foundation that supports the pillars.
Dolesh: NRPA and NWF have partnered on the 10 Million Kids Outdoors initiative, which is intended to connect kids to nature. How important do you think it is to connect kids to nature and the outdoors?
Ashe: It’s vitally important to connect young people to the outdoors. Kids need the opportunity for unstructured time outdoors and in nature. It’s important because of what we know about the benefits of such time, especially from the standpoint of both physical and mental health. We also need to do this to build a constituency for conservation. If we don’t build that belief in kids, especially from urban areas, we will lose the support of that generation. The key for us is to create opportunities for kids to be in nature. We need to enable kids to be active, creative and outdoors.
Dolesh: What possibilities can you envision for how FWS can cooperate with local, state and urban park agencies?
Ashe: There is very good opportunity through the Urban Wildlife Refuge program. The notion of an urban or city park as wildlife refuge is something we wholeheartedly support. We feel that building this kind of understanding in people will pay dividends for fish, birds and wildlife.
There is plenty of wildlife for kids to see and wildlife-related activities to do in local parks. We can play a role in helping. Nature play and unstructured play is the path to appreciating our natural environment. By the way, I feel that there is nothing more unstructured than a kid with a fishing pole. Kids need to learn about their environment. They will learn, fail, test and then succeed. If we get kids introduced through their backyard or a city park or a state park, then when they hear about a grizzly bear or Yellowstone, they will understand how nature connects them all.
Richard J. Dolesh is NRPA’s Vice President of Conservation and Parks.
Monarch Conservation Update
- One of the best ways to help save the monarch is to plant milkweed. For most parts of the country, it is not too late to plant milkweed for this spring. Milkweed plant plugs can be purchased from the Milkweed Market, a project of the nonprofit Monarch Watch. Visit the Milkweed Market for information on plants grown from regionally appropriate sources for your location. Orders are still being taken for this spring’s plants, and plants can also be shipped later for fall planting. If your agency has experience propagating plants from seed, milkweed seeds are available in 1-ounce quantities from Monarch Watch. Contact them through the Milkweed Market to learn more.
- Many park and recreation agencies are initiating monarch conservation projects and educational programs as a great way to connect kids to nature and involve the public in conservation stewardship and citizen science. Some park agencies have installed and registered Monarch Waystations, an excellent project for parks since it both educates the public and provides critical habitat for migrating monarchs. Learn how to establish a monarch waystation. Also, read about the monarch waystation established at NRPA's headquarters in Ashburn, Virginia.
- The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), the National Wildlife Federation (NWF) and the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF), have committed to a partnership to promote monarch conservation and will soon announce a program to provide grants for monarch education, conservation and research. An initial fund of more than $3 million for these projects is expected to be buoyed by additional contributions and will be announced soon. It is expected that park and recreation agencies would be highly suitable for education and conservation-related grant projects. Check NFWF’s website in the coming months for information.
- NRPA, in conjunction with Monarch Watch and Monarch Joint Venture, has developed a Resources Guide for parks and refuges. This simple guide is chock full of information and links on where to find information about supplies, educational resources and more.
Richard J. Dolesh is NRPA’s Vice President of Conservation and Parks.