National Wildlife Refuges in South Carolina face a $24.2 million budget shortfall

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Waccamaw National Wildlife Refuge was established
in 1997 and has not yet organized much of its
resources. The refuge depends on funding to
develop wildlife facilities, trails, and visitor
outreach materials.
Lake Marion, Santee National Wildlife Refuge,
South Carolina

• National Wildlife Refuges in South Carolina face
  a 24.2 million budget shortfall
• South Carolina is home to spectacular natural
  resources, including eight national wildlife
  refuges which serve as protection for the states
  coastline, wetlands, marshes, grasslands, and
  forests. The refuges are also an important
  habitat for countless species of birds, mammals,
  fish, and reptiles. For South Carolina visitors,
  the refuges provide opportunites to participate
  in environmental education, hiking, bird
  watching, hunting, and fishing.
• The Refuge System in South Carolina has
  identified
• 24.2 million and
• 8 staff positions
• in unmet high priority needs. This shortfall
  prevents the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service from
  adequately managing and restoring wildlife
  habitat, safely maintaining facilities and
  providing quality recreational programs.
• Unfortunately, the Refuge System budget has
  remained relatively flat for the last two years.
  Due to rising costs, a flat budget erodes each
  refuges base funding, preventing vital positions
  from being filled and projects from being
  completed. The Refuge System in South Carolina
  needs a 131,000 increase each year just to
  retain current services.
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Santee National Wildlife Refuge needs further
funding to adequately provide habitats for its
neo-tropical birds and migratory waterfowl.
Pictures courtesy US Fish and Wildlife
Service
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National Wildlife Refuge Funding Crisis
About C.A.R.E CARE is a unique coalition of 21
conservation, scientific, sporting, and
recreation organizations with more than 5 million
members across the United States. CARE has been
working since 1995 to help the National Wildlife
Refuge System fight a serious funding
crisis. American Birding Association American
Fisheries Society American Sportfishing
Association Congressional Sportsmen's
Foundation Defenders of Wildlife Ducks
Unlimited International Association of Fish and
Wildlife Agencies Izaak Walton League of
America National Association of Service and
Conservation Corps National Audubon
Society National Rifle Association of America
National Wildlife Federation National Wildlife
Refuge Association Safari Club International The
Wilderness Society The Wildlife Society Trout
Unlimited U.S. Sportsmen's Alliance Assateague
Coastal Trust Wildlife Forever Wildlife
Management Institute 1010 Wisconsin Avenue,
NW, Suite 200 Washington, DC 20007 Phone
202-333-9075 Fax [phone] Web
www.FundRefuges.org/CARE/ CareHome.html

• CARE recommends a 700 million annual operations
  and maintenance budget for the Refuge System
• The National Wildlife Refuge System faces a
  crippling 3 billion operations and maintenance
  budget shortfall, which continues to grow. An
  annual increase of 300 million will prevent the
  Refuge System from spiraling into more debt and
  allow the Fish and Wildlife Service to begin
  restoring habitat, maintaining facilities and
  expanding public use opportunities that have
  languished due to lack of funds.
• Faced with a flattened budget and increased
  costs, in just three years 74 of the refuges in
  the northeast will be bankrupt, according to a
  Fish and Wildlife Service analysis. Other
  regions are facing similar problems. Able to
  absorb some budget pressure over the years,
  refuges have reached a threshold forcing the Fish
  and Wildlife Service to de-staff entire refuges,
  and cut visitor services and habitat management
  at scores of refuges.
• Investing in refuges is good for communities and
  for wildlife
• National Wildlife Refuges are economic engines in
  many rural areas. According to a recently
  released economic analysis, Banking on Nature, by
  the Fish and Wildlife Service
• Recreational visits to national wildlife refuges
  generate substantial economic activity. In FY
  2004, more than 36.7 million people visited
  refuges for recreation. Their spending generated
  1.37 billion of sales in regional economies. As
  this spending flowed through the economy, nearly
  24,000 people were employed and 453.9 million in
  employment income was generated.
• At Cape Romain National Wildlife Refuge in South
  Carolina, for every 1 spent on the refuges
  budget, about 27 are generated in recreational
  expenditures to the local economy. 2.5 million
  dollars of local tax revenues are generated
  through recreational expenditures.
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