Bill Targeting Muleshoe National Wildlife Refuge Undermines Public Land Management

The House Natural Resources Committee is set to take up a bill on Wednesday targeting the Muleshoe National Wildlife Refuge, the oldest refuge in Texas, that would block implementation of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s recent Land Protection Plan for the refuge, undermining science-based management of America’s public lands. Sponsored by Rep. Jodey Arrington (R-TX), H.R. 839 would undercut the protection plan, which is based on 15 years of research and collaboration with the local community and established an approved acquisition boundary within which the refuge may be expanded.

“Rep. Arrington’s bill is based on misinformation and was written with the intent of thwarting the National Wildlife Refuge System’s mission to conserve wildlife and their habitats,” said Nathan Marcy, senior federal lands policy analyst at Defenders of Wildlife. “The truth is that the expansion of the Muleshoe Refuge will provide much needed protection for Texas lands and wildlife without infringing upon the rights of landowners.”

The FWS works only with willing sellers in land acquisitions, ensuring that no landowner is ever forced or pressured to sell. The approved acquisition boundary imposes no new regulations on landowners and has no effect on their property rights. This bill would prevent expansion of the refuge, setting a dangerous precedent for refuges throughout the country, which are strongholds for hundreds of threatened and endangered species whose habitats need protecting.  

The Muleshoe National Wildlife Refuge protects important grassland and wetland habitats in the Southern High Plains. The refuge is home to the federally endangered Southern Distinct Population Segment of the lesser prairie chicken, which FWS has determined faces the potential of immediate extinction. It also serves as a breeding ground for migratory birds and supports the sandhill crane, pronghorn and hundreds of other species.

“The Muleshoe National Wildlife Refuge contains a remarkable abundance and diversity of wildlife,” said Marcy. “The protection of larger areas of habitat is essential to the recovery of lesser prairie chicken in the region. This bill would undermine science-based conservation planning and decades of progress protecting wildlife on public lands.”

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