For Immediate Release
Washington, DC

The U.S. National Wildlife Refuge System, which fuels the economic engine of local communities in all 50 states, is under threat from an Obama Administration proposal to significantly cut the system's budget.

Today Defenders of Wildlife joined 21 other groups to send a report to Congress asking that funding be restored. The report by the Cooperative Alliance for Refuge Enhancement (CARE) warns that unless Congress acts to restore funding for the refuge system, the economic benefits that refuges provide could be in jeopardy at the very time they're needed most.

Also at risk are the lands, waters, wildlife, birds and recreation opportunities that the more than 550 refuges in the 150-million-acre refuge system were established to protect.

Read the full news release and report.

Learn more about funding for wildlife and habitat.

For nearly 80 years, Defenders of Wildlife has worked to protect and restore America’s wildlife at risk of extinction, advancing a vision of a future in which wildlife thrives, sustained by broad public support and a resilient network of healthy lands and waters. With a network of more than 2 million supporters, Defenders is an advocate for innovative solutions to safeguard wildlife for generations to come. To learn more, please visit https://defenders.org/newsroom or follow us on Instagram @defendersofwildlife.  

 

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