National Wildlife Refuge Association Sample Letter

Dear Representative,

I respectfully ask that you request a $451 million appropriation to the National Wildlife Refuge System for FY 2008. While vitally important to our nation’s wildlife, refuges provide unparalleled opportunities to hunt, fish, watch wildlife and educate children about wildlife conservation. Without increased funding for refuges, wildlife conservation and public recreation opportunities will be jeopardized.

The president’s budget request for FY 2008 only goes part of the way to providing enough funding for the Refuge System to maintain current services and operations. Please help secure adequate funding to avoid further cuts to our refuges. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, which manages the National Wildlife Refuge System, is among the most efficient and cost-effective agencies in our government. And volunteers at refuges create even more bang for the buck, where they generate 20% of all the work done on refuges. As a result, for every $4 appropriated by Congress, citizens working on behalf of refuges pick up the fifth dollar. But they can only make up so much of a shortfall in overall funding; it’s time for the federal government to step up and fill the funding gap.

The president’s budget request increases funding for refuges by $13 million. However, the Refuge System requires an increase of $15 million each year just to keep up with the cost of living (i.e., salaries, utilities, rent). Refuge funding represents approximately 1/100th of one percent (0.01%) of the federal budget and it covers everything that happens on our refuges, including salaries for U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service staff, habitat restoration, biological research and monitoring, and ongoing maintenance.

There has never been a more important time to ensure adequate funding for our National Wildlife Refuge System. I respectfully ask that you work to increase Refuge System funding for FY 2008 to $451 million, a small increase in real dollars over last year’s appropriation.

Sincerely,
Your name and address here