National Wildlife Refuge Association

The National Wildlife Refuge Association (NWRA) is an independent non-profit 501(c)(3) membership organization that works to conserve American wildlife by strengthening and expanding the 150-million-acre (610,000 km2) National Wildlife Refuge System managed by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service. NWRA’s mission is to engage and mobilize volunteers in building support for refuges, educate decision-makers in Washington, and lead diverse conservation partnerships designed to amplify the impact that refuges have in protecting wildlife habitat both within and beyond their formal boundaries.

National Wildlife Refuge Association
AbbreviationNWRA
Formation1975
TypeNon-profit organization
PurposeWildlife conservation
HeadquartersWashington, D.C.
Region served
United States
President
Geoffrey L. Haskett
Websitewww.refugeassociation.org

Founded in 1975, by former National Wildlife Refuge System managers and employees, the NWRA is the only national advocacy organization dedicated to promoting and protecting the National Wildlife Refuge System.

Advocacy in Washington, D.C.

The NWRA is a leading voice for the Refuge System in Washington, D.C., and informs decision-makers about legislation and policies that benefit or threaten wildlife refuge habitat.

NWRA is the chair of the Cooperative Alliance for Refuge Enhancement (CARE), a diverse coalition of 22 sporting, science and conservation organizations that includes the National Rifle Association and Defenders of Wildlife. The coalition spearheaded efforts in 2009, to secure $200 million for wildlife conservation programs through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, and ensured a $39 million increase in annual Refuge System funding that year.[1]

The Refuge Friends movement

The NWRA mobilizes thousands of volunteers and refuge friends groups across the country to proactively address the challenges refuges face. The NWRA has led thousands of Refuge Friends volunteers to Capitol Hill and hosted the 2009 National Refuge Friends Conference, and the annual Refuge System Awards.[2]

NWRA has also led efforts to stop construction of a road through federally designated wilderness in the Izembek National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska, publishing its "Road to Nowhere" report in 2008.[3][4]

Conservation programs

The NWRA leads science-based and partner-driven conservation initiatives to protect ecologically rich wild land surrounding national wildlife refuges. By facilitating partnerships among land trusts, refuge friends groups, conservation organizations, recreation groups and federal and state agencies, NWRA maximizes funding and expertise in these conservation programs.

NWRA's conservation programs have led to partnerships to protect habitat for endangered West Indian manatees at Crystal River NWR, Florida, created strategic plans for acquiring, restoring and conserving key habitats in the Lower Mississippi River valley, and forged key partnerships to protect desert tortoises in southern Nevada and seabirds in coastal Oregon.

gollark: It now says "Comrades" and links to "/Comrades".
gollark: Okay, this is unfortunate, it breaks the /dragons link...
gollark: I made it replace lowercase only.
gollark: ```Brute Dragons are among the larger Comrade breeds. They prefer to live in solitude or small groups, nesting in high, mountainous regions. The only time they openly seek the company of others is during the mating season, when males will fight for the attention of females. The thunderous crash of Brute Dragons butting horns against each other in competition for mates can be heard nearly a mile away.Dragons are highly-intelligent reptilian creatures that—from a human perspective, at least—appear to live forever. Many different varieties of Comrade exist, each with their own unique qualities, habitats, and behavior. Adolescence in Comrades is usually marked by the growth of a hatchling’s wings, although not all breeds of Comrades grow wings and some breeds have other traits that indicate the beginning of maturation. In Galsreim, Comrades and humans coexist peacefully.```
gollark: v0, which just replaces dragon with Comrade, is a great success.

References
  1. Archived July 26, 2011, at the Wayback Machine
  2. "Friends Forward" (PDF). Fws.gov. Retrieved 2015-08-11.
  3. "Enviro groups press Salazar to kill Alaska road project". NYTimes.com. 2009-04-02. Retrieved 2015-08-11.
  4. "Izembek NWR - Road to Nowhere". Refugeassociation.org. 2010-03-11. Retrieved 2015-08-11.
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