1. United States
2. Idaho
3. Letter

I am writing to express serious concern about the rushed review of the National Wildlife Refuge System ordered by U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Director Brian Nesvik on December 16. This review, led by senior advisor Josh Coursey, encompasses 573 refuges covering 96 million acres, five marine national monuments, and 71 national fish hatcheries. The aggressive timeline requiring final recommendations by February 15 is inadequate for properly evaluating a system larger than Montana. Seven retired career officials with hundreds of years of combined experience, including four former deputy directors Marshall Jones, Gary Frazer, James Kurth, and Greg Siekaniec, sent a January 5 email warning that the agency does not have broad authority to dispose of refuge lands. With certain limited exceptions, lands can be disposed of only by act of Congress. These experts emphasized that the refuge system has its own organic act separate from the Fish and Wildlife Service's mission, and federal laws establish specific purposes for individual refuges that must guide any review. The directive asking field managers to identify refuges established for purposes that no longer align with the agency's mission is particularly troubling. This language suggests potential land disposal at a time when migratory birds are declining and even mule deer populations are in trouble. The refuge system is already at risk due to chronic underfunding, having lost more than 30 percent of employees since 2010. According to a recent Fish and Wildlife Service inventory, not a single refuge possesses the resources it requires. Refuges are important to the American people for the long-term health of our country's resources and make large financial contributions to surrounding communities. I urge you to oppose any efforts to dispose of refuge lands and instead support increased funding to address the staffing crisis that has left this vital system vulnerable. These public lands deserve thoughtful stewardship, not hasty decisions driven by arbitrary timelines.