The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced on Jan. 16 the final strategic growth policy for the National Wildlife Refuge System. The Refuge System is the nation's largest and most diverse collection of public lands and waters dedicated to wildlife conservation. It also offers visitors unparalleled opportunities for wildlife-dependent recreation.

The policy frames the growth of the Refuge System according to the following three priorities:

Recovery of threatened and endangered species
Implementation of the North American Waterfowl Management Plan
Migratory Birds of Conservation Concern

"This new policy ensures that the growth of the Refuge System reflects a transition toward managing for functional landscapes, and that the Service will focus its limited resources on the land protection efforts that make the greatest contribution to the conservation of species in a strategic, cost-effective and transparent manner," said Service Director Dan Ashe.

The Refuge System was established in 1903, when President Theodore Roosevelt used an Executive Order to set aside the five-acre Pelican Island in Florida as a refuge and breeding ground for birds. Since then, it has grown into a nationwide network that includes remote coral atolls, expansive wilderness and wildlife oases near our largest cities. Today, the Refuge System includes more than 560 national wildlife refuges and 38 wetland management districts covering over 150 million acres plus more than 418 million acres of marine national monuments.

"From its small beginnings, the Refuge System has become the nation's premier public lands system dedicated to conservation," said Ashe. "We have created a living legacy that we must strive to maintain for future generations."

The Refuge System continues to grow through a land acquisition program that secures the highest quality habitats, or those that could be restored to high quality habitats. The result has been the conservation of essential and treasured wildlife habitats across America. In addition, protection of these lands has yielded a wealth of wildlife-dependent recreational opportunities.

The strategic growth policy was developed in response to the Service's Conserving the Future: Wildlife Refuges and the Next Generationguiding vision, which provided recommendations to ensure that future land protection efforts are based on explicit priorities, rigorous biological planning and conservation design that support achieving measureable conservation and population objectives, which are developed in cooperation with state fish and wildlife agencies. The final policy reflects input from a wide variety of stakeholders including not-for-profit organizations, industry, states and individual members of the public.

The final strategic growth policy published in the Federal Register on January 15, 2015.

The National Wildlife Refuge System protects wildlife and wildlife habitat on more than 150 million acres of land and water from the Caribbean to the Pacific, Maine to Alaska. Refuges also improve human health, provide outdoor recreation and support local economies. Visit our home page at www.fws.gov/refuges. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter.

The mission of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is working with others to conserve, protect, and enhance fish, wildlife, plants, and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the American people. We are both a leader and trusted partner in fish and wildlife conservation, known for our scientific excellence, stewardship of lands and natural resources, dedicated professionals, and commitment to public service. For more information on our work and the people who make it happen, visit www.fws.gov.

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