Wednesday, March 4, 2015

National Wildlife Refuge Association Celebrates 40th Anniversary

The evening of Thursday, February 26, the National Wildlife Refuge Association celebrated our 40th anniversary with more than 100 friends and family in Washington, DC, including our board and staff from the Department of the Interior, and leadership of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife service and the National Wildlife Refuge System.

The celebration featured special birthday wishes by the Secretary of the Interior, Sally Jewell, and Dan Ashe, Director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

"The work the Refuge Association does is so important," Jewell told the crowd, noting that the Refuge Association is a leading advocate for good conservation policy and funding for the Refuge System.

Refuge Association President David Houghton hosted the evening, reminding the crowd of how much has changed since the organization was founded in 1975. The Refuge System was comprised of about 34 million acres, with a budget of $20 million; today, the System's budget is $474.2 million to manage 150 million acres of refuge lands. But with the new expansion of the Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument, the Refuge System is now responsible for more than a half billion acres of land and water.

"We've come a long way," Houghton said, "and it means a lot to us to celebrate our 40th anniversary with the men and women of the Fish and Wildlife Service and the Refuge System who do the hard and important work of wildlife conservation every day."

Board chair Stuart Watson gave the toast, noting the bright future ahead for the organization.

40 Years of Conservation

The Refuge Association was launched in 1975 by a small group of retired Refuge System employees who recognized the need for a strong, independent nonprofit advocate for America's national wildlife refuges.

Through the years, the organization has grown from a volunteer effort into an organization with full-time professional staff, and today is on an exciting upward trajectory in growth. Our FY14 Annual Report showcases many of the Refuge Association's work, and our newly-released 2015 Legislative Priorities highlights some of the most critical policy and funding issues facing the Refuge System that we are focusing our advocacy efforts around.

The evening was a terrific way to kick off what we hope will be a year-long celebration with our members, donors and other supporters, so stay tuned for more 40th Anniversary fun throughout the year!