1. National Wildlife Refuges in Mississippi face an immediate $69.3 million budget shortfall Mississippi is home to 15 national wildlife refuges encompassing over 217,000 acres. All of these refuges have a mission to provide habitat for migratory birds and wintering waterfowl. In addition, Mississippi Sandhill Crane Refuge provides critical habitat for the endangered Mississippi Sandhill Crane and gopher tortoise, while Noxubee Refuge supports a population of the endangered red-cockaded woodpecker. Eleven Mississippi refuges lie within the Mississippi Alluvial Valley supporting some of the last remnants of large bottomland hardwood forest, an imperiled ecosystem. These refuges support important habitats for over 250 species of neotropical migrant birds, and provide resources for endangered species including freshwater mussels, wood stork, bald eagle and black bear. The Refuge System in Mississippi has identified: $69.3 million and 43 staff positions in unmet high priority needs. This shortfall prevents the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service from adequately managing and restoring wildlife habitat, safely maintaining facilities and providing quality recreational programs. Unfortunately, the Refuge System budget has remained relatively flat for the last two years. Due to rising costs, a flat budget erodes each refuge’s base funding, preventing vital positions from being filled and projects from being completed. The Refuge System in Mississippi needs a $232,000 increase each year just to retain current services. National Wildlife Refuges: Mississippi Funding Crisis Noxubee National Wildlife Refuge, Mississippi Yazoo and St. Catherine Creek National Wildlife Refuges need funding to staff wildlife biologist positions critical to monitoring wildlife and fishery resources on eight refuges in the Mississippi Alluvial Valley. Theodore Roosevelt Refuge Complex needs funding to improve water management and increase reforestation. Mississippi Sandhill Crane Refuge needs funding to control congon grass which is threatening to destroy the rare wet pine savannahs.

2. National Wildlife Refuge Funding Crisis About C.A.R.E CARE is a unique coalition of 21 conservation, scientific, sporting, and recreation organizations with more than 5 million members across the United States. CARE has been working since 1995 to help the National Wildlife Refuge System fight a serious funding crisis. American Birding Association American Fisheries Society American Sportfishing Association Congressional Sportsmen's Foundation Defenders of Wildlife Ducks Unlimited International Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies Izaak Walton League of America National Association of Service and Conservation Corps National Audubon Society National Rifle Association of America National Wildlife Federation National Wildlife Refuge Association Safari Club International The Wilderness Society The Wildlife Society Trout Unlimited U.S. Sportsmen's Alliance Assateague Coastal Trust Wildlife Forever Wildlife Management Institute 1010 Wisconsin Avenue, NW, Suite 200 Washington, DC 20007 Phone: 202-333-9075 Fax: 202-333-9077 Web: www.FundRefuges.org/CARE/ CareHome.html CARE recommends a $700 million annual operations and maintenance budget for the Refuge System The National Wildlife Refuge System faces a crippling $3 billion operations and maintenance budget shortfall, which continues to grow. An annual increase of $300 million will prevent the Refuge System from spiraling into more debt and allow the Fish and Wildlife Service to begin restoring habitat, maintaining facilities and expanding public use opportunities that have languished due to lack of funds. Faced with a flattened budget and increased costs, in just three years 74% of the refuges in the northeast will be bankrupt, according to a Fish and Wildlife Service analysis. Other regions are facing similar problems. Able to absorb some budget pressure over the years, refuges have reached a threshold forcing the Fish and Wildlife Service to de-staff entire refuges, and cut visitor services and habitat management at scores of refuges. Investing in refuges is good for communities and for wildlife National Wildlife Refuges are economic engines in many rural areas. According to a recently released economic analysis, Banking on Nature, by the Fish and Wildlife Service: Recreational visits to national wildlife refuges generate substantial economic activity. In the 2004 “Banking on Nature Study,“ more than 36.7 million people visited refuges for recreation. Their spending generated $1.37 billion of sales in regional economies. This generated nearly 24,000 jobs and $453.9 million in employment income. In Mississippi, refuges host over 400,000 visitors annually who participate in hunting, fishing, and wildlife observation producing an estimated $37 million impact into the local economies. Other economic impacts include 4.2 million annually in forest and farm products. The total economic contribution of Mississippi refuges is approximately $45 million annually.