AMERICA’S GREAT OUTDOORS

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WASHINGTON, D.C. Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar today announced a
draft vision plan to guide the growth and management of the National
Wildlife Refuge System.  The draft document, developed by the U.S. Fish
and Wildlife Service and National Wildlife Refuge Association, articulates
a 10-year vision for the Refuge System.

The vision document, entitled Conserving the Future: Wildlife Refuges and
the Next Generation, offers nearly 100 draft recommendations to protect
and improve the world's premier system of public lands and water set aside
to conserve America's fish, wildlife and plants for the continuing benefit
of the American people.  Starting today, the draft document will be
available for public comment until Earth Day, April 22, 2011.

The Conserving the Future process comes on the heels of President Obama's
America's Great Outdoors initiative to develop a conservation and outdoor
recreation agenda for the 21st century.  The process to develop a new
vision for the Refuge System goes hand-in-hand with many of the priorities
identified through the America's Great Outdoors national dialogue,
including greater access to recreation and connecting a new generation of
conservationists to the outdoors.

"The National Wildlife Refuge System is one of the crown jewels of our
conservation efforts and we must ensure that the System has the tools and
vision to meet the challenges of tomorrow," Salazar said. "I encourage all
Americans to participate in the Conserving the Future process and to voice
their bold ideas about the future priorities and management of our
national wildlife refuges."

There are 553 national wildlife refuges with at least one in every state
and U.S. territory. Spanning more than 150 million acres of land and
water, the Refuge System conserves wildlife habitat for hundreds of animal
and plant species and includes more than 20 million acres of designated
wilderness.  The last time a vision statement was articulated for the
System was 1999.

Among the draft vision's recommendations are:

       To engage youth in an array of work and volunteer programs;
       To review the Appropriate Use Policy, so a wider variety of
nature-based experiences may be possible;
       Within the next 10 years, to increase the number of minorities and
people with disabilities who work for the Refuge System, in part by
reaching high school and college youth from diverse communities and
exposing them to Service conservation careers.
       To develop a five-year plan to "green" the Refuge System;
       To encourage a "Friends" group for every staffed refuge; there are
now about 230 Friends groups;
       To develop standards for credibility, efficiency and consistent
application of science in planning and management;
       Working with state fish and wildlife agencies, to prepare a
strategy to double youth participation in hunting and fishing by 2020,
paying special attention to individuals of all ages with disabilities.

A website, http://americaswildlife.org, has been created to gather
comments and ideas.  A refined vision document reflecting the comments and
ideas received online is expected to be published in July 2011.

The use of new technologies and social media for this process invites the
American people to contribute their bold ideas to set a new direction for
the Refuge System, said Rowan Gould, Acting Director of the Fish and
Wildlife Service. The time to engage is now. Join the conversation online
through the website.

For more information on Conserving the Future: Wildlife Refuges and the
Next Generation, please visit the website at http://americaswildlife.org.
Learn more about the National Wildlife Refuge System at
http://www.fws.gov/refuges.

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.