Speak up for Eastern Neck and NWR System
Editorial Note: This letter was recently sent to Friends of Eastern Neck members through the organization’s newsletter, The Rookery.
To Our Members:
The front page of your quarterly newsletter is usually filled with good news: a Friends-led educational program, or a new volunteer initiative, or funding for a much-needed environmental or infrastructure project, all thanks to your support.
This spring, we have to bring a different story to the forefront.
All the public lands under the umbrella of the U.S. Department of the Interior are facing an unprecedented challenge. The National Wildlife Refuge System, already short-staffed and underfunded after decades of shrinking budgets, could soon see further cuts that would cripple conservation work and severely limit or end public access to many of these precious spaces.
In short, your Refuge needs you. Your generous monetary contributions and hands-on volunteering remain critical for our work as the Friends of Eastern Neck, but we need ask you for something more in the immediate future: Your voices.
Please reach out to your local, state, and federal representatives and tell them what Eastern Neck National Wildlife Refuge means to you and to our community.
Tell them how much you value the hard work of the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service staff from our Complex headquarters at Blackwater NWR, who regularly make a four-hour round trip to carry out biological and maintenance projects that preserve this island habitat for migratory birds and other species.
Let your elected representatives and business and cultural leaders know that our Refuge and others like it all over the country deserve to be protected. They deserve our stewardship for the natural wonders they shelter, and because they provide refuge for people, too.
If you've ever cleared your head with a trail walk, strolled the Butterfly Garden in late summer, heard your child or grandchild describe the fun they had on a school field trip, watched the sunset from the Tubby Cove overlook or Tundra Swan boardwalk, hunted, fished, picnicked, or launched a kayak on the island, or marveled at the amazing photographs to be taken around every corner of Eastern Neck — you understand what we mean.
Eastern Neck has a timeless quality. Generations of area residents and visitors have treasured it since 1962, when our community fought to keep it pristine in the face of a proposed housing development. But during this moment in time, none of us can take the future of the Refuge for granted.
A few words of explanation about why we're being so blunt:
Eastern Neck is one of four Refuges in the Chesapeake Marshlands Complex, managed by the Blackwater-based staff near Cambridge. At one time, Eastern Neck had five on-site FWS employees. That number is now zero.
At the same time, the Complex overall has seen its staffing decrease from a high of 23 in 2007 to the bare bones count of 10. Four employees were lost in the last two months — two to voluntary retirement and two to government-wide layoffs. Each personnel loss can bring about an associated cut in the operating budget for the Complex.
As we publish, a court order has temporarily stayed some layoffs, but that could be reversed on appeal, and the eventual outcome is unclear. The staffing numbers in this story, and the chart below, reflect what the federal government is seeking.
Cutbacks are not new. Over the last 15 years, the National Wildlife Refuge System has lost 800 positions — more than one-quarter of its workforce — leaving less than 2,300 employees to manage more than 570 Refuges and 850 million acres of habitat.
Additionally, a mandatory Reduction in Force across all federal agencies is expected in the coming months. The National Park Service and Bureau of Land Management are bracing for similar impacts.
We thank the Fish & Wildlife Service for its continuing dedication in difficult times. Friends groups around the country have played an increasingly crucial part in filling the gaps, but we can't replace the qualifications, expertise, and experience of FWS biologists, rangers, visitor services managers, and maintenance specialists.
The stark reality is that further cuts could make those gaps harder and harder to bridge.
- In a worst-case scenario, Eastern Neck could be "shuttered" for lack of staff support, curtailing public access to much of the island.
- Volunteer activities would be forced to cease. Our youth and adult programs — school visits, bird walks, marine science days — could no longer take place.
- The historic Lodge that houses the Visitors Center and the FOEN Bookstore and Gift Shop, a building saved thanks to considerable investment by both FWS and Friends, would close indefinitely.
- And the most important mission of the Refuge, preserving natural habitat, plants, and animals, would be undermined by neglect and potential vandalism.
- More remote, but still plausible, is the possibility that public lands, including those in our region, could be put up for sale.
We hope these bleak outcomes never come to pass. You can do your part by spreading the word to your neighbors and friends, and contacting community leaders and elected officials. Be sure to include personal stories about your connection to Eastern Neck. If you're willing to share your story publicly, please reach out to us on our Facebook page, our website, or at our mailing address (PO Box 450, Rock Hall MD 21661), and we will include your thoughts in our efforts.
Thank you in advance for your time, resources, and passion.
Friends of Eastern Neck NWR is a volunteer-led, 501(c)(3) membership organization that supports the work of the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service in its conservation and management work at the refuge.
Common Sense for the Eastern Shore
