The National Wildlife Refuge Association (NWRA) is an independent non-profit

501(c)(3) A 501(c)(3) organization is a United States corporation, trust, unincorporated association or other type of organization exempt from federal income tax under section 501(c)(3) of Title 26 of the United States Code. It is one of the 29 types of 50 ...

membership organization that works to conserve American

wildlife Wildlife refers to domestication, undomesticated animal species (biology), species, but has come to include all organisms that grow or live wilderness, wild in an area without being species, introduced by humans. Wildlife was also synonymous ...

by strengthening and expanding the

National Wildlife Refuge System National Wildlife Refuge System is a designation for certain protected areas of the United States managed by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service. The National Wildlife Refuge System is the system of public lands and waters set aside to c ...

managed by the

United States Fish and Wildlife Service The United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS or FWS) is an agency within the United States Department of the Interior dedicated to the management of fish, wildlife, and natural habitats. The mission of the agency is "working with othe ...

. NWRA’s mission is to engage and mobilize volunteers in building support for refuges, educate decision-makers in Washington, and lead diverse

conservation Conservation is the preservation or efficient use of resources, or the conservation of various quantities under physical laws. Conservation may also refer to: Environment and natural resources * Nature conservation, the protection and manageme ...

partnerships designed to amplify the impact that refuges have in protecting wildlife habitat both within and beyond their formal boundaries. Founded in 1975, by former National Wildlife Refuge System managers and employees, the NWRA is the only national advocacy organization dedicated to promoting and protecting the National Wildlife Refuge System.

Advocacy in Washington, D.C.

The NWRA is a leading voice for the Refuge System in

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

, and informs decision-makers about legislation and policies that benefit or threaten wildlife refuge habitat. NWRA is the chair of th
Cooperative Alliance for Refuge Enhancement
(CARE), a diverse coalition of 22 sporting, science, and conservation organizations that includes the

National Rifle Association The National Rifle Association of America (NRA) is a gun rights advocacy group based in the United States. Founded in 1871 to advance rifle marksmanship, the modern NRA has become a prominent Gun politics in the United States, gun rights ...

and

Defenders of Wildlife Defenders of Wildlife is a 501(c)(3) non-profit conservation organization based in the United States. It works to protect all native animals and plants throughout North America in their natural communities. Background Defenders of Wildlife is a n ...

. The coalition spearheaded efforts in 2009, to secure $200 million for wildlife conservation programs through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, and ensured a $39 million increase in annual Refuge System funding that year.

The Refuge Friends movement

The NWRA mobilizes thousands of volunteers and Refuge Friends groups across the country to proactively address the challenges refuges face. The NWRA has led thousands of Refuge Friends volunteers to

Capitol Hill Capitol Hill, in addition to being a metonym for the United States Congress, is the largest historic residential neighborhood in Washington, D.C., stretching easterly in front of the United States Capitol along wide avenues. It is one of the ...

and hosted the 2009 National Refuge Friends Conference, and the annual Refuge System Awards. NWRA has also led efforts to stop construction of a road through federally designated wilderness in the

Izembek National Wildlife Refuge The Izembek National Wildlife Refuge is the smallest of the National Wildlife Refuges located in the U.S. state of Alaska. It lies on the northwest (Bering Sea) coastal side of central Aleutians East Borough, Alaska, Aleutians East Borough. Almos ...

Alaska Alaska ( ; russian: Аляска, Alyaska; ale, Alax̂sxax̂; ; ems, Alas'kaaq; Yup'ik: ''Alaskaq''; tli, Anáaski) is a state located in the Western United States on the northwest extremity of North America. A semi-exclave of the U.S., ...

, publishing its "Road to Nowhere" report in 2008.

Conservation programs

The NWRA leads science-based and partner-driven conservation initiatives to protect ecologically rich wild land surrounding national wildlife refuges. By facilitating partnerships among land trusts, refuge friends groups, conservation organizations, recreation groups and federal and state agencies, NWRA maximizes funding and expertise in these conservation programs. NWRA's conservation programs have led to partnerships to protect habitat for endangered

West Indian manatee The West Indian manatee (''Trichechus manatus''), also known as the North American manatee, is a large, aquatic mammal native to warm coastal areas of the Caribbean, from the eastern US to northern Brazil. Living alone or in herds, it feeds on un ...

s at Crystal River NWR,

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...

, created strategic plans for acquiring, restoring and conserving key habitats in the Lower Mississippi River valley, and forged key partnerships to protect

desert tortoise The desert tortoise (''Gopherus agassizii''), is a species of tortoise in the Family (biology), family Testudinidae. The species is native to the Mojave Desert, Mojave and Sonoran Deserts of the southwestern United States and northwestern Mexic ...

s in southern

Nevada Nevada ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, Western region of the United States. It is bordered by Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. N ...

and

seabirds Seabirds (also known as marine birds) are birds that are adaptation, adapted to life within the marine (ocean), marine environment. While seabirds vary greatly in lifestyle, behaviour and physiology, they often exhibit striking convergent ev ...

in coastal

Oregon Oregon () is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of it ...

References

External links

National Wildlife Refuge Association

National Wildlife Refuge System
{{Authority control Environmental organizations based in Washington, D.C. Nature conservation organizations based in the United States Wildlife conservation organizations