Congresswoman Cammack Visits the Refuge

Andrew is going to get us all coffee!

At our recent strategic planning meeting, Friends board narrowed our focus down to three areas, Awareness, Advocacy, and Physical Support.

Advocacy has been front of mind due to the lack of law enforcement on the Refuges nationwide, and ours in particular. Reportedly this is the result of insufficient appropriations to fund the Fish and Wildlife Service's Federal Wildlife Officers. The Refuge system budget has increased by about 0.08%  since FY 2010, while inflation for materials and costs have increased about 16%. 

Our advocacy team, led by Jay Bushnell, began reaching out to our state and federal elected officials. Congresswoman Cammack responded and scheduled a trip to discuss the situation with our Friends' Advocacy Committee.

Congresswoman Kat Cammack, Florida District 3

At her request, we met at the Refuge on February 8th when she planned to be in the area. We were pleased to have her enthusiastic and undivided attention. Cammack serves on the House Agriculture Committee, and several caucuses, including Law Enforcement, Forests, and the Sportsmen's. With her support, those connections could positively affect the needs of the Refuges.

We discussed the fact that the Refuge staff oversees  53,000 acres on the Lower Suwannee with responsibilities including rebuilding forests, providing hydrologic improvements to clean water flow which impacts clamming, oystering, commercial and residential fishing. She was interested in the indigenous archaeological importance of Shell Mound and other areas within the Refuges. She was pleased and surprised to learn that our Refuges have about 250,000 visitors annually, who boost the economy of the region and enjoy the recreational opportunities the Refuges offer such as hunting, biking, hiking, bird and butterfly watching and nature walks.

Looking at images of the River Trail boardwalk

Refuge Map poster

The Congresswoman, who insisted we call her Kat, got right to the point, "What can I do? What do you want to happen?"
 
We wanted two things:

• Increase the visibility of the Lower Suwannee & Cedar Keys National Wildlife Refuges as crucial economic drivers, and as essential to the quality of life in her District.
• Elevate awareness of the need for enhanced law enforcement to assure the safety of visitors, hunters, land, and water and avoid the legal requirement to close hunting and visitor access if safety cannot be assured.
  

We reported that our Refuges have gone from a staff of 14 to 5, losing both full-time and collateral-duty law enforcement officers. Public safety has become a major concern. 

Due to an injury of the one law enforcement officer the Refuges did have, we currently have zero. Without law enforcement to deter crimes including poaching, vandalism, and an increase in other undesirable behaviors, there is a risk of forced closures to the public, including for hunting.  Notably, the Lower Suwannee NWR has more hunt days than any other refuge in the lower 48 states.

The Advocacy Committee felt good about the Congresswoman's interest in our Refuges and particularly in our concern about the need for more law enforcement. We invited her and her staff to join us at the Annual Meeting. We will continue our conversations and are confident that she will have our desire for increased law enforcement on our Refuges front of mind as a significant concern for her constituents.

Welcoming Congresswoman Cammack to the Lower Suwannee & Cedar Keys NWRs