WASHINGTON – The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) today called for a halt to the spread of sport hunting at 13 National Wildlife Refuges across the country.
In comments filed today with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), The HSUS charged that a proposal to increase sport hunting at the refuges violates the National Environmental Policy Act because the FWS has not prepared an environmental impact statement for these new hunting programs, nor for the more than 40 other new refuge hunting programs that have been activated by the FWS over the last seven years.
The FWS's latest refuge hunting proposal comes at a time when a lawsuit filed by The Fund For Animals challenging the FWS's past refuge openings is being heard before the federal district court in Washington, D.C.
"Unbeknownst to most Americans, the Fish and Wildlife Service actually encourages recreational hunting at more than half of the nation's 540 National Wildlife Refuges, and is adding new refuges to that list at an alarming rate every day," said Kristin Leppert, HSUS campaign manager for hunting issues. "Rather than making our national refuges a place of protection and shelter for wildlife, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has strayed far from its own policy directing that 'wildlife comes first in the National Wildlife Refuge System,' and is rapidly converting these treasured natural places into playgrounds for sport and trophy hunters."
The FWS has proposed opening or expanding sport hunting and trapping at Refuges in ten states -- including Alabama, California, Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Missouri, New Hampshire, New York, and Washington – all without preparing any comprehensive environmental analysis of what effects this vast expansion may have on migratory birds, native wildlife, plants, and other users of the Refuge system.
Although President Theodore Roosevelt, himself an avid hunter, established the first National Wildlife Refuge in 1903 to protect brown pelicans and other birds from plume hunters, more than half of the nation's 540 refuges currently allow hunting. The dozens of refuges opened to hunting since 1997 – without any comprehensive environmental review under NEPA -- previously provided undisturbed habitat for dozens of threatened and endangered species, including brown pelicans such as those President Roosevelt sought to protect a century ago.
"Given the huge number of refuges already available for sport hunting, there is simply no justification for these additional refuge openings," said Leppert. "At minimum, the FWS should halt the expansion of refuge hunting programs until the agency has properly studied the impacts of sport hunting on the scores of Americans that come to the refuge system to appreciate, rather than destroy, native wildlife."
The Humane Society of the United States is the nation's largest animal protection organization representing more than 9 million members and constituents. The non-profit organization is a mainstream voice for animals, with active programs in companion animals and equine protection, disaster preparedness and response, wildlife and habitat protection, animals in research and farm animal welfare. The HSUS protects all animals through education, investigation, litigation, legislation, advocacy, and field work. The group is based in Washington and has numerous field representatives across the country. On the web at www.hsus.org.
