Message from the Board

February 2026

By Jessica McDermott

Support our Refuges by Taking the National Wildlife Refuge System Survey

On Jan. 8, a bipartisan Fiscal Year 2026 Department of Interior appropriations bill rejected proposed deep cuts to the National Wildlife Refuge System, preserving essential funding for Americans’ public lands and waters.

However, with the ongoing comprehensive review of our National Wildlife Refuges underway and ongoing threats to our public lands, we must ensure that wildlife-first standards and refuge protections remain intact. 

The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service Director’s Order to conduct a comprehensive review of all refuge units and fish hatchery units is underway. The order was signed on Dec. 16, 2025, with a detailed report to be delivered to the Director by March 1, 2026.

The review will include, among other tasks, a report on the organizational structure required to achieve the mission of the Refuge and Hatchery Systems, their current needed resources (both operational and workforce), and staffing capacity. The preparers of this report are expected to obtain feedback from State and Tribal officials, and from NGO partners (such as friends’ groups like Friends of Camas) as well as the public.

This is where you come in! This survey shouldn’t take more than 10-minutes at most to complete, and the last two questions are open-ended, allowing room to share what you love about Camas National Wildlife Refuge and other refuges across the U.S. The more personal the message, the better! Detail your experiences at our refuges, what they provide for our communities, and why they deserve better funding and staffing. Let’s make our voices heard!  (Note that you must answer “YES” to Question 3 to see Questions 5-10.)

Click here to take the survey. The survey closes on Feb. 6, 2026.

Our National Wildlife Refuge System is a diverse network of lands and waters that were set aside for wildlife. Managed by U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, these areas form the largest wildlife conservation network in the world!

While refuges are a too often overlooked public land system, they are essential for protecting biodiversity and climate resilient habitats. They also connect communities with nature and are set-up to be wildlife-centered, making them unique when compared to other public land systems focused on recreation, industry, or development.

Despite having the most acreage when compared to other public land systems, our refuges have the lowest funding. In fact, they have been underfunded for decades. Our National Wildlife Refuge System (and Camas NWR) deserves appropriate funding and staffing to uphold their missions and purposes. With this in mind, Friends of Camas NWR welcomes the chance to add our voices and advocate for our treasured National Refuges, especially Camas NWR. We hope you’ll join us in advocating for Camas NWR by taking the national survey!