Refuge Visitor Center Threatened With Closure; Refuge System In Crisis

By Refuge Ranger Joan Howe

Paris, Tenn.–On December 31st of this year, I will be retiring from the US Fish and Wildlife Service after 33 years of federal service.  Of those years in service, I have had the privilege of spending 25 of them as the Refuge Ranger at the Tennessee National Wildlife Refuge Complex which also includes Cross Creeks National Wildlife Refuge (NWR).

The most excited and blessed period of my career came during the creation of a state-of-the-art Refuge Visitor Center in 2014 complete with free entry, an interactive exhibit hall, auditorium, classroom and nature bookstore. It was an opportunity to create something conservation oriented for the local community. It was an opportunity that I had dreamed of for years!

For these past ten years working with the education community, the Friends of Tennessee NWR, local volunteers, universities, and many organizations, we have built a top-notch visitor program focusing on environmental education for all ages.  For instance, in 2023 we had around 9,000 visitors to this visitor center which included roughly 3,000 students that came for 50 all day field trips from a 10-county radius. We also conducted in-school programs for over 2,300 students from schools in a 6-county area and off-site adult programs for over 400 people.  We also coordinate the Jr Duck Stamp program in which roughly 2,000 students in several counties learn about waterfowl, wetlands and their conservation needs and design an art entry for an annual judging.  Winners get a free trip to the Discovery Park of America for a glittery awards ceremony and the best of show receives a scholarship.

With free events or programs held monthly, a fishing derby and Earth Camp at Cross Creeks, an adult Tennessee Naturalist certification program and teacher training workshops….well, we keep busy.  How we accomplish all this with few staff is with more than 70 volunteers that give their time to work over 13,000 hours to keep operations at the refuge going.  This refuge ranger position also serves as the sole volunteer coordinator which recruits these wonderful volunteers.

But sadly, all that may be coming to an end!

The refuge has learned that my position will not be replaced in the near future, if ever. With no position to run it, the visitor center may be forced to close the doors and all mentioned programs will cease. It’s not malice but simply lack of capacity – not enough money to fill all vacant positions. For more than 15 years the entire National Wildlife Refuge System of more than 570 refuges has received flat or declining budgets. With inflation at record highs, fixed costs of diesel fuel, electricity, maintaining facilities, etc. is more expensive while budgets have remained relatively flat.

The US Fish and Wildlife Service is stuck with hard decisions on what positions to replace when they become vacant.  The total staff on all refuges has shrunk 27% from 3,244 employees in 2011 to 2,348 in 2024 mostly from someone leaving the position and it not being replaced. Some refuges have no managers, or no biologists, or even no maintenance staff.  Currently 204 law enforcement officers patrol over 850 million acres of land and water, an average of 440, 000 acres per officer.  Sometimes one officer alone is responsible for an entire state of refuges, or even several states. For the world’s largest network of lands and waters dedicated to wildlife conservation, the National Wildlife Refuge System is in a state of erosion and crisis.

On the Tennessee NWR Complex of two refuges, a size of more than 60,000 acres we have lost 4 positions in the past 5 years that have not been replaced. In addition to mine, we may lose up to 3 more positions by 2027 due to retirement, a possible staff reduction of 50% in 8 years!  We have 400,000 visitors annually to the complex.  With 326 assets that the refuge maintains (think buildings, 95 miles of roads, 23 boat ramps, 30 parking lots, water control structures, observation decks, fishing piers, trails, etc.) there is a large deferred-maintenance backlog that is enough to warrant another complete article. There are many more details about our Refuge System in crisis, for more information you might see the following story from the National Wildlife Refuge Association at https://www.refugeassociation.org/the-refuge-staffing-crisis.

So, in this season of looking back over my career with pride, I also approach my retirement with a bit of understandable anxiety.  However, there is hope!

There is always hope for more appropriations as the American public hears about this crisis.  But more locally, our hope is called the Friends of Tennessee National Wildlife Refuge.  This is a group of citizens from the local community that have stepped up to the challenge many times.  Like recently when they hired an intern that was a recent UT Martin graduate to help with the visitor services program.  This intern has now become a term ranger position in which I have been training for more than a year on all operations here.  The thought is that a term position will keep some of the programs going and keep the visitor center doors open until permanent funding can come through to replace a full-time ranger position.

Unfortunately, the US Fish and Wildlife Service has numerous unfunded priorities, and the refuge manager is forced to make tough decisions on where to spend diminishing operational funds.  In an attempt to assist, the Friends of TNWR are rising to the challenge to step up their fundraising efforts to help pay to keep the term position funded after my retirement.

You may be noticing more fundraising dinners, events and now an exciting new idea.  The Friends have gone out to the local community and collected up 10 unique experiences.  They are offering these experiences through a local online auction site that is open now for you to bid on through September 10, 2024.  One hundred percent of the money raised goes to help pay for the term position.

These experiences include:

So, if you have thought at any time during reading this article that you wish you could do something to help, now is the time and here is the chance.  For more specifics about these auction items, you can call the refuge office at 731-642-2091 or see the Friends Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/TNrefuge/

Bidding is all online at the following link:  https://redball.bidlastandwin.com/auction/friends-of-the-tennessee-wildlife-refuge-online-benefit-auction-24/bidgallery/.

Of course, you could also just make a donation to the cause and/or join the Friends of Tennessee NWR.

Even after retirement, I plan to continue this fight for the health and existence of our National Wildlife Refuge System and especially our refuge.  I hope you will join me in this cause.  At the very least, share this story with others to bring awareness of our refuge in crisis.  Your calls or any other ideas are welcome at 731-642-2091 x 303.