Wildlife Refuges vs. National Parks

In honor of National Wildlife Refuge Weeks (which was this past week), I thought I would say something about this system of federally-owned lands that include 552 refuges spanning 150 million acres in all 50 states. I first stumbled upon a National Wildlife Refuge 3 years ago and have now had the opportunity to visit or work in 7 in four states. I've had the privilege to meet people who have worked in several of them, each with their own unique characteristics:

• the world's largest wintering elk herd (National Elk Refuge)
• the smallest deer (Key Deer) and turtle (bog turtle) species in North America (Key Deer Refuge and Great Swamp)
• oil spills (Breton Island)
• unexploded ordnance (Plum Tree Island)
• nuclear waste (Johnston Atoll)
• Superfund sites full of PCBs, chromium, lead, asbestos, rocket fuel, and who knows what else (too many to mention)
• active volcanoes (Alaska Maritime)
• tropical rainforest (Hakalau)
• sandy barrier islands that change shape every few months (Monomoy)
• an urban skyline (Minnesota Valley in Minneapolis, John Heinz in Philadelphia)
• habitat for migratory organisms of all sizes, including bats, whales, sea turtles, manatees, whooping cranes, wood ducks, sturgeon, and even butterflies

No other agency is the world has purview over such a wide array of conservation-related issues. That said, many Americans aren't completely aware of their wildlife refuges. They're often confused with privately-owned preserves, parks operated by local governments, and wildlife rehabilitation centers. However, the most common system that the NWRS is confused with is the National Park Service. Now, I enjoy a visit to an NPS-run site (I last counted 39), but the Park Service is NOTHING like the NWRS. They might both have pretty animals running around them and employ people who wear uniforms, but there's are several differences between the two.
America's national wildlife refuges are run by the US Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), whose main mission revolves around conservation of biodiversity and natural resources. The refuge system is only a small part of the FWS, which also operates fish hatcheries, lists and protects endangered species, and responds to environmental catastrophes (most famously the Deepwater Horizon disaster and other oil spills, but also including forest fires). Wildlife refuges are specifically designed to protect biodiversity, both directly (a cave that contains the only habitat of an endangered fish) or indirectly (a wetland used by migrating birds). The Park Service protects landscapes and historic sites for recreational purposes. Of course, there is some overlap between the two. NPS has sites such as Everglades National Park, an enormous wetland of key significance, and Yellowstone, a tremendous habitat for a variety of wildlife. Likewise, refuges such as Chincoteague in Virginia get a significant number of tourists.
One obvious characteristic that differentiates the refuge system from national parks is the emphasis on management for biodiversity. Refuge operations are designed to protect natural resources; national parks are designed to serve visitors. Refuges often clear grasslands and fields to encourage habitat succession or alter water levels to create plant growth. I’ve heard of entire refuges closed for a couple days due to prescribed burns, invasive plant spraying, or controlled hunting. I even know of a refuge that closes much of trail system during the winter when bird populations are at their greatest to protect them from intrusion by visitors; in a national park, the trail would probably be open to allow visitors to see the birds. Similarly, many refuges that aren’t located within an hour or so of a major metropolitan area don’t have a visitor center, or any visitor services at all. They simply don’t make a huge effort to attract any because it’s not a priority.
Finally, here’s my more biased distinction between refuges and parks. National Parks are places you go if you want to drive beyond a gate and instantly be dazzled. You can see dramatic geological formations, ancient Pre-Columbian ruins, majestic forests, and historic buildings where history was shaped. All you have to do is get there and walk around. In comparison, National Wildlife Refuges are places where you can go for an hour and not see anything. You can be at one for a couple hours and not see anything. If you don’t make an effort to look and don’t have any patience, you’re not going to see anything. But suddenly, there will be moments that you won’t find anywhere else: three bald eagles fighting over an opossum, two snapping turtles engaged in territorial fighting, the eerie call of an American Bittern echoing miles across a wetland, or a peregrine falcon flying across a beach. Then, as suddenly as the moment started, it disappears, and you’re back to sitting in the marsh.
Thanks for reading.