Photo: Occoquan Bay NWR, Dixie Sommers
Brad Scriber
National Wildlife Refuges are entering a period of uncertainty that could undermine the vital protections they offer to around 800 bird species across the country. Northern Virginia’s refuges are not immune from the looming pressures, but area refuges outside the federal system are thriving.
Early Retirements and Budget Reductions Could Impact the National Wildlife Refuge System Soon
Since Theodore Roosevelt’s 1903 creation of the three-acre Pelican Island wildlife sanctuary at the urging of the Florida Audubon Society, National Wildlife Refuges have been a cornerstone of bird conservation. Today there are 573 refuges covering 856 million acres of protected land and marine habitat, run as a unified system by the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
It takes a lot of workers to administer, maintain, and safeguard these refuges, and already-shrinking personnel levels may soon fall even lower. According to a recent briefing by the National Wildlife Refuge Association, the system has shrunk by about 17 percent since January 2025 (from 2,353 Full-Time Equivalent positions to 1,948, a loss of 405 FTEs). More reductions could come soon if employees accept early retirement or opt in to a fresh round of the Deferred Resignation Program, which was announced by the Interior Department in early April.
It’s unknown how many workers may choose voluntary departures, but there are some limitations. The NWRA points out that fire, law enforcement, and field staff at National Wildlife Refuges cannot participate in the program. They also noted that the current USFWS leadership has signaled a desire to get more “boots on the ground” at refuges despite these retirement enticements. Possible strategies the agency has mentioned include co-management of refuges with state wildlife agencies, reorganization of USFWS, and a search for efficiencies, perhaps from using AI to review comments submissions or even to help with bird counts.
Large budgetary reductions are also signaled in the President’s budget request for 2027, including a 21% decrease in overall funding for refuges and the zeroing out of funds for a number of programs, according to the NWRA briefing. Given the political pressures of an election year, the association expects that final funding decisions will likely happen after the mid-terms.
Staffing Challenges at National Wildlife Refuges in Northern Virginia
Creative management strategies are helping staff cope with key departures at the Potomac River Refuge Complex, a group of three National Wildlife refuges at the mouth of the Occoquan River (the Occoquan Bay, Elizabeth Hartwell Mason Neck, and Featherstone National Wildlife Refuges).
About a year ago, the manager of this complex left. In lieu of a replacement, the complex has been managed with weekly visits by deputies stationed at other refuges in the mid-Atlantic. For a while this involved staff visits from West Virginia’s Canaan Valley National Wildlife Refuge, but more recently the complex has been tended by a deputy manager based at the Patuxent Research Refuge in Laurel, Maryland.
Mike Bailey, Refuge Manager for Patuxent Research Refuge and the Southern Maryland Woodlands Refuge, says this arrangement is still in a trial period. Randy Streufert, a thirteen-year volunteer at the Potomac River Refuge complex is concerned that with additional staff reductions looming, the situation could become permanent and impact services and public access to these refuges.
Friends groups have warned about low staffing levels at the complex for years. For much of the early 2000s, the complex had between six and eight full time staff positions, about half the minimum level reflected in comprehensive plans. Streufert expects that by the end of May the complex may have only two staffers on site.
A bit of good news could come soon as work progresses on a trail project through the Featherstone NWR section of the complex. The trail or portions of it may soon be opened to allow public access throughout the preserve for birdwatching and other activities.
Refuges Outside the National Wildlife Refuge System are Thriving
While the outlook at National Wildlife Refuges is grim, there is stability and even growth at other protected lands in northern Virginia.
Northern Virginia is home to Natural Area Preserves including Elklick Woodlands Natural Area Preserve, administered by Fairfax County Parks, and Bull Run Mountains Natural Area Preserve, which is owned by the Virginia Outdoors Foundation.
Bull Run Mountains Natural Area Preserve added 178 Acres last June and now covers more than 2,500 acres of interior forest, key habitat for birds such as whip-poor-wills and woodcocks. Joe Villari, Preserve Manager at Bull Run Mountains NAP, explains that overall acreage is important, but the foundation is also pursuing grants to physically connect their northern and southern holdings. There are also some 8,000 acres of conservation easements in the surrounding area that limit development and help protect natural resources.
Recreation is secondary to preservation on these lands. As such, there is no public access to Elklick Woodlands, and limited access to Bull Run Mountains. The southern section of Bull Run Mountains is open to the public on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday and a one-mile trail extension, for a total of eight miles of public trails, will open in June. Dogs are not allowed, in order to slow the spread of invasive plant species and to reduce behavioral impacts on other species in the preserve.
Special tours and visits can be arranged to the northern section, but on a regular basis this is limited to scientific studies and school groups.
Further to our south, there was a recent expansion of the Crow’s Nest Natural Area Preserve, which added more than 200 acres in 2024. Along with a parcel added in 2022, the area now protects 3,343 acres within the Audubon-designated Lower Potomac Important Bird Area.
Brad Scriber is an Arlington based writer, researcher, and bird buff.