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Things are getting crazy! The weather keeps changing, cold fronts keep messing with the fishing, and the government faces another shutdown. All of it affects how we do what we love.
The state runs our local Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources. They are in charge of our local DWR-run ponds and lakes. They benefit from our fishing licenses and other resources to do the work they do. They are responsible for the management of inland fisheries, wildlife, and recreational boating in Virginia. They also operate nine fish cultural stations around the state, four warm water and five cold water, that hatch and rear fish for annual fish stocking.
The other big agency for land management in Virginia is the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. It is a bureau within the U.S. Department of the Interior. They oversee lands that are part of the Refuge System and help oversee lands that are put into conservation easements. They work with the state and counties to help in the management and protection of fish, wildlife, plants, and their habitats for the American people.
The refuge system has seen its budget cut every year and staffing positions go unfilled for years. These positions are crucial to the mission of the refugees. These refugees run on a skeleton crew as is and rely on part time positions to help them every year. Some positions that are empty go unfilled because of the budget cuts. We aren’t talking about fluff positions either. One refuge I personally help with through a Friends Group has seen the maintenance position go unfilled when the employee retired.
That means that the upkeep of the equipment, the things we take for granted like mowing the grass, keeping the roads passable, and other jobs don’t get done. The maintenance position is not a single unit job, but oversees all the properties within a refuge system. While for us, the Friends group is helping do a lot of the jobs, not every refuge is so lucky. It takes a lot of volunteers and not all Refuges have them.
While some people think the refuge system is about taking away the land, it is actually working to save it for future generations. They use educational resources to help groups and schools. The local refuge system here works with the local schools to offer field days tailored to fit the needs of the students. They also offer a free kids fishing day every year to get kids into the outdoors. They offer them the tools to continue this beyond the one day. They are given baits and tackle that will help them grow and become stewards of nature while fishing.
A lot of the refuge units offer fishing opportunities, both fresh and saltwater free to the public. We can always enjoy them. But with budget cuts and possible government shutdowns, the future is uncertain. The last time we had a shutdown, the units remained open, but the employees were laid off until the budget was restored. And with everything happening, we are not sure if units will be closed in the near future. That means that land that “we the people” own may be shut off from our use. For some areas, that may be the only free public fishing water available.
It is up to each of us to do our part and help protect our property. That means letting our state and congressional representatives know how important this department is and how we need to keep them fully staffed for us. We can even let our president know that we need to protect these areas.
And we all need to see about volunteering at the local refuge. You can call and see if they have a Friend’s Group locally. Volunteering doesn’t mean you have to do anything big, just give a little of your time. They can always use your money to help the refuge, but, it can’t fill positions. Like to garden, there are opportunities. Bird watching, there are opportunities. Fishing, there are opportunities? That’s how I got involved. A couple of hours or a lot, you decide. But let’s all get involved to help protect what is ours!
