NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE CHIEF VISITS EAST TEXAS REFUGES - The President of the National Wildlife Refuge Association is coming to East Texas this week to show support for the newly established Neches River National Wildlife Refuge in Cherokee and Anderson counties, and for the Caddo Lake National Wildlife Refuge, as well. Geoffrey Haskett has a wealth of experience as a leader in conservation. Among the many posts he has held throughout his career was the Regional Director for the US Fish and Wildlife Service in Alaska and also as Deputy Regional Director for the Southwest Region.
I asked him to briefly explain what the National Wildlife Refuge does and why its work is important. "The National Wildlife Refuge System is the only system of its kind in the world that has the kind of acreage it has and the kind of people working to support wildlife and habitat out there and special places". Haskett also added, " The Neches River Wildlife Refuge is one of the last remaining areas of its kind in the country and it's an incredibly important natural resource that deserves to be protected."
Haskett also emphasized the role the National Wildlife Refuge Association plays in bringing public attention to the resources needed to keep natural areas from funding neglect. "We serve the function in advocating for and representing refuges where they can't do it themselves. Part of what the Refuge Association is all about is making sure we're there people know about these kinds of things, that there is more discussion by the public and healthier debate; not just these autocratic decisions made in the middle of the night that nobody knows about causing problems to these wonderfully awesome places that need to be protected."
To learn more: National Wildlife Refuge Association - http://refugeassociation.org/
Neches River National Wildlife Refuge: https://www.fws.gov/refuge/neches_river/
Caddo Lake National Wildlife Refuge: https://www.fws.gov/refuge/caddo_lake/