Wildlife refuges lack means to survive
February 27th, 2007 | by Craig R. Harmon |Wildlife refuges are in trouble, according to this Los Angeles Times article. While budgets rose sharply from 1997 through 2004, budgets were cut for 2005, raised only slightly for 2006 and remain flat for 2007 (for a graphic representation, click the link marked “click to enlarge” under the graphic entitled “Refuge budget picture”; a mini-window will pop-up). This is failing to keep up with needs and so personnel are being let go, upkeep of roads are being allowed to slide, investigation of poachers and hunters are suffering, weeds that choke off certain flora that are vital to certain species are being allowed to grow unchecked and threatening species, and all sorts of bad things are being reported.
A few observations:
1. For the first four years of Bush’s administration, the budget grew by amounts that seem commensurate with increases by the previous administration. In fact, from 2002 to 2003, in actual dollars (not necessarily in percentage, though perhaps also in percentage), the budget was raised by a larger amount than any single year increase in the previous six years. Good for Bush.
2. In 2005, the budget was reduced (not a reduction in growth but a significant actual reduction in budget), likely in response to ongoing expenditures for the Iraq war, as a means of avoiding undoing Bush’s across the board tax breaks (although that’s just a guess). While inflation during that period was as low as it had been in a very long time, inflation was occurring and a reduction in budget obviously played hell with services and the fact that 2008’s projected budget will only finally once again reach the 2004 budget level (not taking into account the effect of inflation) shows the problem is real.
Anyway, I like animals. I like the idea of wildlife refuges. I think they’re a good idea and worthy of attention. I can fully understand the frustration that environmental activists (particularly those who are against the Iraq war anyway) feel about this. I can also understand the need to continue to fund the Iraq war. I also understand the negative economic effects of tax hikes upon the economy.
Anyway, I just wanted to point this out.