Finding, protecting, enjoying refuge

CATHARINE COOPER

Silvery light caresses the surface of a tranquil sea, while in the

shore-strewn kelp, stout-legged birds rummage for breakfast. It’s the

season for migratory layovers, and the black-breasted plover and the

ruddy and black turnstones have begun their short stay at the edge of

our shoreline refuge.

They join the sandpipers and gulls along the tidewaters, tossing

bits of discarded plant life into the air as they search for aquatic

insects and worms. I relish the opportunity to share our refuge, and

ponder the vast distances of their journeys.

Breeding habitats for both plover and turnstone are the low-lying

tundra of Alaska and the Hudson Bay region of Canada. Their vacation

with us is merely a pause on journeys south and east, in some cases,

as far as the coasts of Paraguay and Argentina.

What strikes me, as I ponder the incredible distances of their

migrations, is the tremendous value of the Wildlife Refuge System as

a support system in their continued survival. The essence of

successful seasonal migration is that a return trip, between two

localities, provides the birds with suitable conditions for their

survival at different times of the year. It is necessary that they

find clean and abundant food and water, and that they are guaranteed

sanctuary.

It was 1903 when President Theodore Roosevelt set aside the first

national wildlife refuge on Florida’s Pelican Island. His intention

was to protect a bird species that was being hunted to the brink of

extinction for their beautiful plumes. The refuge system has grown to

now encompass some 95 million acres of pristine land and water. These

are places of both permanent residence, and a stopover for migratory

birds and mammals.

Managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, which is an agency

within the Department of the Interior, the Refuge System contains 540

refuges and 3,000 waterfowl production areas. It is the world’s

largest system of lands and waters whose primary purpose is the

conservation of wildlife and habitat.

During the first century of its existence, the refuge system was

managed as a collection of islands, rather than as an integrated

network of ecosystems. In 1997, with the passage of the National

Wildlife Refuge System Improvement Act, the system embraced an

overarching mission of conservation and uniform procedures of

management. One of its mandates is the preservation of biodiversity,

and keeping the ecosystems intact.

The refuge system, while originally founded to preserve waterfowl,

has grown to encompass the protection of all species and their

habitat, such as the porcupine caribou of Alaska. The entire spectrum

of North American ecosystems -- from the southwest desert to the

arctic tundra, from tropical forests to coral reefs -- can be found

within the system.

Some 150 of the refuges contain various types of marine and

estuarine areas that provide habitat for species, which include sea

turtles, monk seals and countless shorebirds. The refuge system

encompasses almost three million acres of coral reefs and adjacent

ocean habitat, an area larger than any other protected public lands

or marine system.

The system includes 17 million acres of tundra, eight million

acres of brush habitat, six million acres of desert and four million

acres of grassland. In addition, 75 designated National Wilderness

areas -- 21 million acres, or one-fifth of the entire National

Wilderness Preservation System, are found on 65 of the refuges in 25

states.

Since species extinction continues to plague our planet, the

refuge system can be viewed as a vital link in the preservation of

unique and critical landscapes. Species such as the mountain lion,

wolverines, blue grouse and prairie-fringed orchid depend on the

system for their survival. The wetlands within the system, support

the needs of heron, egrets, storks, and of course, the plover and

turnstone.

While Laguna’s coastline is not part of the National Refuge

System, we have designated our tide pools and local waters as a part

of the Orange County Marine Life Refuge. This links us to a dedicated

program for the preservation and protection of local marine life.

Shorebirds must sense our commitment to preservation, which is why

they can be found scurrying along the water’s edge.

While their transitory visit seems altogether too brief, the

appearance of the traveling birds provides visual diversity and the

chance to ponder concepts such as the preservation of migratory

habitat and the conservation of wildlife in America. We have the

opportunity, both collectively and through our individual actions, to

insure that our planetary legacy is one of species abundance and

habitat expansion. For information on how you can help, visit

https://www.refugenet.org.

* CATHARINE COOPER supports the expansion of wild places. She can

be reached at [email protected].