Get Toxic Pesticides Out of National Wildlife Refuge Farming Practices

Bird conservation is at the heart of the National Wildlife Refuge System. America's first Refuge, Pelican Island was established to help imperiled seabirds recover. Many of the Refuges in the Southeast, Midwest, and Southwest provide important habitat and stopovers for waterfowl. 50 million people visit Refuges every year for hiking, birding, hunting and fishing, camping, and reconnecting with nature.

And yet, many National Wildlife Refuges have historically used toxic pesticides for growing crops on their lands.

Now, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has proposed changes that would help to reduce the use of pesticides on Refuge lands. Under this new guidance, all agriculture and pesticide use on Refuges would be limited to instances necessary to meet key Refuge objectives. We strongly support these changes. However, we are concerned about the ongoing use of neonicotinoids and other conventional pesticides, which are known to kill birds, contaminate waterways, and disrupt ecosystems.

The hundreds of thousands of birds and other species which rely on Refuges may require supplementary food to get through migrations and winters. Many Refuges therefore grow crops like wheat, corn, and soy to help support their key objectives of providing resources for visiting and resident wildlife.

Support the move away from conventional synthetic pesticides on crops grown for wildlife!

National Wildlife Refuges are vital conservation areas. The need to supplement some wildlife with additional food is scientifically sound, but birds using these Refuges should not be exposed to unnecessary pesticides.

Please take action now! Tell Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland that you support efforts to phase-out conventional pesticides from crop production on Refuges.