📷 Black-billed Magpie at Camas National Wildlife Refuge, ID | Brent Lawrence/USFWS
WASHINGTON, DC – MARCH 24th, 2025 –The National Wildlife Refuge Association (Refuge Association) vehemently opposes the proposed transfer of Camas National Wildlife Refuge (NWR), a part of the National Wildlife Refuge System (Refuge System), to the State of Idaho. The effort, initiated by the Idaho State Legislature, threatens to dismantle nearly 90 years of conservation progress and opens the door to selling off national wildlife refuges and America’s other public lands to the highest bidder.
“Camas National Wildlife Refuge is a symbol of what this country can do when we invest in wildlife, community, and restoration,” said Desirée Sorenson-Groves, President & CEO of the National Wildlife Refuge Association. “This proposal is a betrayal of the American people who built the Refuge System— who cleaned up unwanted lands, restored habitats, and handed down a conservation legacy for future generations. And now somehow federal management is a four letter word – it’s outrageous.”
Established in 1937 by President Franklin D. Roosevelt, Camas NWR spans over 10,000 acres of wetlands, sagebrush steppe, and riparian woodlands in southeastern Idaho. It is a critical stopover along the Pacific Flyway for more than 300 species of migratory birds, including tundra and trumpeter swans, long-billed curlews, short-eared owls, and the iconic greater sage-grouse— a keystone species in western ecosystems. The refuge also draws the public for birdwatching and environmental education, including seasonal events like the Come to Roost event to watch bald eagles return to their roosts, and the beloved annual Birds, Bugles, and Brunch celebration of fall migration and elk bugling.
The proposal— Senate Joint Memorial 104, sponsored by Idaho State Senator Van Burtenshaw— passed the Idaho Senate last week and the House today. The proposal requests federal action to transfer the refuge to state control. The Refuge Association is raising red flags on multiple fronts but perhaps the most important is that it will no longer be a national wildlife refuge and managed for wildlife and biodiversity. It also won’t be managed as part of a System – it will be a lone area with no relationship to the other refuges in the Refuge System, something Congress mandated in the 1997 Refuge Improvement Act.
“What we’re seeing isn’t neglect— it’s a result of a lack of funding and resources,” said Sorenson-Groves. “Congressional appropriations have fallen behind what is needed for refuge management for years, and now the state of Idaho wants to use that to declare its management a failure and give it away. What is really needed is for everyone to come together and fund the Refuge System at a level that will allow refuges to be managed as they should.”
The Refuge Association urges the public and policymakers to reject this attempt to sell off America’s conservation legacy. Camas NWR, like all national wildlife refuges, was built with public investment for the benefit of all— not as a handout to private interests.
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As the independent voice advocating on behalf of the National Wildlife Refuge System, the National Wildlife Refuge Association protects, promotes, and enhances America’s wildlife heritage through strategic programs that serve the System and wildlife beyond its boundaries. The organization addresses Refuge System funding, management, and strategic growth, while also promoting programs that maximize the system’s conservation impact.
For all media inquiries and questions, please contact Eden Taylor, Director of Communications & Marketing at etaylor@refugeassociation.org.
