Written by Janelle Wicks, FOMR Director
Photo of American Avocet by Dan Streiffert

I get the hesitation or even the reluctance to type out that letter or pick up the phone. I feel it too sometimes.

How could I possibly, coherently and concisely convey my concerns? 

The issues are many. My voice feels small. But I do have a voice whereas the jackrabbits, the burrowing owls, the sagebrush – our beloved Refuge has no voice of its own. Our Refuge does have my voice and your voice, and that together we can be loud. Echo one another. Amplify the message: Our Public Lands are sacred and in need of our protection. 

Luckily, we live in a time of tools and collective action that can make our civic engagement easier than ever. Form letters and scripts are available along with quick look-up sites to identify the contact information for your elected representatives at the state and national levels. You can even figure out rather quickly who of your legislators sit on House Committee for Natural Resources or the Congressional National Wildlife Refuge Caucus. You can even get easy access resources with helpful facts and figures through the National Wildlife Refuge Association (NWRA) or the Coalition of Refuge Friends and Advocates (CORFA). 

Advocating for the Refuge System is important and valuable, but what about Malheur NWR’s unique needs and issues? That’s where Friends of Malheur NWR come in. We are here to take those statewide or national tools/messages and craft them to speak to the individuality of Malheur. 

Recently, NWRA promoted an appeal to Congress in advance of the most recent continuing resolution on the appropriations budget. The need across the country on all Public Lands is great but using that appeal letter and modifying the message to speak to Malheur personalizes it. Here are some quick facts to assist in that effort: 

• Malheur National Wildlife Refuge was among the first Refuges in Oregon, advocated for by William Finley and established by President Roosevelt in 1908. 
• Malheur NWR is 187,000 acres of diverse habitat situated along the northern reach of the Great Basin within the Intermountain West; a region which has lost approximately 80% of its wetlands. 
• Malheur NWR has experienced a 32% budget reduction from 2012 to 2024 with an additional 5% reduction under current conditions with no adjustments to accommodate for inflation over that timeframe. 
• Malheur NWR has gone from 38 full-time, part-time, and seasonal employees in 1993 to 13 in 2025. 
• Open positions at Malheur NWR currently include a Maintenance sub-station manager, Fish Screen Technician, and any Visitor Services staff. 
• Looking for wildlife or habitat specific details? We have those too! If you have a specific area of interest that you want to focus on please email us, [email protected]. If we don’t know the relevant information we will work to find it!

Now, just HOW do I do this? Action Alerts from your favorite organizations are a great place to start. 

• National Wildlife Refuge Association
• Bird Alliance of Oregon
• Oregon Wild
• Center for Biological Diversity
• American Bird Conservancy

Use the ‘ready to send’ form letters, modify them how you see fit, and send!

Next, phone calls. They too matter and they are simple. More often than not you will leave a voice message or speak briefly to an aid. These calls on special interest issues are tallied and put into official records. If you have it in you to call, do it! Not sure how or where to find all the right phone numbers? There is an excellent site called 5Calls.org. In addition to providing you with your representatives’ office numbers they have an extensive menu of scripts on various issues. What they lack is a topic specific to the issues threatening the US Fish & Wildlife Service; National Wildlife Refuge System, Migratory Bird Treaty Act, and Endangered Species Act. If you use this tool I recommend the following text formulated by the NWRA: 

The National Wildlife Refuge System, the nation’s largest network of lands and waters dedicated to wildlife conservation, is facing a staffing and funding crisis that threatens its ability to protect biodiversity and provide recreational opportunities for all. Despite being essential for protecting endangered species, conserving habitats, and connecting communities with nature, the Refuge System has lost over 800 permanent positions since fiscal year (FY) 2011, resulting in an enormous 27% loss in capacity.

Despite an effectively declining budget since FY2010, the Refuge System has experienced exceptional growth with multiple new refuge units, hundreds of millions of acres of new marine national monuments, along with new services like the Urban Wildlife Conservation Program.

The National Wildlife Refuge System protects endangered species and habitats, provides recreational opportunities, and connects communities with nature. Our biodiversity and climate are at risk, and these protected areas are crucial for their preservation. It’s time to invest in our national wildlife refuges and prioritize staffing for the National Wildlife Refuge System. Now is the time to act and ensure the future of this vital System and the wildlife it protects.

This really DOES matter. If we all do it and we don’t stop it adds up and it gets attention!

So Please – Send the Letters and Make the Calls!