What are changes at field stations in the plan?
The Plan develops three strategies for addressing current needs. First, each of the region’s 128 refuges was identified with one of three tiers to best reflect the current or expected status of the refuge in coming years. Twenty-four refuges are ” Focus Refuges” for this region, 61 are refuges ” Targeted for Reduction ,” and the remaining 43 are ” Unstaffed/Satellite Refuges.” (see question 9.)The second step in addressing the critical situation of refuges in the Southeast Region was identifying staff reductions. It is essential to understand, however, no position on any national wildlife refuge is deemed to be unnecessary. In fact, prior to the reductions proposed in this plan, most refuges in the Southeast Region were already understaffed. Stations were identified as candidates for strategic staff reductions only if core functions and key habitats could be maintained during the next three years. In the analysis, a total of 79 field and 8 regional office positions were identified for
