Opening Refuges

 U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced they are going to expand fishing and hunting opportunities on 21 refuges throughout the National Wildlife Refuge System. I spoke with Matt Sprenger, who is Project Leader for the refuges in North Dakota's Devils Lake and Devils Lake Basin. "What prompted the decision and what does it offer? It goes back to congressional authority and direction provided by Congress in that hunting and fishing are two of the priority uses on national wildlife refuges. When those uses are compatible with refuge purposes, for instance, if we can go out and hunt that area and that area is not designated as a migratory bird sanctuary, Congress has directed us to facilitate that use. Each year as time permits, more and more refuges, they review their current program and see if they have opportunities to provide the public with more hunting and fishing opportunities on their national wildlife refuges. So I think it's every two years, the  U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service at the headquarters level will solicit these proposals from the field stations. What you are seeing is the culmination of that solicitation from headquarters from the field stations to tell us which refuges do you think should be opened for additional hunting and fishing opportunities. I hear you are opening some refuges in North Dakota. Yes. I am specifically involved in four refuges in North Dakota that we are going to be opening to fishing opportunities.