• 540 — number of national wildlife refuges in the U.S.1
  • 95.3 million — size, in acres, of the refuge system2
  • 19.3 million — size, in acres, of Alaska’s Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, the largest refuge in the country3
  • 0.6 — size, in acres, of Minnesota’s Mille Lacs National Wildlife Refuge, the smallest refuge in the country4
  • 20.7 million — acres of designated wilderness in the refuge system5
  • 59 — number of refuges established to protect endangered species6
  • 1.4 million — number of volunteer-hours contributed to refuges7
  • 22 — percentage of all work on refuges done by volunteers8
  • 8 million — acres of the refuge system invaded by invasive species9
  • 675 — number of invasive species identified so far on national wildlife refuges10
  • 2 billion — funding backlog, in dollars, of the refuge system11
  • 200 — approximate number of refuges with no on-site staff12
  • 350 million — increase in refuge funding, in dollars per year, needed to fully fund the refuge system13
  • 400.5 million — taxpayer portion of the cost, in dollars, of the Paul Brown Stadium for the Cincinnati Bengals14
  • 327.8 million — cost of one C-17 Globemaster III military transport aircraft15

Sources:
1. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, press release, 27 Feb 2003.
2. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Division of Realty.
3. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Division of Realty.
4. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Division of Realty.
5. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Division of Realty.
6. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, National Wildlife Refuge System.
7. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, “2001 Volunteer Report” (pdf), July 2002.
8. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, “2001 Volunteer Report” (pdf), July 2002.
9. National Wildlife Refuge Association, “Silent Invasion” (pdf), October 2002.
10. National Wildlife Refuge Association, “Silent Invasion” (pdf), October 2002.
11. Cooperative Alliance for Refuge Enhancement, “Restoring America’s Wildlife Legacy” (pdf), 2001.
12. Cooperative Alliance for Refuge Enhancement, “Restoring America’s Wildlife Legacy” (pdf), 2001.
13. Cooperative Alliance for Refuge Enhancement, “Restoring America’s Wildlife Legacy” (pdf), 2001.
14. National Taxpayer’s Union, press release, 28 Feb 2001.
15. Center for Defense Information, “Fiscal Year 2004 Budget,” 03 Feb 2003.