National Park or Wildlife Refuge? What’s in a name and do we need more?

Posted by Lisa Carey

Should we designate more National Parks as Wildlife Refuges? Could a simple change in name protect animals, habitats and plants from extinction?

My visit to the Laguna Atascosa National Wildlife Refuge and my children’s enjoyment of it has led us to find out more about wildlife refuges and where we can go in the U.S. to visit one. Among the many things we learned was that there are only about 100 ocelots remaining in the U.S., all of them located at this particular refuge. Without it, these animals may be extinct in the U.S.
I found out there are approximately 500 wildlife refuges in the United States, with several being within a quick drive from my home. Why didn’t I know this?
Here’s one answer, by Jason Daily of Outside Online magazine:
“Color it green on the road atlas and the expectation is that it will be, well, a park, a safe, manicured human-scape maintained for the enjoyment of people. Take the same piece of land, color it brown, and call it a national monument and visitor ship is cut in half. Call it a wildlife refuge and another 50 percent won’t bother to show up.”
I have to agree with him. Living in Tennessee, just a short drive from the Great Smoky Mountain National Park, taught me a great deal about the difference. Where there is a national park, restaurants, go karts, and even helicopter rides can be found. Visiting wildlife refuges, however, meant a drive into the “country,” where only three other tourists on bicycles were getting their pass.
So, the question is, should more areas be designated a wildlife refuge, instead of a national park? Should some national parks or portions of them be designated a wildlife refuge to stop the development of the backcountry or preserve what wildlife is there?
Now, I am just a writer trying to provide my family with the best that nature and the environment has to offer, and trying to keep that best going for years to come. After all, “We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors; we borrow it from our children” (Native American Proverb).
I don’t know all the ins and outs of the government designation of a national park and wildlife refuge. I do know that I have been to many national parks during my life, and the Great Smoky Mountains in particular. I have seen the damage and the changes that have happened there as more and more tourists flock to these beautiful mountains. I have seen how there are fewer forests, less vegetation, waterfalls that no longer have water, and how many more people vacation there each year. Maybe if there were more refuges and fewer parks (amusement), then these changes would not have occurred. I mean, do we really need cell phone towers in our national park system?
Now don’t get me wrong. Tourism is what brings in money to protect the life of our national park system, a system that, if we didn’t have many people, would not be able to walk in the woods or take their children hiking, fishing, or skipping stones. National park systems have their place, but maybe, just maybe, we have reached a point where it’s time to stop the growth of the parks and increase the growth of the natural wildlife and habitats that live there.
Maybe by designating these lands as a “monument,” “refuge,” “nature center,” “way spot,” “haven,” “preserve,” “grassland,” “woodland,” “wilderness,” “sanctuary,” “green,” “barrens,” “commons,” “respite,” or “arboretum” we can preserve them and provide a place to enjoy nature at its very best.

To find a wildlife refuge near you, visit: the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s National Wildlife Refuge.
To learn more about the National Parks in the United States, visit their website.

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