On April 24, President Donald J. Trump signed into law a bill that reauthorizes volunteer programs on national wildlife refuges through 2022. The Keep America’s Refuges Operational (KARO) Act reauthorizes the Volunteer and Community Partnership Act which facilitates the ability for community volunteers and “friends” groups to support refuge operations. Refuge volunteers provide critical support to national wildlife refuges, particularly as federal budgets decline. In 2016, more than 40,000 volunteers contributed over 1.5 million hours of work on national wildlife refuge and 20 percent of total service work on refuges can be attributed to volunteers. The bipartisan bills were led in the U.S. House of Representatives by Representative Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) and Rep. Rob Wittman (R-VA) and in the U.S. Senate by Senator John Barrasso (R-WY) and Sen. Tom Carper (D-DE).

“We are thrilled that the Volunteer and Community Partnership Act has been reauthorized through passage of KARO. Volunteers are an integral part of the Refuge System, and their contributions to our wildlife resources are irreplaceable,” said Geoffrey L. Haskett, President of the National Wildlife Refuge Association.