Arizona’s endangered bobwhite quail and New Mexico’s
antelope may be running away from national wildlife refuges instead
of toward them. According to a recent study by the non-profit
Defenders of Wildlife, military overflights continue to disrupt at
least 35 refuges. The group’s report, Unfriendly Skies, says that
while bombers and fighter-planes practice overhead, startled birds
knock eggs out of their nests or flee from sudden booms, exposing
their young to predators. And in New Mexico, researchers have
noticed that bombers overhead distract antelope and deer as they
are feeding. A 1990 U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service study found that
where overflights occur, 70 percent of the refuge managers consider
the fighter-jets intrusive and damaging to wildlife (HCN,
12/28/92). Yet, “refuge managers appear to have reached an impasse
with the military in their efforts to resolve overflight concerns
at scores of federal refuges,” the report concludes. Unfriendly
Skies calls for amendment of two bills pending in Congress to
strengthen management of wildlife refuges. The amendment would hold
the Department of Defense legally accountable for its impact on
refuges, since the “good will of local military commanders is often
insufficient.” Unfriendly Skies is available from Defenders of
Wildlife, 1101 14th St., NW, Washington, DC 20005
(202/682-9400).
This article appeared in the print edition of the magazine with the headline Noisy wildlife refuges.
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