While surfing around the 'net the other day I came across a website that's a good one to bookmark in your browser if you're concerned about wildlife and public lands managed for wildlife.

Refuge Watch is very similar to the Traveler in that it tracks news revolving around the refuge system managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Here's how Lisa, a long-time volunteer with the refuge system, describes the mission behind her site:

This blog was started because I have come to understand what many writers, reporters, and biologists have stated — that the Refuge System is the best kept secret in the federal lands system. Unfortunately this low profile has meant that the Refuge System is often underfunded, understaffed, and frequently overlooked — even by conservationists. Although many individual refuges are supported by groups of local citizens (in the form of nonprofit Friends groups), the Refuge System today is in grave jeopardy due to dwindling budgets, massive staff cuts, and complex management challenges such as encroaching development, invasive species, and global warming.

The specific goals of this blog are listed below, but it is my overall hope that this website will stimulate interest in the National Wildlife Refuge System — the greatest network of wildlife conservation lands in the world, and the only federal lands in America where wildlife is supposed to come first.

Refuge Watch Goals:

* To increase awareness of the challenges facing the National Wildlife Refuge System and the many wildlife species it protects.
* To increase awareness of the need for active public involvement in the care and management of all refuges.
* To increase concern and advocacy for proper funding of the Refuge System.
* To generate interest in tourism opportunities at refuges that are open to the public.

Just as we need national parks for wildlife management and human enjoyment, so, too, do we need wildlife refuges. With climate change, refuges gain even more importance for many believe these lands, along with those managed by the National Park Service, can serve as vital stepping stones for flora and fauna moving north to avoid warmer temperatures.

Along with tracking news involving national wildlife refuges at Refuge Watch, you also can find refuge-oriented wallpaper for your monitor, a store with books focusing on the refuges and species that inhabit them, and you can even purchase migratory bird stamps. "In the past, hunters in America have been the primary buyers of Duck Stamps, but this is changing since the number of hunters is decreasing. Now conservationists, birders, photographers and other nature-oriented groups are pitching in and purchasing Duck Stamps as well," notes Lisa.

Refuge Watch. Check it out.