Wantage Township Receives $20K Boost From Wallkill Wildlife Refuge

On behalf of the United States Department of the Interior, U.S. Congressman Scott Garrett presented Wantage Township Mayor Bill DeBoer with a check in the amount of $20,398 on August 7, 2007, in a brief ceremony held at Wantage Township Municipal Building.

This money represents funds paid to Wantage Township under the Refuge Revenue Sharing Act. Under this act, the National Wildlife Refuge Fund provides payments to counties and towns in which lands are reserved from the public domain and managed by the Service. These revenues come from the sale of products such as timber and gravel; right-of-way and grazing permit fees; and/or leases for public accommodations or facilities not in conflict with refuge purposes.

There are over 545 wildlife refuges, covering over 90 million acres of wildlife habitat in our country. These refuges provide an opportunity to fulfill vital management of fish and wildlife resources throughout the nation.

Noting that the National Wildlife Refuge System has been a major success story of conservation efforts in the United States for over a century, Mayor Bill DeBoer expressed pride that his home town of Wantage, New Jersey is an important part of that system, and thanked both Congressman Garrett and Wallkill Wildlife Refuge Manager Ed Henry for their efforts and accomplishments.

Posted on 8/08/07