Interior Releases Refuge System Review With 29 Recommendations
The Department of the Interior's Rooted in Purpose review of the National Wildlife Refuge System sets out recommendations across four areas.
Updated on Nov. 7, 2026 in National Parks
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The Department of the Interior released Rooted in Purpose, a review of the National Wildlife Refuge System containing 29 recommendations. Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum also signed a Secretary's Order directing the Fish and Wildlife Service to strengthen field operations and expand compatible wildlife-dependent recreation.
Why it matters
The recommendations are intended to reduce bureaucracy and remove barriers to practical conservation work across the refuge system. The Service says it will use them to guide implementation planning for refuges nationwide.
The review was built on 41 in-person refuge visits, 118 virtual visits and four regional office visits, alongside two internal surveys that each drew more than 1,000 responses and an external survey with more than 2,000. Implementation timing and resource levels for the 29 recommendations have not yet been specified.
The players
Doug Burgum
Doug Burgum is the U.S. Secretary of the Interior, overseeing the federal department that manages national parks, wildlife refuges and public lands.
Brian Nesvik
Brian Nesvik is the Director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the federal agency responsible for the National Wildlife Refuge System.
The details
The review was directed by Service Director Brian Nesvik under Director's Order 230 and covers mission and habitat, organization and public access, maintenance and infrastructure, and partnerships and administrative support. The Secretary's Order directs the Service to prioritize refuge purposes, support active habitat management and expand recreation compatible with wildlife.
Timeline
November 7, 2026: Department of the Interior releases Rooted in Purpose and the Secretary's Order.
Seasonal Patterns
Director's Order 230 framed the internal review that produced 29 recommendations for the National Wildlife Refuge System. The Secretary's Order now extends those recommendations into directives on field operations and recreation access across refuges nationwide.
Visitors to national wildlife refuges may see changes to recreation access as the Secretary's Order expands compatible wildlife-dependent recreation. Timing and locations for specific changes will depend on implementation planning that the Service has not yet detailed.
The takeaway
Federal refuge management is being reoriented toward active habitat work and expanded public recreation, with implementation details still to come. Readers planning refuge visits should watch for updated access rules as the recommendations are put into practice.
Further reading
Explore more on National Parks for context on how federal land management shapes visitor access.
More information
Read the Rooted in Purpose review booklet and summary from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
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