The Oyster Bay National Wildlife Refuge is being polluted by storm water runoff and sewage discharge from boats, as well as inadequate on-site septic systems, according to a new report released by Defenders of Wildlife. New York's Oyster Bay NWR is among ten wildlife refuges listed in Refuges at Risk: America's Ten Most Endangered National Wildlife Refuges 2005, released in advance of National Wildlife Refuge Week, October 9-15.

Escalating development around Oyster Bay threatens to increase the refuge's water quality problems. The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation has found poor water quality within Oyster Bay caused by urban runoff and discharge from boats has impaired the bay's shellfishing, swimming and other recreation, fish consumption, and wildlife habitat.

"It's up to local leaders to plan future development in a way that reduces impacts to Oyster Bay," said Rodger Schlickeisen, president of Defenders of Wildlife. "The bay is too important to the region's economy and the nation's wildlife to let it deteriorate."

"We must do more to protect the Oyster Bay National Wildlife Refuge especially considering that the refuge's waters and marshes surround the Sagamore Hill National Historic Site, home of Theodore Roosevelt, father of the National Wildlife Refuge System," said Kyle Rabin, executive director of Friends of the Bay. "The easiest steps to begin to better safeguard the bay are to construct infrastructure to filter storm water runoff that is currently flowing directly into Oyster Bay and for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to declare Oyster Bay a 'no-discharge zone' to help discourage the dumping of raw sewage and oil from boats."

Oyster Bay attracts gray seals, diamondback terrapins, Kemp's ridley sea turtles, loggerhead turtles, and harbor seals into the bay waters. Abundant shellfish provide for thousands of migratory waterfowl, including diving ducks and shorebirds, while the refuge's healthy fish populations offer wading birds and raptors a genuine feast. Frank M. Flower & Sons, New York's oldest oyster farm, also operates on the refuge, contributing 90 percent of the state's harvest. This sensitive aquatic ecosystem is easily affected by pollution and habitat erosion which will only increase with the additional planned development.

"Our report clearly shows that the National Wildlife Refuge System faces increasingly complex threats," said Schlickeisen. "If we can't protect wildlife and habitat on our wildlife refuges, where can we protect it?"

New York State Senator Carl Marcellino said, "Oyster Bay continually invests in the health of the harbor and neighboring estuaries, however a comprehensive development plan for all of the neighboring municipalities bordering the Oyster Bay National Wildlife Refuge is needed. Cumulative impacts of proposed and imminent development can threaten the health of the Refuge. With Oyster Bay National Wildlife Refuge as one of the Ten Most Endangered Refuges, a powerful message would be sent to developers and municipal governments alike to proceed more cautiously with development plans."

While Defenders' Refuges at Risk project focuses each year on threats to our national wildlife refuges that are either human-caused or at least controllable by humans, Hurricane Katrina and Hurricane Rita show that these special places are also vulnerable to natural catastrophes. In addition to the human tragedy and horrific damage the hurricanes did to people in the region, it also did tremendous damage to refuges in Louisiana, Alabama, Texas and Mississippi. Initial estimates by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service indicate that Katrina caused more than $90 million in damages to these refuges, including damage to Breton National Wildlife Refuge, an island refuge off the coast of Louisiana, roughly half of which was simply washed away. The Service is still assessing wildlife impacts from these storms. Defenders will urge legislators to address the needs of refuges slammed by Katrina and Rita, while also dealing with the threats that are the focus of Refuges at Risk.

The National Wildlife Refuge System contains 545 refuges and covers nearly 100 million acres in all 50 states and five territories, providing some of this nation's most spectacular landscapes and supporting an amazing variety of wildlife - from migratory birds to bighorn sheep, elk and caribou - as well as many endangered and threatened species. Close to 40 million visitors visit refuges every year seeking outdoor experiences.

Defenders of Wildlife works with federal, tribal, state, and local agencies, private organizations, and landowners to protect America's national wildlife refuges. The goal of the Refuges at Risk report is to highlight the threats facing the wildlife refuge system in order to build public support for saving wildlife by safeguarding and nourishing the places where they live.

Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, AK: Drilling proponents have resorted to legislative tricks in attempts to open the Arctic refuge to drilling despite overwhelming public opposition, threatening polar bears, caribou, and millions of birds.

Browns Park NWR, CO: Incompatible livestock grazing has wiped out habitat for elk, deer, and thousands of migratory birds on this refuge that protects wetlands along the Green River.

Buenos Aires NWR, AZ: Border policies have funneled growing numbers of migrants and enforcement personnel into the fragile and harsh Arizona desert leaving hundreds of miles of illegal foot trails and roads. The last home to the endangered masked bob-white quail, the refuge cannot withstand escalating border traffic.

Florida Panther NWR, FL: Expanding development and roads near the refuge are destroying habitat and killing Florida panthers, one of the world's most endangered species.

McFaddin NWR, TX: Already marred by scores of wells, the refuge is bracing for increasing oil and gas development as energy prices make old oil fields like McFaddin once again attractive. The refuge protects Texas' largest freshwater marsh and is an important migratory bird wintering and resting area.

Mingo NWR, MO: Pollution from a proposed power plant upwind of the refuge will poison this vast, pristine bottomland hardwood forest.

Moapa NWR, NV: Proposed groundwater pumping to feed Las Vegas's exponential growth is a death sentence for Nevada's desert springs and the endangered species that depend on them.

Oyster Bay NWR, NY: Stormwater runoff and sewage discharge from boats is deteriorating this important estuary, near the home of the father of the refuge system, Teddy Roosevelt.

Pocosin Lakes NWR, NC: The Navy is pushing to build an auxiliary landing field in the home of 100,000 swans, geese, and ducks threatening both wildlife and military pilots.

Sony Bono Salton Sea NWR, CA: A massive water transfer will destroy habitat vital to most of the birds in the Pacific Flyway if a restoration plan isn't developed before the transfer takes place.