We, the undersigned residents, sportsmen, conservationists, business owners, and community members of Southeastern Indiana, demand that Congress and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) immediately restore necessary operating budget and personnel funding to Big Oaks National Wildlife Refuge to prevent its closure and protect our public access.

Big Oaks National Wildlife Refuge is a irreplaceable 50,000-acre crown jewel of public land spanning Ripley, Jennings, and Jefferson counties. It serves as a vital sanctuary for over 120 bird species, earning a designation as a Globally Important Bird Area, and provides irreplaceable habitat for rare and endangered plants and native wildlife.

For over two decades, Big Oaks has been a cornerstone of our regional heritage. It offers thousands of Hoosiers prime opportunities for public hunting, fishing, wildlife photography, and outdoor recreation. It is an economic driver for our rural communities, bringing vital tourism dollars to local bait shops, outdoor retailers, gas stations, and restaurants.

The Crisis: Following recent federal budget cuts, the USFWS has gutted the staffing at Big Oaks from five full-time employees down to just one single full-time staff member to oversee 50,000 acres. Because of this artificial staffing crisis, public access has already been drastically restricted to just two days per week. Worse, the USFWS Region 3 office is actively considering pulling out of its management agreement entirely—a move that would permanently close the gates of Big Oaks to the public.

Closing public access to Big Oaks is an unacceptable loss to Hoosier families, outdoor enthusiasts, and our local economy. The current management crisis is not a lack of public interest; it is a direct failure of federal funding.

We petition our elected federal representatives and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to take the following immediate actions:

1. Restore Full Funding: Allocate emergency Operations and Maintenance (O&M) funding specifically to Big Oaks NWR to reverse the recent 20% operational budget shortfalls.

2. Reinstate Vital Staffing: Fund and immediately fill the critical full-time personnel positions required to safely manage the refuge, maintain public infrastructure, and restore full operational hours.

3. Uphold the Management Agreement: Demand that the USFWS maintain its long-term commitment to the 99-year real estate permit and protect public access rather than abandoning its Memorandum of Agreement with the U.S. Army.

Save our public lands. Keep the gates open. Fund Big Oaks!