The Service Has Received at Least 1,400 Farmlands Covering 132,000 Acres, but the Actual Number Is Unknown

The Service’s records indicate that it has received at least 1,400 easement  and fee-simple farmlands from the Farm Service Agency since 1986, but  the actual number is unknown. The farmlands cover more than 132,000 acres and  range in size from less than 1 acre to more than 2,200 acres. Third, the Service is operating with  constrained resources and declining refuge staff and therefore the staff are  not able to complete all the activities they believe are necessary to manage  the farmlands. From  our survey, however, we estimate that only 13 percent of the farmlands, on  average, have been annually inspected (see fig. Several Factors Affect the Extent of the Service’s Management Activities

We found that several factors affect the extent to which the Service’s  refuge offices conduct management activities on their farmlands. For an estimated 88  percent of farmlands, the refuge managers believe that they have not had  enough resources to manage their farmlands over the past 5 years. Farmlands That Align Closely with Refuges’ Goals Receive More Management Attention

While the Service is generally not managing the majority of its farmlands,  in some instances we identified farmlands that refuge offices are devoting  significant management attention to, largely because these farmlands  more closely align with the refuges’ goals. The alternatives include (1) resetting refuge priorities to  ensure that farmlands are given management attention, (2) requesting  additional resources, and (3) paying little or no management attention to  the farmlands. Refuge lands have  never been transferred or disposed of in this manner, however. The Service is now  responsible for managing a significant number of both conservation  easement and fee-simple farmlands across most of the continental United  States. Under current law, the Service has very few alternatives for  reducing or removing management responsibilities for lands received from  the Farm Service Agency that are not significantly contributing to the  mission and goals of the National Wildlife Refuge System. Recommendations for Executive Action

To improve the effectiveness and efficiency of the Service’s management  of its farmlands, we recommend that the Secretary of the Interior direct  the Director of the Service to take the following two actions:    ensure that the Service’s records for all of its farmlands are accurate  and complete by reconciling regional and refuge office records and  property records to determine which farmlands were transferred from  the Farm Service Agency, and   develop a proposal to Congress seeking the authority for additional  flexibility with regard to the farmlands the Service determines may not  be in the best interest to continue to include as part of the National  Wildlife Refuge System. The Department of Agriculture provided no  comments. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Farmland Management

To further examine the extent to which the Department of the Interior’s  U.S.
Why GAO Did This Study

Over the past two decades, provisions of the Food Security Act of 1985, among others, have allowed the Department of Agriculture's Farm Service Agency in partnership with the Department of the Interior's U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) to add farmlands found to have important resources to the National Wildlife Refuge System. The Farm Service Agency transferred such farmlands to the Service through outright ownership ("fee simple") or through conservation easements. Individual farmlands are managed by the nearest refuge office. GAO was asked to examine (1) the extent of farmland received by the Service, (2) the extent to which the Service is currently managing its farmlands, and (3) alternatives for managing these lands. To answer these objectives, GAO visited five refuges and surveyed managers responsible for a random sample of 98 farmlands.

What GAO Found

Since 1986, the Service reports that it has received at least 1,400 conservation easement and fee-simple farmlands covering 132,000 acres, but the actual number is unknown because the Service's records are incomplete. Scattered across 38 states, these farmlands range in size from less than 1 acre to more than 2,200 acres; most are smaller than 50 acres. In addition, GAO identified farmlands that were not reported by the Service headquarters or regional offices. Therefore, the numbers reported here represent a conservative estimate of the total acreage received from the Farm Service Agency. The Service is generally not managing a majority of its farmlands. In the past 5 years, only 13 percent have been inspected annually, on average. The Service is thus not adequately ensuring landowners' compliance with easement restrictions. GAO observed ongoing easement violations, including farming encroachment. Few refuge offices track changes in land ownership, and basic maintenance has seldom been completed. Several factors have hindered the Service's farmland management. First, refuge officials do not emphasize managing most of the lands because they do not believe they contribute to the refuges' mission. Second, uncertainty about the extent or scope of some easements makes management activity difficult. Third, constrained resources and declining staff hinder completion of management activities. Nevertheless, GAO found that farmlands most closely aligned with refuge goals receive considerably more attention. The Service possesses limited alternatives for managing its farmlands. Alternatives include (1) resetting refuge priorities to ensure that farmlands are given management attention, (2) requesting additional resources, and (3) paying little or no management attention to the farmlands. The Service has in most cases chosen the third alternative, and refuge officials indicated that this approach is unlikely to change. Because these lands are part of the National Wildlife Refuge System, under current law the Service cannot dispose of unwanted farmlands, regardless of their value to the refuge system's mission. Consequently, the Service may need additional flexibility on a limited and short-term basis to resolve the issue of unwanted farmlands.