Refuge Budgets 101

Webinar Description

Greg Knadle, Refuge Association Board member, presented an overview of how the National Wildlife Refuge System budget and federal appropriations process work.

This webinar helped Friends better understand how refuge funding moves through Congress, what key steps shape the annual budget process, and why sustained funding is essential for national wildlife refuges, wildlife conservation, visitor access, and local communities.

Greg drew on more than 30 years of experience working across federal wildlife, natural resources, and appropriations programs to help demystify the budget process and answer questions from Friends.

Materials

• Webinar Recording (7.22.26)
• Presentation Slides

Presenter

Greg Knadle brings over 30 years of experience in wildlife conservation, federal policy, and strategic advocacy to the Refuge Association Board. His career includes pivotal roles with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, including Refuge Operations Specialist and Refuge System Budget Specialist, where he contributed to both on-the-ground refuge stewardship and national budget formulation and planning.

Greg also served as professional staff on the U.S. House Appropriations Committee from 2003 to 2009, advising across multiple federal natural resource accounts, including the National Wildlife Refuge System. He later joined the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation as Vice President of Government Relations, where he helped secure and shape funding for wildlife and natural resources programs. Most recently, Greg worked as the Federal Grants Coordinator for the New Mexico Congressional Delegation in both the House and the Senate.

Greg is now a natural resource and federal budget consultant, wildlife and nature photographer, and artist in Falls Church, Virginia.