Endangered refuges? Group lists its concerns

Ten national areas are listed as threatened by pollution, sprawl

The Oyster Bay National Wildlife Refuge, near Theodore Roosevelt’s summer White House, is among the nation’s 10 most endangered wildlife refuges, according to a new report from an environmental group.

The area was on the second annual list because of environmental threats from storm water runoff and sewage discharge from motorboats, as well as inadequate septic systems, the Washington-based environmental group Defenders of Wildlife said.

Defenders of Wildlife chose to announce its list at Sagamore Hill on Long Island, citing the irony that a refuge just steps from the home of one of the nation’s best-known environmentalists was considered endangered, MSNBC reported.