Imagine you are running the Equinox Marathon and as you crest Ester Dome at mile 13 after a 2,000-foot ascent you learn that the aid station that you were counting on to refuel your carbohydrates and electrolytes has been removed without warning because of policy changes and budget cuts. As someone who missed a water station at mile 22 of the Boston Marathon, I can assure you that the consequences are no fun.

Now imagine you are a northern pintail who arrived at Creamer’s Refuge after a 1,300-mile migration from San Quintin Bay, Mexico, only to learn that the refuge is no longer operational because of policy changes and budget cuts.

The difference between you as a marathoner and you as a pintail is of course that you could simply stop running and catch a ride back to Fairbanks, whereas y

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