We Need You!
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service invites you to participate in the Comprehensive Conservation Plan (CCP) planning process for the J.N. "Ding" Darling, Pine Island, Matlacha Pass, Island Bay, and Caloosahatchee National Wildlife Refuges. These five refuges are collectivly administered as the J.N. "Ding" Darling National Wildlife Refuge Complex (Complex) with its headquarters located at the J.N. "Ding" Darling National Wildlife Refuge on Sanibel Island, Florida. We are in the Preplanning Stage for the CCP, this means we are currently gathering information and data to begin evaluating the past, present, and future of the Complex. Following the Preplanning Stage, we will begin Public Scoping where we will hold meetings and take comments on what the public sees as the issues, concerns, and challenges for this Complex over the next 15 years. After Public Scoping, we will then review all the information, data, and comments gathered from all the sources (e.g., from the public, partners, other governmental agencies, organizations, and local businesses) and begin drafting a 15-year management plan for the Complex. Once a draft is complete, we will go back to the public for review and comment.
CCP Process:
- Conduct Preplanning
- Conduct Public Scoping
- Prepare Draft CCP
- Conduct Internal Review
- Hold Public Meetings with Review and Comment Period
- Create Final CCP
- Approve Finding of No Significant Impact
- Implement and Monitor the CCP over 15 Years
- Review & Revise the Plan within 15 Years
Purpose And Need for The Plan
The purpose of the Plans are to develop proposed actions that best achieve the refuges purposes; attains the vision and goals developed for the refuges; contributes to National Wildlife Refuge System (Refuge System, NWRS) mission; addresses key challenges, issues and relevant mandates; and is consistent with sound principles of fish and wildlife management.
Specifically, the Plan is needed to:
- Provide a clear statement of refuge management direction;
- Provide refuge neighbors, visitors, and government officials with an understanding of Service management actions on and around the refuge;
- Ensure that Service management actions, including land protection and recreation/education programs, are consistent with the mandates of the National Wildlife Refuge System; and
- Provide a basis for the development of budget requests for operations, maintenance, and capital improvement needs.
Establishing Purposes
The establishing purpose of the J.N. "Ding" Darling Refuge, as stated in the executive order, is "...for use as an inviolate sanctuary, or for any other management purpose, for migratory birds."
The establishing purpose for each of the other four refuges, as stated in their respective executive orders, is "...as a preserve and breeding ground for native birds."
DRAFT Vision Statement for the J.N. "Ding" Darling Refuge
The J.N. “Ding” Darling National Wildlife Refuge is an interwoven, dynamic system where salt water meets fresh, where shorelines recede within the tangle of mangrove roots, where coastal and freshwater marshes meet subtropical hardwood hammocks, and where submerged aquatic vegetation thrives providing the foundation for estuary life. These diverse habitats are managed, conserved, and protected to support a vast array of native birds, fish, mammals and other wildlife. Visitors can hear songbirds calling in the hammocks, and watch wading birds on the tidal flats during feeding frenzies, or find solitude in the backwaters of the Wilderness Area.
The refuge is a gateway to the National Wildlife Refuge System, providing educational awareness of this national network of lands and waters to thousands of visitors annually. The refuge is a memorial to Jay Norwood “Ding” Darling; continuing his legacy where environmental education and conservation through art continues in earnest and reflects the grass roots environmental efforts that established the refuge and continue to exist today. The refuge is utilized as a world class living laboratory to foster excellence in biological and ecological research and to enable integrated and adaptive management. The refuge is a premier example for developing partnerships to accomplish the greatest of goals.
If you would like to keep informed about this planning process, please fill out and return the mailing list request form. We look forward to hearing from you!
Please Submit comments via one of the following:
Fax: (239) 472-4061
E-mail: dingdarlingccp@fws.gov
Mail: J.N. "Ding" Darling, CCP
1 Wildlife Drive
Sanibel, FL 33957
Helpful Links:
General Information
FWS Planning Policy (see Part 602, Refuge Planning)
FWS, Southeast Region's Planning
If you have any question or need further information please contact
Kevin Godsea: (239)472-1100 ext. 237
