Division of Conservation Planning
Midwest Region

See the Draft CCP/EA

The Draft CCP is provided here in portable document format (pdf). You will need Acrobat Reader to view the files; Acrobat Reader is available as a free download from Adobe.

The Draft CCP is a large document. In an effort to make it convenient for a wide range of computer users, it is offered here as one document with graphics, as one text-only document, and by chapter.

Draft CCP with graphics (6.5 MB)

Draft CCP, text-only (2.3 MB)

Summary of the Draft CCP (384 KB)

And by Chapter:

Letter to Readers (190 KB)
Table of Contents (11 KB)
Chapter 1: Introduction and Background (550 KB)
Chapter 2: The Planning Process (330 KB)
Chapter 3: The District Environment (3.4 MB); text-only version of Chapter 3 (345 KB)
Chapter 4: Management Direction (983 KB)
Chapter 5: Plan Implementation (331 KB)
Appendix A: Environmental Assessment (501 KB)
Appendix B: Glossary (48 KB)
Appendix C: Species Lists (506 KB)
Appendix D: Regional Conservation Priority Species (116 KB)
Appendix E: Compliance Requirements (65 KB)
Appendix F: Compatibility Determinations (395 KB)
Appendix G: Bibliography (36 KB)
Appendix H: RONS and MMS Lists (46 KB)
Appendix I: List of Preparers (23 KB)

Where in the Plan Are We?

These are the steps that the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service follows in comprehensive conservation planning; the step that St. Croix WMD has reached is highlighted:

  1. Preplanning: Plan the Plan
  2. Initiate Public Involvement and Scoping
  3. Review Vision Statement and Goals and Determine Significant Issues
  4. Develop and Analyze Alternatives, Including the Proposed Action
  5. Prepare a Draft CCP and NEPA (National Environmental Policy Act) Document
  6. Prepare and Adopt Final CCP
  7. Implement Plan, Monitor and Evaluate
  8. Review and Revise the Plan

St. Croix Wetland Management District Comprehensive Conservation PlanImage shows cover of the St. Croix WMD Draft CCP

Draft CCP Comment Period Ends August 25
Open House Planned
The Plan in a Nutshell
Next Steps
St. Croix WMD
For More Information

Draft CCP Comment Period Ends August 25

If you are interested in commenting on the Draft Comprehensive Conservation Plan for the St. Croix Wetland Management District, please do so by August 25, 2008. The planning team will begin preparing the final CCP when the comment period closes. See For More Information for e-mail and mailing address information.

The plan describes how the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service plans to manage District lands for the next 15 years. The public review period is an opportunity for everyone interested in the plan to review the proposed management direction and comment on it. Have we missed an issue that should be addressed in planning? Do you have questions about how the proposed management direction might affect how you use District lands, or even your own land?

A summary of the Draft CCP describes the issues being addressed in planning, the alternatives considered and the District's preferred alternative for management.

The Draft CCP is available in a variety of formats and locations:

  • It's on this site in portable document format (pdf).
  • Limited numbers of paper copies are available. To request a copy, please call the District Headquarters at 715/246-7784.
  • It is also available as a pdf document on a CD-ROM. To request a copy, please call the District Headquarters at the number listed above.
  • Both a paper copy and a CD-ROM are available at the Friday Public Library in New Richmond, Wisconsin, and the Menomonie Public Library in Menomonie, Wisconsin.

Copies of the plan or summaries of the plan were mailed to individuals who had requested them and organizations, agencies and American Indian tribes that have an interest in the lands within the District.

Open House Held

Eight people attended an open house hosted by the District on Tuesday, August 12, 2008, at District Headquarters.

The Plan in a Nutshell

The Draft CCP proposes to continue the types of habitat management activities that now exist on the District, but with more acres affected:

  • Monitoring of habitat and wildlife would increase compared to the current direction.
  • Visitor services would expand and improve in quality compared to the current direction. Outreach activities would also be greater.
  • The target for the District would be to restore 200 acres of grassland per year.
  • The 15-year target for wetland restoration would be 90 percent of the drained wetlands.
  • Up to 90 percent of the woodlands and oak savannah would be inventoried with the objective of restoring approximately 80 percent of the identified potential savannah.
  • Invasive species would be inventoried on 100 percent of the Districts and control applied to 50 percent of District lands.
  • The Districts would develop a monitoring program to determine waterfowl recruitment.
  • Land acquisition would continue as funds were available with the intent of establishing larger complexes of wetlands and grasslands.
  • Four WPAs would be more fully developed with visitor services facilities.
  • The volunteer and partnership programs would increase.
  • Full implementation of this alternative would require the addition of 3.5 full-time equivalents to the current staff.

Next Steps

When the 30-day comment period closes on August 25, 2008, District staff and other Service staff will review the comments that were offered on the Draft CCP and, if warranted, revise the document based on the comments. The final CCP is expected to be completed in the autumn.

The District

Established in 1992, the St. Croix WMD manages more than 7,400 acres of waterfowl production areas (WPA) in three of the eight west-central Wisconsin counties that comprise the District. The heart of the District in the central portion of St. Croix County is known as the Star Prairie Pothole Grasslands. These grasslands are ranked sixth out of 26 priority grassland landscapes in the State of Wisconsin. The District also manages 15 conservation easements.

Waterfowl production areas are primarily wetlands with associated grassland and oak savannah habitats plus an assortment of woodland communities. While WPAs are managed primarily for waterfowl and grassland birds, they also provide habitat for a variety of other wildlife, including Wild Turkey, deer, and Ring-necked Pheasant.

For More Information

For more information on the St. Croix WMD planning process, please send a note either via e-mail or through the mail, or call District Manager Tom Kerr at:

Telephone:
715/246-7784
TTY: 1-800-877-8339 (Federal Relay)

Address:
St. Croix Wetland Management District
Attention: CCP Comment
1764 95th Street
New Richmond, WI 54017

Last updated: August 15, 2008