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 Tamarac NWR has reached is highlighted:
- Preplanning: Plan the Plan
- Initiate Public Involvement and Scoping
- Review Vision Statement and Goals and Determine Significant Issues
- Develop and Analyze Alternatives, Including the Proposed Action
- Prepare a Draft CCP and NEPA (National Environmental Policy Act) Document
- Prepare and Adopt Final CCP
- Implement Plan, Monitor and Evaluate
- Review and Revise the Plan
Tamarac National Wildlife Refuge and Wetland Management District Comprehensive
Conservation Plan
Comprehensive Conservation Plan Under Way
Open Houses Conducted
Next Steps
The Refuge
The Wetland Management District
For More Information
Comprehensive Conservation Plan Under Way
Staff at Tamarac NWR have begun work on a CCP that will guide Refuge management for the next 15 years. The CCP will determine management policies for the Refuge and ensure that the Refuge fulfills its established purpose and mission. Completing a CCP often requires 2-3 years.
Public involvement is a key element in conservation planning and there will be opportunities throughout the process for everyone interested in the future of Tamarac NWR to voice their thoughts on the Refuge's future.
Open Houses Conducted
The planning project was launched in July with three open house events that gave neighbors, tribes, public interest groups, local government, the State of Minnesota, and others interested in the Refuge and Wetland Management District an opportunity to participate in the planning process. Two open houses were held for Tamarac NWR, one at the Refuge and one in Detroit Lakes, Minnesota. An open house focused on the wetland management district was held in Bagley, Minnesota.
Refuge staff were available to discuss management ideas and concerns with everyone attending the meetings. A planning information sheet describing comprehensive conservation planning and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service was available. (To see the information sheet you need Acrobat Reader software, which is available as a free download from Adobe.)
If you would like to contribute an idea about long-term management of either Tamarac
NWR or Tamarac Wetland Management District, you are invited to submit written comments
either through e-mail or by writing to the Refuge. Address your comments to:
Refuge Manager Barbara Boyle
Tamarac National Wildlife Refuge
Attn: CCP Comment
35704 County Road 26
Rochert, Minnesota 56578
Next Steps
Refuge and planning staff are now evaluating the issues that have been raised and identify the significant issues that will be addressed in the CCP. The next step will be to draft an environmental assessment describing potential direction for management.
The Refuge
Located approximately 18 miles northeast of Detroit Lakes, Minnesota, in northwestern Minnesota, Tamarac NWR was established in 1938 to serve as a breeding ground and sanctuary for migratory birds and other wildlife. Today the Refuge also provides many opportunities for visitors to enjoy the natural world and to learn more about it through wildlife-dependent activities. The Refuge is 42,738 acres in size and is located in the heart of one of the most ecologically diverse areas of the Upper Midwest, where tallgrass prairie, northern hardwoods and boreal forest meet.
The Wetland Management District
Tamarac Wetland Management District includes 8,577 acres of wetland and conservation easements distributed throughout five counties: Beltrami, Cass, Clearwater, Hubbard and Koochiching.
For More Information
For more information on comprehensive conservation planning for Tamarac NWR, please send us an e-mail, call or write to Refuge Manager Barbara Boyle at:
Phone:
218/847-2641
TTY: 1-800-877-8339 (Federal Relay)
Address:
U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service
Tamarac National Wildlife Refuge
35704 County Road 26
Rochert, MN 56578
Last revised December 18, 2007
