Comprehensive Conservation Plan

The comprehensive conservation plan sets the management and use of the Marais des Cygnes National Wildlife Refuge for 15 years. Located along the Marais des Cygnes River in eastern Kansas, the refuge is mostly comprised of hardwood bottomland habitat. The French term "marais des cygnes" means "marsh of the swans."

The purposes for Marais des Cygnes National Wildlife Refuge are (1) "for the development, advancement, management, conservation, and protection of fish and wildlife resources"   (Fish and Wildlife Act), and (2) "to promote the conservation of migratory waterfowl and to offset or prevent the serious loss of wetlands by the acquisition of wetlands and other essential habitat" (Emergency Wetland Resources Act).

• Established in 1992.
• Will eventually comprise about 9,300 acres.
• Located 39 miles south of Kansas City, Kansas, in Linn County.

The following are major actions in the comprehensive conservation plan:

• Restore and maintain the ecotone where the oak and hickory deciduous forest meets the tallgrass prairie—including savanna, upland shrub land, and wetland—in as natural a condition as possible.
• Reduce the amount of farmed land.

Comprehensive conservation plan (CCP)
CCP 1998 (4 MB PDF)

By section, for faster download:
Approval, contents (PDF)
Introduction/background (1 MB PDF)
Resource/refuge description (2 MB PDF)
Refuge goals, objectives, and strategies (PDF)
Plan implementation (PDF)
Appendixes (1 MB PDF)

Draft CCP
Draft CCP 1998 (1 MB PDF)