U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
|
Completed Plan Contacts
The Service completed this plan
in 2006.
REFUGE EMAIL
REFUGE ADDRESS
Marais des Cygnes National Wildlife Refuge
24141 Kansas Highway 52
Pleasanton, Kansas 66075
REFUGE TELEPHONE
913 / 352 8956
REFUGE WEB SITES
www.fws.gov/maraisdescygnes
Marais des Cygnes refuge profile
Land Protection Plan
Marais des Cygnes National Wildlife Refuge
Refuge Expansion
Kansas, Missouri
Description
The Marais des Cygnes National Wildlife Refuge is 39 miles south of Kansas City in Linn County, Kansas, and now includes this expansion into Bates County, Missouri, within Homer and Walnut townships. The purpose of the refuge expansion is to preserve and restore floodplain hardwood forest, wetlands, tallgrass prairie, and riverine habitats for the fish and wildlife species dependent on them—a host of migratory birds including trumpeter swan and other waterfowl, and local species such as the pink heelsplitter mussel, yellow perch, and white-tailed deer.
The Service prepared the following products (combined into one document) to analyze, achieve, and manage the refuge expansion:
- An environmental assessment documents the Service's analysis of and decision to carry out a proposed expansion of the Marais des Cygnes National Wildlife Refuge into Missouri.
- A land protection plan guided the strategic acquisition of land tracts within the approved expansion area.
- A concept management plan gives local landowners, neighboring governmental agencies, and the public an understanding of the management approach for the expansion area over the next 3–5 years once tracts are acquired. This includes how the Service will manage wildlife and their habitats, visitor services, and facilities, along with how we will coordinate with other agencies. In 2013, planning will start for a revision to the refuge's 1998 comprehensive conservation plan (a 15-year guiding document).
In April 2007, the Service completed the planning process for the 11,145-acre refuge expansion within the Osage Plains region, an area dominated by open rangeland and forested streams and known for its rich diversity of prairie and forest wildlife. Primary habitats in the expansion area follow:
- 5,255 acres of floodplain hardwood forest with associated shallow and deepwater wetlands.
- 5,890 acres of tallgrass prairie and savanna.
- 7.2 miles of large streams.
- 8.8 miles of the Marais des Cygnes River.
Documents
Land protection plan
Complete plan 2006 (7 MB PDF)
By section, for faster download:
Contents (PDF)
Chapter 1, purpose and need for action (3 MB PDF)
Chapter 2, description of alternatives (2 MB PDF)
Chapter 3, the affected environment (2 MB PDF)
Chapter 4, environmental consequences (PDF)
Chapter 5, list of preparers (PDF)
Chapter 6, consultation and coordination with the public and others (PDF)
Chapter 7, literature cited/references/personal communications (PDF)
Appendix A, concept management plan (PDF)
Appendix B, letters of comment and other correspondence (PDF)
Appendix C, legal compliance (PDF)
Appendix D, lists of species (PDF)
Appendix E, interim compatibility determination (PDF)
Appendix F, land protection plan (1 MB PDF)