Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge. Credit: Emma Kerr
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Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge
Comprehensive Conservation Planning
Creating a Refuge Conservation Plan for the Future, Wildlife and You
This year, we will work with local interests to develop a 15-year comprehensive conservation plan (CCP) for the refuge. The plan will evaluate three alternative strategies for managing wildlife, recreational uses, and other activities on the refuge. The environmental and economic impacts of the alternatives will be carefully evaluated and will guide our decisions. Each alternative will include a recreational beach, beachside and offsite parking for visitors, and continuing management of the Chincoteague pony herd.
With your involvement, we will develop a CCP that will ensure that Chincoteague remains a spectacular place for wildlife and as a vacation destination.
The Three Alternatives
Last August, town residents, local businesses, elected officials and others reacted to four possible management alternatives that we proposed including in the CCP. We listened to that feedback,and based on it, alternative C has been removed from further consideration and analysis.
Every alternative in the CCP proposes the following:
-The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, in cooperation with the the National Park Service, will manage a one-mile recreational beach on the refuge.
-Parking will be available adjacent to the beach
-People will be able to drive to Assateague Island
-The Chincoteague pony herd will remain on Assateague Island and will continue to be managed by the Chincoteague Volunteer Fire Company.
Alternative A will evaluate the current management of Chincoteague NWR as approved in the refuge's 1992 master plan.
Alternative B will evaluate a dual management approach focusing both on wildlife conservation and public use of the refuge.
Alternative C (formerly presented as "Alternative D" in August 2011) will evaluate a management approach focusing primarily on wildlife conservation, and less on public use of the refuge.
Get Involved
The planning team expects to complete the draft plan and environmental impact statement by the end of 2012. There will be more opportunities for public participation at that time.
For additional information regarding the CCP process or to get on our project mailing list, please contact Thomas Bonetti at (413) 253-8307.
Previous Newsletters
The next edition of our newsletter will be available soon.
For our August 2011 Chincotegue National Wildlife Refuge CCP Newsletter, please click here (pdf - 1 Mb).
For our May 2011 Newsletter, click here.
For our February 2011 Newsletter, click here.
