The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has announced the availability of the Draft Environmental Assessment and Public Use Plan for Development of Public Use and Associated Facilities on Cannery Hill at Nestucca Bay National Wildlife Refuge. This document describes and evaluates the effects of the proposed Cannery Hill Overlook Project on fish and wildlife, refuge habitats, and the community. The project would be funded through a federal Transportation Enhancement Act grant as well as Refuge Roads Program funds. It would allow the Service to welcome visitors to a portion of the refuge, which is located near Pacific City and Cloverdale in southern Tillamook County.

The proposed project includes constructing two small parking lots and a paved, wheelchair -accessible trail that leads to an elevated viewing deck, installing a single vault restroom at one of the parking lots, and paving the access road from Highway 101 up to the Overlook trail. The paved trail and viewing deck would be atop Cannery Hill and would afford visitors a sweeping view of the Pacific Ocean, Oregon Islands National Wildlife Refuge (Haystack Rock at Pacific City), Nestucca Bay Refuge, the Coast Range, and the Pacific Coast Scenic Byway, also known as U.S. Highway 101.

The Environmental Assessment will be available on the Oregon Coast National Wildlife Refuge Complex website www.fws.gov/oregoncoast/ beginning Monday April 2, 2007. The 30-day comment period will close on Tuesday May 1, 2007. A public meeting will be held on Wednesday, April 18, 2007 in the Nestucca High School cafeteria from 6 to 8 p.m. to give interested individuals the opportunity to comment on and ask questions about the proposed project. Written comments must be received by Thursday May 10, 2007 and can be submitted via email at oregoncoast@fws.gov or via snail mail at US Fish and Wildlife Service, 2127 SE Marine Science Drive, Newport OR 97365.