Accomplishments

Accomplishments From Fiscal year 1994 through Fiscal Year 1997

1997

In Fiscal Year 1997, the Fish and Wildlife Service acquired fee title or other interests in approximately 295,576 acres of land. These acquisitions provide permanent protection for a variety of habitat for plants and animals, many of which are threatened or endangered.  The most significant accomplishments resulted from the joint efforts of the Fish and  Wildlife Service and its partners.  They include the establishment of five new refuges and acquisitions at several existing refuges.  The 35,034-acre Ten Thousand Islands National Wildlife Refuge in Florida was established through an exchange with the Collier Corporation.  In the same region, partnerships with the Conservation Fund, the City of Monroe, Louisiana, and a private property owner helped establish two other new refuges--Key Cave, Alabama, and Black Bayou, Louisiana.   Over 90,000 acres at Midway Atoll National Wildlife Refuge, an historic World War II site, were formally transferred to the Service with the cooperation of a private contractor and the U.S. Navy.  The new Boyer Chute National Wildlife Refuge in Nebraska began with the donation of 1,953 acres from the Papio-Missouri River Natural Resource District.

Assistance from partners also added to existing refuges.  The San Diego National Wildlife Refuges increased by 1,941 acres through the efforts of Emerald Properties Corporation (an affiliate of Bankers Trust Co.,), the California Wildlife Conservation Board, and the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation.  The Stillwater Refuge in Nevada also increased by 3,814 acres with the assistance of the Del Webb Corporation, the Nature Conservancy, and the U.S. Bureau of Land Management.  A 329-acre donation from the Township of Brick, New Jersey, became part of the Edwin B. Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge, and with the assistance of the Trust for Public Lands, 278 acres were added to the Mashpee National Wildlife Refuge, Massachusetts..

Five New Waterfowl Production Areas were added in Minnesota and Wisconsin where 931 acres in fee and perpetual easements were protected under the Waterfowl Production Area Program. 

Below is the complete list of newly established refuges and WPA counties.

The Service is committed to the preservation of biodiversity and the management of resources on an ecosystem basis. The land acquisition program is an important tool for attaining these goals.

1996

In Fiscal Year 1996, the Fish and Wildlife Service acquired fee title or other interests in approximately 286,724 acres of land. These acquisitions provide permanent protection for a variety of habitat for plants and animals, including endangered and threatened species. Some of the most significant accomplishments resulted from the joint efforts of State, County and local governments and non-profit organizations. For example, three new National Wildlife Refuges were added to the National Wildlife Refuge System in FY 1996. The San Diego NWR in California was established with acquisition of the 1,840-acre Rancho San Diego from the Resolution Trust Corporation/Home Capital Corporation/Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation. The financing for this project was provided by the San Diego Association of Governments, the County of San Diego, the Otay Water District, and the California Department of Transportation. The 1,112-acre tract establishing the Rappahannock River Valley NWR in Virginia is the result of a partnership with The Trust For Public Land, the Rappahannock River Valley Initiative Committee, and the Chesapeake Bay Foundation. The Nature Conservancy donated an additional 4,416 acres of land to establish the Mandalay NWR in Louisiana. The Service also acquired 98,447 acres in fee and easement tracts for inclusion into the existing Kodiak NWR in Alaska during FY 1996, approximately 96,000 acres of which were purchased with funds made available by the court settlement of the Exxon Valdez oil spill or acquired by donation.

Seven new Waterfowl Production Areas were added to the NWRS in FY 1996. Over 90,000 acres in fee and perpetual easements were protected in Iowa, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Wisconsin under the Waterfowl Production Area program, and more than 4,750 additional acres were included under the Farmers Home Administration program in FY 1996.

The complete list of newly established refuges and WPA counties is as follows:

National Wildlife Refuges:

Waterfowl Production Areas:

The Service is committed to the preservation of biodiversity and the management of resources on an ecosystem basis. The land acquisition program is an important tool for attaining these goals.

1995

The Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) acquired some or all interests in approximately 257,611 acres of land in Fiscal Year 1995, providing permanent protection for a variety of plants and animals and their habitats. Some of the most significant accomplishments resulted from partnerships with private individuals and organizations. For example, more than half of the funds used to establish the Stone Lakes National Wildlife Refuge came from non-Federal sources under the North American Waterfowl Management Plan Central Valley Habitat Joint Venture. Land exchanges were also an important part of partnership projects in FY 1995, adding almost 8,000 acres to the National Wildlife Refuge System. About 3,000 acres of State of Oregon islands and tidelands in the lower Columbia River were added to the System as a result of the exchange of State-owned land for excess Federal property (Corps of Engineers) and the subsequent transfer of the newly acquired Federal property to the Service. Additional habitat was added to the System through outreach efforts and the generosity of numerous individuals and organizations who donated over 8,600 acres. Principal among these was a 3,660-acre donation by The Conservation Fund which became the Big Branch Marsh National Wildlife Refuge.

Other accomplishments during FY 1995 include the protection of over 3,700 acres of pristine northern habitat at Lake Umbagog NWR in New Hampshire and Maine. Eighty thousand fee acres and 32,000 acres of conservation easements were acquired for inclusion in the Kodiak NWR utilizing funds made available by the court settlement of the Exxon Valdez oil spill. Approximately 83,000 acres in fee and perpetual easements were protected in the States of Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota and South Dakota under the Waterfowl Production Area program; and more than 11,000 additional acres were protected under the Farm Service Agency (formerly known as the Farmers Home Administration) program. Seven coastal islands were added to Petit Manan NWR in northeastern Maine and over 8,500 acres along the floodplain of the upper Mississippi River and its tributaries were added to the Refuge System.

The complete list of newly established refuges and WPA counties is as follows:

National Wildlife Refuges:

Waterfowl Production Areas:

The Service is committed to the preservation of biodiversity and the management of resources on an ecosystem basis. The land acquisition program is an important tool for attaining these goals.

1994

The Fish and Wildlife Service acquired some or all interests in approximately 220,563 acres of land in Fiscal Year 1994, protecting a variety of plants and animals and their habitats. A milestone was reached with the establishment of Canaan Valley National Wildlife Refuge in West Virginia as the 500th refuge.

Other significant accomplishments included nearly doubling the size of the Hakalau Forest NWR on the Big Island of Hawaii with the addition of 15,000 acres, and establishing the new Trinity River NWR in Texas to protect a 20,000-acre bottomland hardwood forest ecosystem. The donation of 506 acres of land in Arkansas by the Weyerhaeuser Company resulted in the establishment of Cossatot National Wildlife Refuge as the 501st refuge--the first of a "new generation" of National Wildlife Refuges. This bottomland hardwood forest provides important habitat for migratory waterfowl in both the Central and Mississippi Flyways. Under the Waterfowl Production Area program, the Service added 6 counties to the growing list of active acquisition areas. During 1994, the Service added 5,894 acres in fee and perpetual easement in Iowa, Minnesota and Wisconsin and protected over 105,000 additional fee and perpetual easement acres in Nebraska, North Dakota and South Dakota.

The complete list of newly established refuges and WPA counties is as follows:

National Wildlife Refuges:

Waterfowl Production Areas:

The Service is committed to the preservation of biodiversity and the management of resources on an ecosystem basis. The land acquisition program continues to be an important tool for achieving these goals.

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