Refuge conservation plans are called Comprehensive Conservation Plans (CCPs). The purpose of a CCP is to specify a management direction for the refuge for 15 years. The goals, objectives, and strategies for improving refuge conditions—including the types of habitat we will provide, partnership opportunities, and management actions needed to achieve desired conditions—are described in the CCP. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s preferred alternative for managing the refuge and its effects on the human environment are described in the CCP as well.

The CCP for Hackmatack National Wildlife Refuge is forthcoming. Currently, an Environmental Assessment has been prepared for the refuge. It presents four alternatives, including the preferred alternative, designed to benefit specific wildlife and plant habitats.

See the Hackmatack Environmental Assessment 

The National Wildlife Refuge System Improvement Act of 1997 defines a unifying mission for all refuges, including a process for determining compatible uses on refuges, and requiring that each refuge be managed according to a CCP.

The NWRS Improvement Act expressly states that wildlife conservation is the priority of Refuge System lands and that the Secretary of the Department of the Interior shall ensure that the biological integrity, diversity, and environmental health of refuge lands are maintained.

Each refuge must be managed to fulfill the specific purposes for which the refuge was established and the Refuge System mission. The first priority of each refuge is to conserve, manage, and if needed, restore fish and wildlife populations and habitats according to its purpose.

See the NWRS Improvement Act