Refuge conservation plans are called “comprehensive conservation plans” (CCPs). The Comprehensive Conservation Plan for Kirtland’s Warbler Wildlife Management Area was signed on Sept. 10, 2009, completing a planning process that began in 2006. Management highlights include:

• Management of jack pine stands will shift toward a more ecologically-based approach that better emulates natural, wildfire-generated jack pine stands.
• The Service will explore opportunities for land exchange and consolidation with the state of Michigan and possibly the U.S. Forest Service. The Service and others involved in Kirtland’s warbler recovery believe than consolidation could increase the total area of land managed for the warbler as well as increase efficiency for state and federal agencies.

National Wildlife Refuge System Improvement Act of 1997: The NWRS Improvement Act 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 System lands and that the Secretary 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 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.