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Draft Environmental analysis and land protection plan available for commentMarch 6, 2013 We are pleased to announce the public review of the Draft Land Protection Plan and Environmental Assessment (Draft LPP/EA) for the proposed establishment of Mountain Bogs National Wildlife Refuge. The assessment outlines the actions proposed to conserve and protect rare and severely threatened wetlands in the Southern Appalachian Mountains of eastern Tennessee and western North Carolina. In the assessment, two alternatives and their potential impacts on the environment are evaluated. We welcome any comments or recommendations you have concerning this proposal. To be considered in the preparation of the final Environmental Assesment/Land Protection Plan, your comments must be received no later than April 10, 2013. Comments on the draft documents should be directed to: Oliver Van Den Ende, Project Planner, Wheeler National Wildlife Refuge Comples, 2700 Refuge Headquarters Rd., Decatur, Alabama 305603; telephone 256/353-7243, ext. 28; or mountainbogs@fws.gov. Requests for further information, or requests for paper copies of the documents should be directed to: Gary Peeples, 160 Zillicoa St., Asheville, NC; or gary_peeples@fws.gov; or 828/258-3939, ext. 234.
Download the Draft Environmental Assessment/Land Protection Plan in its entirety (.pdf 18.55 MP)
Download individual portions of the Draft Environmental Assessment/Land Protection Plan:
Parntership brings successful restoration of Ochlawaha BogJuly 13, 2012
Open house schedule setJune 15, 2012 The Service will host four open houses to answer questions and solicit input regarding the proposed Mountain Bogs National Wildlife Refuge. These events will be informal, drop-in affairs allowing members of the public to speak one-on-one with Service staff. The meetings are not sponsored by the respective libraries.
The Nature Conservancy's Megan Sutton discusses the importance of Southern Appalachian bogsJune 11, 2012
New National Wildlife Refuge Proposed to Protect Some of Appalachia’s Rarest PlacesJune 6, 2012
In 1903 President Theodore Roosevelt created the first National Wildlife Refuge to protect brown pelican breeding grounds on the east coast of Florida. The refuge system has since grown to more than 556 refuges across the nation, and now the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service proposes establishing a refuge to protect Southern Appalachian bogs, one of the nation’s rarest natural habitats. “National Wildlife Refuges are lands, managed by or in partnership with the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, set aside for the conservation of fish, wildlife, and plants,” explained Rick Huffines, deputy regional chief, National Wildlife Refuge System. “Given the rarity of these bogs and their importance to plants and wildlife, creating a refuge to conserve them is a natural fit.” News release
Service biologist Sue Cameron discusses the role Southern Appalachian bogs play for birdsJune 1, 2012
Service proposes conserving rare Appalachian bogs with National Wildlife RefugeMay 29, 2012
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service proposes to protect southern Appalachian Mountain bogs, one of the nation’s rarest and most imperiled plant and wildlife habitats, through the creation of the Mountain Bogs National Wildlife Refuge. This follows years of effort to conserve these areas on the part of the Service, other conservation organizations, and individual citizens. The proposed refuge would eventually include up to 23,478 acres scattered across as many as 30 sites in Alleghany, Ashe, Avery, Clay, Graham, Henderson, Jackson, Macon, Transylvania, Wilkes, and Watauga counties, North Carolina; and Carter and Johnson counties, Tennessee. Learn more
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Biologists discuss monitoring rare bog plants. Photo: Gary Peeples, USFWS.
Fern fronds emerging in early spring at a mountain bog. Photo: Gary Peeples, USFWS.
Last updated:
March 19, 2013
