Refuge Planning
Stone Lakes NWR Missions & Goals
How Land May be Protected
Comprehensive Conservation Plan (CCP)

Goals of the Refuge

Interim refuge goals were defined in the Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) and Land Protection Plan and are the foundation of our Comprehensive Conservation Plan (CCP). We will refine and refer to these goals during our planning:

• Preserve, enhance, and restore a diverse assemblage of native Central Valley plant communities and their associated fish, wildlife, and plants;
• Preserve, enhance, and restore habitat to maintain and assist in the recovery of rare, threatened, and endangered plants and animals;
• Preserve, enhance, and restore wetlands and adjacent agricultural lands to provide foraging and sanctuary habitat needed to achieve the distribution and population levels of migratory waterfowl and other water birds consistent with the goals and objectives of the North American Waterfowl Management Plan and Central Valley Habitat Joint Venture;
• Create linkages between refuge habitats and habitats on adjacent lands to reverse past impacts of habitat fragmentation on wildlife and plants;
• Coordinate refuge land acquisition and management activities with other agencies and organizations and to maximize the effectiveness of refuge contributions to regional habitat needs;
• Provide for environmental education, interpretation, and fish and wildlife-oriented recreation in an urban setting accessible to large populations; and
• Manage riverine wetlands and adjacent floodplain lands in a manner consistent with local, State, and Federal flood management; sediment and erosion control, and water quality objectives.

Refuge Purposes

The purposes of Stone Lakes NWR are defined by language within a number of acts of Congress which grant the FWS general authority to acquire land for National Wildlife Refuges:

• …for the conservation of the wetlands of the Nation in order to maintain the public benefits they provide and to help fulfill international obligations contained in various migratory bird treaties and conventions ... 16 U.S.C.§3901(b) (Emergency Wetlands Resources Act of 1986)
• …for the development, advancement, management, conservation, and protection of fish and wildlife resources ... 16 U.S.C. §742f(a)(4)
• …for the benefit of the United States Fish and Wildlife Service, in performing its activities and services ... 16 U.S.C. §742f(b)(1) (Fish and Wildlife Act of 1956) n
• …for use as an inviolate sanctuary, or for any other management purpose, for migratory birds. 16 U.S.C.§715d (Migratory Bird Conservation Act)
• …to conserve (A) fish or wildlife which are listed as endangered species or threatened species .... or (B) plants ... 16 U.S.C.§1534 (Endangered Species Act of 1973) and other purposes.