San Diego NWR Comprehensive Conservation Plan

On August 10, 2021, the Notice of Availability (NOA) of the Final Comprehensive Conservation Plan for the San Diego National Wildlife Refuge was published in the Federal Register

The San Diego NWR was established in 1996, when approximately 1,826 acres of land were conveyed to the Service for management as a national wildlife refuge national wildlife refuge
A national wildlife refuge is typically a contiguous area of land and water managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service  for the conservation and, where appropriate, restoration of fish, wildlife and plant resources and their habitats for the benefit of present and future generations of Americans.

Learn more about national wildlife refuge
. Over the years, additional lands have been added to the Refuge, some were purchased, some were donated, and other lands were incorporated as mitigation for impacts to habitat and/or species from surrounding developments. The map below identifies the approximately 12,250 acres of land included within the refuge.  

Map of San Diego National Wildlife Refuge showing the acquisition boundary for the Otay-Sweetwater Unit. Within the Refuge's acquisition boundary, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service owns the areas shaded in green. Map shows most current land ownership.

A Comprehensive Conservation Plan for the San Diego NWR was initiated in 2006. A CCP provides long term guidance for management decisions and set forth goals, objectives, and strategies needed to accomplish refuge purposes. The first public meetings for the San Diego NWR CCP were held in June 2006. The public involvement process began with the distribution of a mailing to over 650 landowners, organizations, agencies, Tribes, and individuals to announce the initiation of the planning process and invite the public to participate in public scoping meetings. Follow up public workshops were also held during the development of the CCP. Over 1,500 notices were distributed to announce the availability of the draft CCP for review and comment, and additional public meetings were held during the comment period. Additional opportunities for public involvement continued throughout the CCP and associated environmental review process.

We received more than 35,800 written communications on the draft CCP/EA, including 637 original letters and emails and 35,189 organized email petition responses (related to hunting) from two different sources. In addition, a petition, signed by numerous individuals (some of whom also submitted separate comments) was submitted to the Refuge office that expressed concerns about the trail plans presented in the alternatives. All comments were reviewed, and changes were made to the proposals in the draft CCP in response to comments, as discussed in the refuge update.

The Final CCP is composed of 5 separate volumes:

Volume 1

Volume 2

Volume 3

Volume 3A

Volume 4


 

Responses to public comments are presented in Volume 3 - Appendix F-2 of the Final CCP.

For More Information Contact:

Dwane Binns, Refuge Manager 

San Diego NWR 

14715 Highway 94/P.O. Box 746 

Jamul, CA 91935 

Phone: 619-385-1190 Email: Dwane_Binns@fws.gov

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