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Refuge Planning

View the final Turnbull National Wildlife Refuge Comprehensive Conservation Plan (CCP)

Hunt Planning Documents

• Letter describing Environmental Assessment and Hunt Plan open for reciew and comment. (PDF file 320 KB)
• Final Hunt Plan (PDF 1.31 MB)
• Environmental Assessment for an Elk and Youth Waterfowl Stepdown
  Hunt Plan on the Turnbull National Wildlife Refuge (PDF 1.93 MB)
• Hunting Compatibility Determination (PDF 143 KB)
• Hunt Plan FONSI (PDF 115 KB)
  

Process to Open a New Hunt on a National Wildlife Refuge

Refuge Managers complete several steps in the process to open a refuge to hunting. Generally hunting is one of several uses addressed in a refuge comprehensive conservation plan. Turnbull Refuge completed their CCP in March 2007. Public input was sought and received throughout this planning process. The CCP identified goals, objectives, and strategies that Turnbull will use for a 15-year period. The decision to have these two hunts, for elk and youth waterfowl, was made in the Final CCP.

In addition to the CCP, the refuge developed a Hunt Plan, Environmental Assessment and Finding of No Significant Impact, Endangered Species Act Section 7 evaluation, and draft regulations for the proposed hunts in late 2008. Public comment was sought, received, and incorporated to these documents and forwarded to the Regional Fish and Wildlife Service Office.

Regional staff reviewed the documents and submitted them to the Washington Office on January 30, 2009. The public has additional opportunities to comment on the proposed hunts through the Federal rulemaking or regulatory process. The proposed rule or regulation will be published in the Federal Register later this year. The public can provide written comments during this comment period. Often the proposed rule becomes the final rule with some modification. Once the final rules are published in the Federal Register, they become part of the Code of Federal Regulations and the hunts can legally open.

Litigation related to refuge hunting has resulted in increased legal scrutiny of refuge hunting programs and increased workload associated with hunt openings.