The public is invited to the open houses to be held September 15, 1999, at the Refuge Visitor Center, located 35 miles northwest of St. Joseph, Missouri, on I-29, and on September 16, 1999, at the Drury Inn in St. Joseph, Missouri. Hours will be from 2 p.m. to 7 p.m. at both locations. Those attending may come at any time during the open house to view maps and other displays, consider refuge purpose and mission statements, visit one-on-one with Service representatives, and to give their personal suggestions for future management of the refuge.
Squaw Creek National Wildlife Refuge is in the initial stages of preparing its comprehensive conservation plan that will guide refuge activities and operations for the next 15 years. The new plan will likely include most of the current refuge programs but unlike previous plans, there will be extensive effort to obtain ideas and concerns from the public, refuge users and neighbors, and refuge partner agencies.
The Service is updating management plans for all lands in the National Wildlife Refuge System, which includes more than 500 refuges across the country. The planning effort is part of the Fish and Wildlife Improvement Act of 1997 which requires national wildlife refuges to reassess their capabilities to protect fish, wildlife, and plant resources and their habitats while also providing compatible wildlife-dependent public uses.
Squaw Creek National Wildlife Refuge was established in 1935. Acquisition funds came from Federal programs available at that time to purchase lands unsuitable for farming but suitable for restoration or preservation as habitat for waterfowl and other wildlife. The refuges marshes annually attract a diverse list of migratory birds and other wildlife including up to 300,000 snow geese, 100,000 ducks, and 200 bald eagles. Other wildlife species known to inhabit or migrate through the area during the year include 321 species of birds, 34 mammals, and 36 reptiles/amphibians; these numbers include three Federally endangered or threatened species and 14 state listed species. About 130,000 annual refuge visitors come to observe and learn about the areas diverse wildlife.
Among the challenges for wildlife managers at Squaw Creek Refuge is sedimentation on refuge lands. Squaw Creek has historically been characterized by flooding, poor drainage, and excessive siltation. This sump-like area lies between the Missouri River on the west and its loess bluffs on the east. Heavy silt loads in Squaw and Davis creeks which pass through the refuge are deposited into the marsh areas, making them increasingly more shallow. Long term preservation of the marsh habitat is dependent on the stability of the soils within the 100-plus square mile watershed that drains into the Missouri River via Squaw and Davis Creeks.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is the principal federal agency responsible for conserving, protecting, and enhancing fish and wildlife and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the American people. The Service manages the 93-million-acre National Wildlife Refuge System comprising more than 500 national wildlife refuges, thousands of small wetlands, and other special management areas. It also operates 66 national fish hatcheries and 78 ecological services field stations.
The agency enforces federal wildlife laws, administers the Endangered Species Act, manages migratory bird populations, restores nationally significant fisheries, conserves and restores wildlife habitat such as wetlands, and helps foreign governments with their conservation efforts. It also oversees the Federal Aid program that distributes hundreds of millions of dollars in excise taxes on fishing and hunting equipment to state wildlife agencies. For further information about the programs and activities of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in the Great Lakes-Big Rivers Region, please visit our home page at: http://www.fws.gov/r3pao/
