The Service proposes to acquire up to 108,127 acres of land adjacent or near to the Laguna Atascosa National Wildlife Refuge in Cameron and Willacy Counties, including the northern portion of South Padre (see attached map). In recent years 56,000 acres have been offered to the Service, which proposes to acquire lands only from willing sellers or donors in fee title or via conservation easements.
The Service has no interest in acquiring developed lands in towns, subdivisions, or commercial/industrial areas. Under its proposal, the Service will negotiate and reach consensus with each town in the project area within a year of project approval to establish a growth buffer area around each town within which the Service would not acquire lands.
Needs for the refuge expansion proposal are:
1) to provide additional riparian riparian
Definition of riparian habitat or riparian areas.
Learn more about riparian and thicket habitats for the endangered ocelot, which at present is limited to about 30 animals on the refuge,
2) to protect and enhance migratory bird habitats such as San Martin Lake, Bahia Grande, Resaca de los Cuates, and other water bodies in the project area,
3) to protect habitats on South Padre for species such as endangered sea turtles, peregrine falcons, piping plovers, other shorebirds, wading birds, waterfowl, and neotropical migrants,
4) to protect fishing, hunting, and other wildlife-dependent recreational opportunities for future generations along Gulf beaches, the Lower Laguna Madre, native brush lands, and wetlands such as resacas (old river oxbows).
"People are coming from all over the country to South Texas to see its rich and diverse natural resources, including its wildlife," said Steve Labuda, Refuge Manager at Laguna Atascosa. "Many species are found nowhere else in the country, making this area a huge attraction for nature tourism.
In 1998, the refuge welcomed a record 186,030 visitors, including more than 600 hunters. "Providing additional areas for these growing numbers of nature tourists to visit will benefit local economies," Labuda added.
The Fish and Wildlife Service is required to uphold the Texas Open Beach Access Act, which mandates public access on all Texas beaches. There will be no curtailment or restriction of access to the beach or bay or fishing on newly acquired lands on South Padre Island.
Lands acquired by the Service will participate in the Refuge Revenue Sharing Act, which replaces County and School taxes that would have been collected on private lands. The Fish and Wildlife Service has paid over $1.6 million to Cameron County over the last 10 years for lands in the Laguna Atascosa National Wildlife Refuge.
The Service will hold an open house on its proposal on April 28, 1999, at the Fun N Sun RV Park dance hall, 1400 Zillock Road, San Benito, Texas, from 8:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. and from 3:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. Agency representatives will answer questions and record comments on the proposal at that time.
The revised draft Environmental Assessment clarifies a proposal released in August 1998. After an initial public comment period, the Service determined that a second document was needed to clarify and address issues brought up by the public. Comments may be sent to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Division of Refuges and Realty, P.O. Box 1306, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87103. Comments will be addressed in a final environmental assessment.
Additional copies of the document are available on request. A Spanish language translation of the document summary will be available from the refuge shortly. The document can also be reviewed at public libraries in the two-county project area, or via the Internet at http://southwest.fws.gov">. For additional copies, contact Steve Labuda, Refuge Manager, at (956) 748-3607.
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 comprised of 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.
