The public and its local representatives have told us we need to be more specific about our proposal and its potential impacts on local communities, said Steve Labuda, Manager of the Laguna Atascosa National Wildlife Refuge. We are therefore revising our document to more clearly identify our policies for land acquisition and management, and show what impacts and benefits we expect to result in South Texas.
The Fish and Wildlife Service acquires land only from people wanting to sell their land to the Service, Labuda noted. It pays fair market value for these lands, based on appraisals done by professionals with expertise in the field. Although the Service identified a large (172,000 acre) study area in its current proposal, it only acquires lands shown to have important habitat values for fish and wildlife resources.
In terms of providing access and recreation on newly acquired lands, the National Wildlife Refuge System Improvement Act of 1997 requires that existing, compatible wildlife-dependent recreational uses of lands added to the System shall continue at least until a comprehensive conservation plan is developed for the property. The Act declares that wildlife-dependent recreational uses are priority public uses of the refuge system. Six uses -- hunting, fishing, wildlife observation, wildlife photography, environmental education and interpretation -- are to receive enhanced consideration in planning and management over all other public uses of the System.
We will clearly show where existing wildlife-dependent recreation will continue on acquired lands, Labuda added, Awhile accomplishing the primary goal of protecting the areas unique and internationally significant natural resources.
The Fish and Wildlife Service will allow fishing to continue on any refuge lands to be acquired on either the Gulf of Mexico or the Laguna Madre. The Service will work with all interested and affected parties to ensure that fishing continues to be an important and compatible activity on the refuge, Labuda added. On the Laguna Madre side of the island, the Service will continue to allow access to the bay on existing roads and four-wheel-drive tracks or relocate them if they pass through sensitive wildlife habitats.
In addition, the Service formally recognizes and supports the Texas Open Beaches Act, which mandates public access on all Texas beaches. The law requires public access on beaches up to the Amean high tide@ level; the refuge proposes to open beaches and allow additional public access on beaches up to the dunes. This means that all uses of the beach would continue under the Services proposal, including sunbathing, hiking and primitive camping. Although sensitive habitats for wildlife on acquired lands, such as dunes and certain key tidal flats on the Laguna Madre, would be protected, the Service intends to provide access through refuge lands to the beach area. Access behind the dunes to the Laguna Madre will be permitted to fishermen, birdwatchers and others.
Other concerns voiced about the Services current proposal include the loss of tax revenues on lands acquired by the Service. The Refuge Revenue Sharing Act of 1935 was passed by Congress to help compensate counties for the loss of taxable properties. Since then the federal government has made annual payments to all counties with refuge lands in lieu of taxes paid by private landowners. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has paid over $1.6 million to Cameron County over the last 10 years.
I am confident that protecting additional habitat for fish and wildlife will increase the already substantial economic benefits to the community from an expanded tourism base, Labuda added. In a study of the economic impacts of birding ecotourism at Laguna Atascosa, the refuge was found to generate over $5.6 million a year to the local economy. The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department estimates that 48,000 birders visit the refuge each year spending an average of $400 on their trips to and from the refuge -- and 79 percent of these visitors are from out of state.
