Gritman said the assessment evaluates four alternatives, including a "no action" alternative and three Refuge establishment alternatives. The Services preferred alternative calls for the purchase of up to 12,OOO acres from willing sellers to create a Refuge covering 13,540 acres.
Gritman said the proposed Refuge would protect and enhance nearly 6,000 acres of wetlands. "The area under consideration is one of the truly unique wetland ecosystems left in central Minnesota," he said.
Gritman said the area under consideration attracts up to 10,000 waterfowl during migration, contains remnant sand prairie and oak savanna plant communities, and is one of the most important breeding grounds for greater sandhill cranes in central Minnesota.
A public meeting to discuss the draft environmental assessment is planned for February 4, 1992, at 7 p.m. in the Little Falls High School Commons, 1001 Southeast Fifth Avenue, Little Falls. Comments on the proposed Refuge will be accepted through February 15, 1992, after which a final environmental assessment will be prepared and a decision made on whether or not to establish 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.
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Copies of the assessment are available by writing the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Division of Realty, 1 Federal Drive, Bishop Henry Whipple Federal Building, Fort Snelling, Minnesota 55111-4056; or by calling (612) 725-3306. In Little Falls, copies are available at the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources Area Office or the Carnegie Regional Library.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is the principal Federal agency responsible for conserving, protecting and enhancing fish, wildlife and plants and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the American people. The Service manages the 93-million-acre National Wildlife Refuge System which encompasses more than 530 national wildlife refuges, thousands of small wetlands and other special management areas. It also operates 66 national fish hatcheries, 64 fishery resource offices 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 fish and 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://midwest.fws.gov
