The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service released a Draft Environmental Assessment (EA) today for a proposed National Wildlife Refuge near Crookston, Minn. Options evaluated in the document range from "No Action" to the establishment of a refuge containing up to 35,750 acres. The release of the Draft EA follows public meetings held by the Service in July and August to gain input from local residents on the idea of refuge establishment.
If established, the new refuge would provide habitat for a wide variety of birds, mammals, reptiles and amphibians -- including mallard, blue-wing teal, canvasback and redhead ducks, prairie chickens, American bitterns, sand hill cranes, black terns, short-eared owls, furbearers such as mink and muskrat, white-tailed deer, fox, and more than 18 species of turtles, frogs and salamanders.
"Weve been meeting with local landowners, county officials and other interested parties since July to gauge support for the idea of a National Wildlife Refuge in the Tilden Farms area east of Crookston," said USFWS Project Coordinator Rick Julian. "The feedback has been very favorable; now weve drawn up some different options and evaluated them based on their wildlife value, recreation value, and local economic impact--and wed like to know what people think."
Two open house events are scheduled for January 2001, to provide details on each option and to gather additional public input during a 30-day public comment period. Open houses will be held on January 24 at the Rydell National Wildlife Refuge Visitor Center and January 25 at the Crookston Public Library. The public is invited to stop by anytime between 4 p.m. and 8 p.m at either event. The Rydell NWR Visitor Center is located 2 miles south of U.S. Hwy 2 on County 210 (2 miles east of Mentor). For more information or to obtain a copy of the Draft EA contact Rick Julian, Project Manager, Rydell National Wildlife Refuge, at 218-687-2229 or write: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Rt 3, Box 105, Erskine, Minn. 56535.
As is the case with the existing 531 National Wildlife Refuges nationwide, hunting, fishing, wildlife observation, photography, environmental education and interpretation would be priority uses of the proposed refuge. As detailed in an Interim Comprehensive Conservation Plan, released as part of the draft EA, large and small game and waterfowl hunting opportunities would likely be offered on refuge lands.
According to Julian, three alternatives are presented in the Draft EA, including a "No Action" alternative. A common denominator of those alternatives involving refuge establishment is that land will only be purchased from willing sellers--at fair market value.
"Landowners inside the proposed refuge boundary are not under any obligation whatsoever to sell their land to us," said Julian. "Should a refuge become established they would retain all the property rights they had prior to the refuge being there."
In addition to the "No Action" alternative, in which the Service would simply continue its practice of establishing Waterfowl Production Areas (WPA) in the area, other Draft EA alternatives include:
- A 21,750 acre "Core Restoration" option, which would focus on wetland and prairie restorations on and near the former Tilden Farms property, including some 8,000 acres of wetland restoration; or
- A 35,756 acre "Restoration Enhancement" (preferred) option, which would allow for the restoration of several larger wetland basins, up to 12,700 acres total. The proposed refuge boundary under this alternative would include a preserve owned by The Nature Conservancy (TNC) and several Minnesota DNR wildlife management areas.
"Much of the acreage under consideration already benefits from some level of conservation management," said Julian. "Even under the 35,000 acre option, only about a third of the acreage is held by private parties, and more than half of that is enrolled in the Conservation Reserve Program. The rest of the acreage is already owned by TNC or the DNR."
Written comments on the Draft EA will be accepted through February 14, 2001. Please send comments to Gary Muehlenhardt, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Ascertainment and Planning Branch, 1 Federal Drive, Fort Snelling, MN 55111-4056. Comments may also be submitted through the Services Web site at:
http://midwest.fws.gov/planning/
Following the close of the comment period on February 10, the Service will review all comments received, determine if other alternatives should be considered, and then prepare a final EA for review by Service Regional Director Bill Hartwig, who will make the final decision on which alternative to pursue. This decision should be made sometime in spring of 2001.
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.
