William Hartwig, Regional Director for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, said public comment received during the development of an Environmental Assessment for the proposed Grand Kankakee Marsh National Wildlife Refuge indicated a high interest in a coordinated effort between the Service and the Corps.
The Corps and the Service agree that by sharing staff and information, our agencies can better identify, understand, and serve the needs and issues of the people and communities in the Kankakee River Basin.
Under the partnership agreement, the two agencies will work together as they develop complementary plans for their activities in the watershed. The Service will begin a comprehensive conservation planning effort as part of developing the proposed Grand Kankakee Marsh National Wildlife Refuge. The plan will address opportunities and issues relative to public recreation, fish and wildlife management, flood control, and land acquisition. The Corps will begin a feasibility study on flood damage reduction and ecosystem restoration in the Basin.
The Corps study, which covers more than 5,200 square miles in the states of Illinois and Indiana, evaluates flooding and its causes in the Kankakee River Basin, as well as land use practices and environmental issues, said Lt. Col. Peter J. Rowan, commander of the Chicago District Corps. The $3.2 million cost for the study will be shared by the Corps, the Indiana Department of Natural Resources, the Illinois Department of Natural Resources and the Kankakee River Basin Commission.
In 1996 the Service initiated a planning process aimed at evaluating the feasibility of developing a new 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.
Learn more about national wildlife refuge in the Kankakee River Basin. The purpose of the Refuge will be to restore, preserve, and enhance migratory birds, threatened and endangered species, and fish in the Basin. Recent studies indicate widespread declines in fish and wildlife resources in the Basin due to habitat loss and degradation. A national wildlife refuge will help restore, preserve, and enhance fish and wildlife resources for the continued benefit of the American people.
The Service has received inquiries or comments from more than 14,000 people in 44 states during its planning process on the proposed refuge. A draft environmental assessment was issued in March 1998, with a 150-day comment period following. Comments covered a wide range of opportunities and issues, most in support of the refuge, but some citing potential conflicts that must be addressed before the refuge proposal moves forward.
Among the issues raised most often by the public is the coordination of resource protection and flood control efforts by the Service and the Corps in the Kankakee River Basin. Said Hartwig, The public came through loud and clear during the comment period. It is essential that the Service and the Corps work together to protect the valuable resources of the Kankakee River Basin, whether they be wildlife habitat, prime farmland, or local communities. These resources are intertwined and must be addressed collectively. The partnership will help ensure that this happens.
The Service plans to issue its final environmental assessment for the proposed Grand Kankakee Marsh National Wildlife Refuge this summer, and will begin the comprehensive conservation planning process immediately follow its release.
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/
