The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) has completed the Draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the proposed Little Darby National Wildlife Refuge. A 60-day review period begins with the release of the document on July 28 and will end on September 28.
Five alternatives are considered in the Draft Environmental Impact Statement, including four action alternatives, which propose different configurations of 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.
Learn more about national wildlife refuge , and one no action alternative, which examines the impacts of not establishing a national wildlife refuge.
The purpose of the public review period is to give people an opportunity to review the documentation and comment on its completeness and accuracy. The Service will address the comments in preparing the final environmental impact statement.
The refuge proposal is unique in that two of the action alternatives are composed of two pieces: a Voluntary Purchase Area and a Watershed Conservation Area. A third action alternative includes three pieces: a Voluntary Purchase Area, a Watershed Conservation Area and a Private Initiative Conservation Area.
The Watershed Conservation Area is proposed as an area of the watershed surrounding the Voluntary Purchase Area. In previous studies and discussion, this concept was referred to as the Farmland Preservation Area. Some individuals said that calling the area a Farmland Preservation Area was misleading because the Services primary purpose in identifying the area was to preserve the watershed. By changing the name, the Service hopes to clarify the purpose of the designation. The designation also underscores the Services belief that farming and national wildlife refuges have the potential to be good neighbors and strong partners in conservation efforts to benefit the watersheds farming, wildlife and habitats.
The proposed refuge would restore and preserve habitat and wildlife within the Little Darby Creek Watershed, a unique warm water sub-watershed of the larger Darby Creek watershed. The Service initially prepared an environmental assessment for this project. The EIS process is allowing additional evaluation of the issues and opportunities associated with the proposal.
A summary of the Draft EIS has been mailed to everyone on the Services mailing list for the project. Both the Summary Draft EIS and the full document are available on the Services web site: http://www.fws.gov/r3pao/planning/index.htm
Copies of the Draft EIS are available at libraries throughout the project area, including:
Hilliard Branch, Columbus Metropolitan Libraries
Dublin Branch, Columbus Metropolitan Libraries
Northwest Branch, Columbus Metropolitan Libraries
London Branch, Madison County Libraries
Plain City Branch, Madison County Libraries
West Jefferson Branch, Madison County Libraries
Hurt/Bartelle Memorial Library, West Jefferson
Marysville Branch, Union County Libraries
Richwood Branch, Union County Libraries
Urbana Branch, Champaign County Libraries
St. Paris Branch, Champaign County Libraries
Mechanicsburg Branch, Champaign County Libraries
Springfield Branch, Clark County Libraries
City of Columbus Main Library, Columbus, Ohio
Copies are also available by calling the Service at 1-800-247-1247
The EIS process began with scoping meetings in London and Plain City in June. More than 500 comments on issues were received in those meetings. The most frequently cited issues included how the project might impact local economics, what the Services procedure is for buying land and determining fair market value.
Many good questions were raised in the scoping process and we have worked hard to answer those questions in the draft EIS, according to Tom Larson, Region 3s Chief of Ascertainment and Planning. This draft is the culmination of more than two and a half years of data gathering and public involvement. The draft EIS is an opportunity for all interested parties to see if we have accurately captured the issues and fully addressed them, Larson said.
The Service will host a question-and-answer session on August 30, to give people an opportunity to ask Service staff questions about the project. As part of the EIS process, a formal public hearing is scheduled for August 31 to take statements regarding the Draft EIS. Both meetings are scheduled for 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. at the Northwest Center in Plain City, Ohio.
Work on developing an environmental assessment to analyze the effects of a national wildlife refuge on the socioeconomic and biological environments of Madison and Union counties in Ohio began in 1998. A draft environmental assessment was released in December 1999. The issues identified by the public during the environmental assessment process were considered during the development of the draft EIS.
Historically, the Darby Creek Watershed encompassed one of the easternmost wetland, tallgrass prairie, oak savanna ecosystems in the United States. The once abundant diversity of plants and wildlife contained in these ecosystems has been reduced to small populations in scattered remnants of habitat. The proposed refuge will focus on restoring natural plant communities within the watershed, complementing and enhancing the existing diverse aquatic system, providing wetland habitat for waterfowl and marsh birds, and providing grassland areas for declining populations of songbirds. Wildlife-dependent recreation and environmental education opportunities would also be provided for the public if a refuge is established.
