The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Iowa Department of Natural Resources and Iowa State Historic Preservation Officers invite the public to offer input and comment on a new "Programmatic Agreement."
The agreement will streamline the way federal land acquisition and management projects are reviewed for possible impacts on archeological sites, historic farmsteads and other historic places.
Currently, projects -- like the acquisition and management of land for wildlife preservation -- undertaken by state and nongovernmental conservation organizations, with Service assistance, are subject to a review under the National Historic Preservation Act. This review determines whether the project will damage sites of tribal, agricultural or other historic importance.
The review process is a time-consuming one, and requires substantial paperwork. Most such projects can be designed to avoid damage to these historic sites by using standard protective measures.
The Programmatic Agreement would greatly reduce the paperwork and coordination required for routine projects where standard protective measures could be used to safeguard historic places. Once agreed upon, the document will be signed by the Service, the Iowa DNR and the State Historic Preservation Officer, after consulting with Indian tribes with ancestral sites in Iowa and giving them the opportunity to sign on as well. The agreement will then be filed with the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation in Washington, D.C.
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 95 million-acre National Wildlife Refuge System which encompasses nearly 540 national wildlife refuges, thousands of small wetlands and other special management areas. It also operates 70 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 programs and activities of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in the Great Lakes-Big Rivers Region, visit our website at " facehttp://midwest.fws.gov
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