"We are committed to involving our state counterparts early in all aspects of refuge management, not just as reviewers, but as participants,"Williams said.
William F. Hartwig, regional director for the Services eight-state Midwest region, echoed Williams commitment.
"As the 46 national wildlife refuges and 11 wetland management districts in the Midwest continue the process of developing comprehensive conservation plans to guide refuge management for the future, we are dedicated to consulting with adjoining government and private landowners, state conservation agencies, and any other affected organizations," Hartwig said. "We also strive to inform and involve the public throughout the refuge planning process."
The new policy was developed in cooperation with a team of state fish and wildlife agencies. It requires the Service to involve states early in the process, when initiating national policy development to address either a legislative requirement or a broad-scale refuge management concern, need or issue.
Specifically, the Service will work cooperatively with interested state fish and wildlife agencies to help develop comprehensive conservation plans (CCPs). These plans guide management decisions for each refuge unit, and they outline a vision and the strategies to achieve it. They also provide valuable information about the refuge unit to other agencies and the public.
The Service will also work cooperatively with interested state representatives, on assignment to the Service, to participate in working groups to develop policies that affect federal and state interests. Further, we will continue to provide state fish and wildlife agencies with opportunities to discuss and, if necessary, elevate decisions made by Service field staff or regional offices.
Soon to celebrate its Centennial, the National Wildlife Refuge System, the only system of federal lands devoted specifically to wildlife, is a network of diverse and strategically located habitats. The system teems with millions of migratory birds, serves as a haven for hundreds of endangered species, and hosts an enormous variety of other plants and animals.
"I expect the Service to involve our State counterparts early in all aspects of refuge management, not just as reviewers, but as participants," Fish and Wildlife Service Director Williams told the agencys regional directors in a Directors Order, "I am committed to seeing the Service strengthen its ties with the agencies."
The Directors Order requires that when the Service initiates national policy development to address a legislative requirement or to address a broad-scale refuge management concern, need, or issue, it will inform the states early in the process to obtain scoping or other preliminary information. The Service will invite interested state representatives to participate on working groups to develop policies that affect federal and state interests utilizing intergovernmental personnel agreements (IPAs) to employ state representatives. Further, state fish and wildlife agencies will continue to be provided opportunities to discuss and, if necessary, elevate decisions within the hierarchy of the Service.
Since he took office in February 2002, Director Williams has consistently emphasized the need for the Service to strengthen relations with state fish and wildlife agencies. Since he took office in February 2002, Director Williams has consistently emphasized the need for the Service to strengthen relations with state fish and wildlife agencies. This Directors Order, issued on Dec. 23, reflects those efforts. To see a copy of the order, go to http://policy.fws.gov/do148.html
"Fish and wildlife conservation is a responsibility shared by the states and the federal government," Director Williams said. "We need the scientific expertise and local perspective of the state agencies."
The National Wildlife Refuge System Improvement Act of 1997 established wildlife conservation as the overarching mission of the National Wildlife Refuge System, and provided for six wildlife-dependent uses, including hunting, fishing, wildlife observation, photography, interpretation and education. The act also requires the Fish and Wildlife Service to consult with other Federal agencies, State fish and wildlife agencies, State conservation agencies and refuge neighbors when making refuge decisions, expanding refuges and planning for new ones.
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 http://midwest.fws.gov
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