As part of the comprehensive conservation planning process for the Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife Refuge Complex, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is hosting a series of workshops in March that will give participants an opportunity to be "refuge manager for a day." The workshops will build on previous dialogue with the public.
An information session on "Closed Areas" of the Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife and Fish Refuge, particularly public use concerns, biological needs, and research, is also scheduled in March. This session was prompted by comments heard as part of public involvement for the comprehensive conservation plan (CCP). The information session is scheduled for Tuesday, March 4, 2003, from 6:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. at Eagle Bluff
The series of "Manager for a Day" workshops will be held in several communities. The workshops will give Refuge Complex staff an opportunity to present the concerns they see as well as seek additional public input on management issues. The Service is designing the workshops so that they offer opportunities for participants to the managers for a day, with small groups developing alternatives that address various issues and that can be used to resolve these issues.
Workshops will focus on topics that were raised last year by people attending open houses that were also conducted for the CCP. These topics include:
- Closed area use and management;
- Recreational uses, including traditional uses such as hunting, fishing, camping and boating, as well as hunting blinds, dogs and beaches;
- Habitat concerns such as invasive species, pool management, and the Environmental Management Plan
Workshops are scheduled as follows:
Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife and Fish Refuge:
Saturday, March 8: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Winona Middle School, Winona, Minnesota
Saturday, March 22: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Onalaska Middle School, 711 Quincy, Onalaska, Wisconsin. (Please note that this is a new location.)
Trempealeau National Wildlife Refuge:
Saturday, March 15: A workshop focusing on Trempealeau National Wildlife Refuge is scheduled from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Trempealeau Middle School in Trempealeau, Wisconsin.
Anyone who is interested in the Refuge Complex and its future are invited to attend. Participants are asked to attend the entire day-long workshop. The Service is asking that people register for the workshop by calling toll free at 888-291-5719. Lunch is available at cost, or individuals are welcome to bring their own lunch. Refuge issue fact sheets are available for review online at http://midwest.fws.gov/planning/uppermissfacts.htm
Comprehensive conservation plans will guide refuge management for the next 15 years, and plans will be reviewed and updated every 5 years. Work on comprehensive conservation plans for each of the Complex refuges began in 2002, and the planning process is expected to take approximately 24 months. The project began with a series of 12 open house meetings conducted in communities near the refuges between August 27, 2002, and September 26, 2002. Open houses were held in communities in Iowa, Minnesota and Wisconsin. A summary of the concerns and ideas voiced in the open house events is available online at http://midwest.fws.gov/planning/uppermisspublicinv2002.htm
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 95-million-acre National Wildlife Refuge System, which encompasses 540 national wildlife refuges, thousands of small wetlands and other special management areas. It also operates 69 national fish hatcheries, 64 fishery resource offices and 81 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
