6
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will hold a public open house in Sturgis, South Dakota to solicit public input for the development of a Comprehensive Conservation Plan for Bear Butte National Wildlife Refuge in Bennett County in southwestern South Dakota. Bear Butte was established as an easement refuge in the late 1930's for ?migratory bird, wildlife conservation, and other purposes.? The refuge is managed by the state of South Dakota under a cooperative agreement between the state and the Service and is located within the boundaries of Bear Butte State Park.
The open house will be held from at the Sturgis Community Center located at 1401 Lazelle Street, Sturgis South Dakota from 4:30 to 6:30 pm on 2Dec. 1, 2004.
Service staff from the refuge and the Regional Office will provide information about the refuge and the CCP, and will also be available to receive public comments and answer questions. The Service encourages the public to take advantage of this opportunity to provide input into the plan, which will guide long-term management of the refuge.
The National Wildlife Refuge System Improvement Act of 1997 requires that all refuges be managed in accordance with an approved CCP which, when implemented, will achieve refuge purposes; help fulfill the Refuge System mission; maintain and, where appropriate, restore the ecological integrity of each refuge and the Refuge System; help achieve the goals of the Wilderness Preservation System; and meet other mandates. The CCP will guide management decisions and set forth goals, objectives, and strategies to accomplish these tasks. The Service hopes to complete the CCP for Bear Butte over the next 18 months.
214. center 3- FWS -
For more information about the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service,
align=left>visit our home page at http://www.fws.gov
center 240.8pt
Visit the Mountain Prairie website at: http://www.mountain-prairie.fws.gov
