The U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) is seeking public comments on a draft Environmental Assessment (EA), Hunt Plan and Compatibility Determination that would allow public hunting on Glacial Ridge National Wildlife Refuge in northwest Minnesota. The refuge, located in Polk County near Crookston, Minn., was established in October 2004 when ownership of the first parcel of land was transferred from The Nature Conservancy to the Service.
Before hunting can take place on a National Wildlife Refuge, a hunt plan must be written and approved. The draft EA, Compatibility Determination and Hunt Plan are part of the process of opening the refuge to public hunting.
Four alternatives are considered in the draft EA, including a "no action" alternative that would continue hunting under the same stipulations that had been utilized by The Nature Conservancy.
A second alternative would open 40 percent of the refuge to migratory bird hunting but allow deer and upland game hunting throughout the refuge. A third alternative would only allow migratory bird hunting on 20 percent of the land while having some closed areas for deer and upland game.
The Service’s preferred alternative is to open 40 percent of the land for migratory bird hunting, and to have open areas for deer and upland game hunting. There would be closed areas to provide for other non-hunting activities during hunting seasons and to meet the requirements of the Migratory Bird Conservation Act which require no more than 40 percent of a refuge be open to migratory bird hunting
The EA and Hunt Plan are available on the Internet at: dave_bennett@fws.gov. Written comments should be received by the Service by the close of business January 24, 2004.
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 545 national wildlife refuges, thousands of small wetlands and other special management areas. It also operates 69 national fish hatcheries, 63 Fish and Wildlife Management 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 Assistance program, which distributes hundreds of millions of dollars in excise taxes on fishing and hunting equipment to state fish and wildlife agencies.
