The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) has approved and released to the public the Comprehensive Conservation Plan and Environmental Assessment for the Detroit River International Wildlife Refuge. The Plan is the culmination of a planning effort that involved local officials, industry representatives, non-governmental organizations and many interested citizens.
Major achievements expected over the life of the plan include protecting coastal habitats, islands and other unique habitats, establishing a visitors’ center, developing a network of refuge volunteers, and fostering partnerships to assist the refuge in achieving wildlife and habitat goals.
" The plan continues to embrace the spirit of public-private partnerships to conserve fish and wildlife resources in the Detroit River area, as well as provide for a future refuge headquarters and visitor center," said Refuge Manager John Hartig. "The Plan is an excellent road map to management of North Americas only international wildlife refuge for the next 15 years."
The Detroit River International Wildlife Refuge was established by Public Law 107-91 on December 21, 2002. The refuge is the first international refuge in North America, and will conserve, protect and restore habitat for 29 species of waterfowl, 65 kinds of fish and 300 species of migratory birds along the lower Detroit River in Michigan and Canada. The authorized refuge boundary includes islands, coastal wetlands, marshes, shoals and shore lands along 48 miles of the Lower Detroit River and Lake Erie shoreline to the State of Ohio border.
The complete Plan and a summary can be viewed on the Internet at http://www.fws.gov/midwest/planning/detroitriver/index.html. Paper copies of the Plan and/or compact disks are available in limited supply by making a request through the website or by calling toll free 1-800-247-1247. Copies of the Plan and a compact disk are also available for viewing at 14 libraries throughout the refuge area.
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 93-million-acre National Wildlife Refuge System which encompasses more than 540 national wildlife refuges, thousands of small wetlands and other special management areas. It also operates 66 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.
