The Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife and Fish Refuge will host public workshops in Lansing and Dubuque, Iowa beginning next week to get detailed ideas and suggestions from the public on its draft comprehensive conservation plan for Refuge.
Workshops will be held Tuesday, July 12 in Lansing, and Thursday, July 21 in Dubuque. The workshops begin at 5:30 p.m. and end at 9 p.m. Anyone with an interest in the future direction of the refuge is invited to participate in the workshops.
Refuge Manager Don Hultman said the public workshops will use a small group discussion format where citizens will present and discuss their views and ideas on the variety of issues and alternatives in the draft plan.
“ The workshops are designed to let the public get into the details of the major issues and concerns that have surfaced during the first round of public meetings,” Hultman said. “Attendees will be divided into workgroups, choose the issues they want to address, prepare a list of recommendations, and present those recommendations to all. A copy of each group’s recommendations will be printed and given to refuge staff at the end of the workshop.”
The comprehensive plan, when completed, will guide management and administration of the refuge for the next 15 years, although periodic reviews will occur. Federal law requires comprehensive plans for all national wildlife refuges.
Recommendations being made by groups at the workshops are posted by location and date on the refuge’s planning homepage at: http://www.fws.gov/midwest/planning/uppermiss.
Persons interested in attending these additional workshops or previously scheduled workshops are asked to register at least 3 days ahead of time so that staff can ensure enough space and materials.
Persons can register by leaving a message with their name, phone number, and workshop choice at 1-888-291-5719, (507) 452-4232, or by sending an e-mail to lee_donahue@fws.gov.
With more than 3 million visitors per year, the “Upper Miss” Refuge is the most visited refuge in the country and has the added complexity of a major navigation system, including 11 locks and dams within its boundary. It is also a world-class fish and wildlife area which harbors 306 species of birds; 119 species of fish; more than 130 active bald eagle nests; thousands of heron and egret nests; spectacular concentrations of canvasback ducks, tundra swans, and white pelicans; and several threatened or endangered species.
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 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.
