The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the City of Virginia Beach, Va., have proposed a land exchange that would allow for road and other improvements at Back Bay National Wildlife Refuge, according to Jared Brandwein, refuge manager.
"The proposed land exchange would allow the City to realign Sandbridge Road to remedy safety issues and the Service to improve public access and other conditions at the Back Bay refuge. Its a mutually beneficial situation for the residents of Virginia Beach and visitors to the refuge," said Brandwein.
"The Sandbridge Safety Improvements Project is a great example of what can be accomplished through the collaborative efforts of the City of Virginia Beach and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service," said David Jarman, project manager for the Citys Department of Public Works. "The success of this project has been a direct result of the proactive approach taken by the City and the refuge during the design phase."
The Service is specifically proposing to grant the City of Virginia Beach a drainage easement on 1.25 acres, a right of way totaling 0.49 acres, and a 0.35-acre power line easement that would allow the City to straighten a dangerous section of Sandbridge Road.
The Service would also grant fee interest in refuge lands underlying two canals and a portion of the refuge adjacent to lots on Widgeon Lane along the easterly shore of Back Bay. In addition, the Service would give to the City 5.89 acres of bay bottom and canal lands from Sand Bend Road north to Tuna Lane and west of Sandpiper Road. City ownership of these areas would place fewer land use restrictions on adjacent property owners.
The Service in exchange would receive from the City a 1.24-acre portion of the Little Park parcel, located adjacent to the refuge at the end of Sandpiper Road. By owning this land, the Service could reconfigure the road entering the refuge to improve access and public safety.
The Service is accepting comments on the proposal from the City, owners of properties abutting the affected areas of the refuge, and the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries through August 19.
For further information about the project, individuals may contact Deputy Refuge Manager Chris Lowie at 757-721-2412.
Located in the southeastern corner of Virginia, Back Bay National Wildlife Refuge was established in 1938 to provide habitat for migrating and wintering waterfowl, particularly greater snow geese. The refuges 9,100 acres provide important coastal for migratory birds, threatened and endangered species such as loggerhead sea turtles and piping plovers, and other native plants and animals.
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, 64 fishery resources 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 and Native American tribal 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.
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