The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) is hosting two open houses to request input from the public in developing a Comprehensive Conservation Plan (CCP) for the Leopold Wetland Management District in southeastern Wisconsin. Both open houses are scheduled from 4-8 p.m
The first open house will be held on September 13, 2006, at the John Roche Community Room in the Columbia County Law Enforcement Center, 711 East Cook Street in Portage, Wisconsin. The second will be held on September 14 at the Waukau Community Youth Building, 2711 State Highway 116 in Waukau, Wisconsin.
The CCP will set wildlife, habitat, and public use priorities and guide management decisions on the more than 11,600 acres of Waterfowl Production Areas (WPA) the District manages during the next 15 years. The open house will give members of the public, tribal members, public interest groups, local government agencies and any other interested persons or groups an opportunity to participate in this planning process from the very beginning.
“ The purpose of the meeting is to find out what the public’s ideas are on management of the District so they can be addressed in the planning process,” said District Manager Steve Lenz. “It’s an opportunity to identify areas of improvement, issues or express opinions of on-going management. These comments will form the basis for management alternatives to be evaluated in the CCP and Environmental Assessment,” said Lenz. “I hope everyone who is interested will attend and share their perspectives.”
Interested citizens may stop by any time during the open houses to learn about the District and submit comments. District staff will be present to provide information and attendees will be given the opportunity to express their thoughts and ideas on District management. Comment forms will be available so that written comments can be submitted at the meeting.
Comments may also be mailed to the District. Written comments will be accepted until October 31, 2006, and can be mailed to: Steve Lenz, Leopold Wetland Management District, W10040 Cascade Mountain Road, Portage, WI 53901. Comments may also be submitted via the Internet on the Service’s Planning website at: http://www.fws.gov/midwest/planning/Leopold.
The Leopold Wetland Management District, established in 1993, manages more than 11,600 acres of WPAs in 16 southeastern Wisconsin counties. WPAs consist of wetland habitat surrounded by grassland and woodland communities. While WPAs are managed primarily for ducks and geese, they also provide habitat for a variety of other wildlife species such as non-game grassland birds, shorebirds, wading birds, mink, muskrat, wild turkey, and deer. Most WPAs are open to hunting, fishing, and wildlife observation.
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.
