Three draft comprehensive conservation plans and environmental assessments - the first for any of the Pacific national wildlife refuges - were released today for public review and comment by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The draft plans outline management goals, objectives, and strategies for Howland Island, Baker Island, and Jarvis National Wildlife Refuges, all located in the central Pacific near the equator.
"These three remote refuges include nearly 100,000 acres of submerged lands, including some of the most pristine and spectacular coral reefs found in the Pacific, and almost 2,000 acres of terrestrial habitats that support an amazing assemblage of nesting seabirds," said Don Palawski, the refuges manager. "When these conservation plans are completed, we will have a "roadmap" to lead us toward improved management of the natural and cultural resources of these refuges."
Because the refuges are very similar in nature, most of the goals, objectives, and management activities within the three plans are nearly identical. The most notable exception is at Baker Island, where environmental contaminants still need to be quantified and remediated. The plans and environmental assessments identify and evaluate four alternatives for managing the Refuges for the next 15 years.
The proposed action is to implement Alternative B, which the Fish and Wildlife Service believes will achieve each refuges purpose, vision, and goals and contribute to the National Wildlife Refuge System mission, while at the same time being cost efficient and practical to implement. Because of their remote location, obtaining transportation and operational support to carry out management activities is very difficult. The Refuges are currently closed to all public use activities and will remain closed under each alternative.
Alternative A - the no action alternative - provides a baseline from which to compare the other alternatives. Management practices such as routine biological surveys, inspection of entrance signs, monitoring for the presence of invasive species invasive species
An invasive species is any plant or animal that has spread or been introduced into a new area where they are, or could, cause harm to the environment, economy, or human, animal, or plant health. Their unwelcome presence can destroy ecosystems and cost millions of dollars.
Learn more about invasive species , and collection of shoreline marine debris would continue. Visits occur once every 2 years and are dependent upon partner agencies and organizations.
Under alternative B, the frequency of activities would increase and occur annually, but no increase in the scope or complexity of management activities would occur. Some additional management activities may include projects to attract two rare seabird species back to the refuges using remotely operated electronic bird calls and to conduct additional marine habitat exploration.
Alternative C proposes a substantial increase in the duration of yearly visits, increasing the scale and scope of management activities conducted during site visits. A chartered research vessel, crew, and their operational needs are required components of this alternative. Monitoring of populations and habitats, restoration of habitats, and other management activities could occur during a 4-month seasonal field camp. Deployment of the field camp at the refuges would occur concurrently and provide biological comparisons among the refuges but would not provide a complete understanding of annual cycles of wildlife populations.
Under alternative D, a year-round field camp and would be rotated amongst the refuges. A Fish and Wildlife Service-owned and -operated vessel would be an integral and required component of this alternative. Surveys and monitoring efforts under this alternative would provide greater understanding and most effective management of refuge resources. Scientific research would be encouraged and enhanced, with the opportunity for the refuges to serve as baseline sites for global climate change climate change
Climate change includes both global warming driven by human-induced emissions of greenhouse gases and the resulting large-scale shifts in weather patterns. Though there have been previous periods of climatic change, since the mid-20th century humans have had an unprecedented impact on Earth's climate system and caused change on a global scale.
Learn more about climate change research.
"While alternatives C and D may be preferable from a conservation standpoint, they are not practical either logistically or financially within the 15-year lifespan of this plan," Palawski said. "Like people must do in their everyday lives, we had to temper our dreams to be more realistic."
Under alternatives B, C, and D, a Wilderness Study Area would be designated for the majority of lands and waters within each of the refuges, with the exception of the terrestrial portion of Baker Island. Detailed study and any proposal for wilderness designation would be delayed until the comprehensive conservation plans for the other remote Pacific Refuges have been developed.
The three comprehensive conservation plans/environmental assessments are available on the Internet at http://www.fws.gov/pacific/planning or by requesting a compact disk or hard copy from the Fish and Wildlife Services Pacific Remote Islands National Wildlife Refuge Complex at 808/792-9550. Comments must be submitted by October 30, and can be mailed to Pacific Remote Islands National Wildlife Refuge Complex, Box 50167, Honolulu, Hawaii 96850. Comments also may be e-mailed to FW1PlanningComments@fws.gov; include "Pacific Islands NWR CCP" in the subject line.
Howland, Baker, and Jarvis Islands are unincorporated territories that have been under the jurisdiction of the Department of the Interior since 1936. In 1974, the islands were designated as national wildlife refuges by the Secretary of the Interior. Howland and Baker Islands are approximately 1,650 miles southwest of Honolulu within the Phoenix Islands, and Jarvis is located 1,100 miles south of Honolulu in the Line Islands.
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 97-million-acre National Wildlife Refuge System, which encompasses 548 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.
