U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to hold Public Meeting for Potential Wilderness Designation
A public meeting will be held in Milford, Maine to discuss the potential for designating wilderness at the Sunkhaze Meadows Unit of Sunkhaze Meadows National Wildlife Refuge in Milford, Maine. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) is currently crafting the Comprehensive Conservation Plan (CCP) for the refuge, a plan to manage the refuge for the next 15 years.
As a part of the CCP process, different management alternatives and their effects are being assessed and a wilderness review is being conducted. This will be included in the draft CCP/environmental assessment. A wilderness review is a required component of the CCP process. A wilderness review identifies and recommends to Congress, lands and waters of the National Wildlife Refuge System that merit inclusion in the National Wilderness Preservation System. Wilderness areas are undeveloped, natural, and undisturbed areas that offer solitude and primitive recreation.
One alternative in the draft CCP will likely recommend wilderness designation for up to 7,000 acres in the central portion of the Sunkhaze Meadows Unit. This area of the refuge contains peat bogs, wetlands and bogs, and contains no roads and only one trail. While roads and motor vehicles are not allowed in a wilderness, the wilderness designation would not preclude the public uses that now occur in this area, including hunting, fishing and trapping.
The public meeting will be held on Feb. 9, 2012 at the Milford Town Hall at 62 Davenport Street, Milford, ME 04461 beginning at 6:30p.m. There will be an opportunity to speak with Service staff and provide comments on potential wilderness designation.
Sunkhaze Meadows National Wildlife Refuge is a part of the Maine Coastal Islands National Wildlife Refuge Complex and was established in 1988 to preserve the Sunkhaze Meadows peat bog and ensure public access to the environment and wildlife resources. The bog and stream wetlands provide important habitat for many wildlife species. Currently the refuge includes three units. The Sunkhaze Meadows Unit, located in Milford, is the largest of the three at 11,485 acres. The Benton Unit is a 334-acre former dairy farm in the town of Benton. The Sandy Stream Unit is a 58-acre parcel in the town of Unity.
As a part of the CCP process, different management alternatives and their effects are being assessed and a wilderness review is being conducted. This will be included in the draft CCP/environmental assessment. A wilderness review is a required component of the CCP process. A wilderness review identifies and recommends to Congress, lands and waters of the National Wildlife Refuge System that merit inclusion in the National Wilderness Preservation System. Wilderness areas are undeveloped, natural, and undisturbed areas that offer solitude and primitive recreation.
One alternative in the draft CCP will likely recommend wilderness designation for up to 7,000 acres in the central portion of the Sunkhaze Meadows Unit. This area of the refuge contains peat bogs, wetlands and bogs, and contains no roads and only one trail. While roads and motor vehicles are not allowed in a wilderness, the wilderness designation would not preclude the public uses that now occur in this area, including hunting, fishing and trapping.
The public meeting will be held on Feb. 9, 2012 at the Milford Town Hall at 62 Davenport Street, Milford, ME 04461 beginning at 6:30p.m. There will be an opportunity to speak with Service staff and provide comments on potential wilderness designation.
Sunkhaze Meadows National Wildlife Refuge is a part of the Maine Coastal Islands National Wildlife Refuge Complex and was established in 1988 to preserve the Sunkhaze Meadows peat bog and ensure public access to the environment and wildlife resources. The bog and stream wetlands provide important habitat for many wildlife species. Currently the refuge includes three units. The Sunkhaze Meadows Unit, located in Milford, is the largest of the three at 11,485 acres. The Benton Unit is a 334-acre former dairy farm in the town of Benton. The Sandy Stream Unit is a 58-acre parcel in the town of Unity.
