National Wildlife Refuge System: Ecological context and integrity

USGS Publications Warehouse

Scott, J.M.; Loveland, T.; Gergely, K.; Strittholt, J.; Staus, N.

2004-01-01

The Refuge Improvement Act of 1997 established a statutory mission and management standards for the National Wildlife Refuge system. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service subsequently issued a policy for ensuring the biological integrity, diversity, and environmental health of the system. This policy requires understanding the management objectives of each refuge in a local, regional, and national context. An assessment of the refuge system in a national and regional context reveals that refuges are typically smaller than many conservation holdings and are unevenly distributed across the conterminous U.S. Western rangelands, coastal wetlands, and northern grasslands; wetlands are the best-represented ecosystems, while temperate forests have the poorest representation. In contrast to other agency holdings or management designations in the national protected areas network (e.g., national parks, national forests, wilderness areas), refuges tend to occupy sites at lower elevations and that have higher productivity and soil quality. This difference points to the important contribution of the refuges in providing much needed ecological balance within the national protected areas network. However, the ecological integrity of the refuge system is challenged by the proximity of individual refuges to development. Overall, the refuges are becoming islands in a landscape matrix of urban and agricultural development. This creates future challenges for meeting management objectives to ensure the biological integrity, diversity, and environmental health of the system. If the policy to ensure biological integrity, diversity, and environmental health of the refuge system is to be successful, it may be more important to address issues about what happens on adjacent lands than uses within refuges.

Nantucket National Wildlife Refuge alternative transportation study

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2014-10-01

This study for the Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) identifies and analyzes options for enhancing alternative transportation access to the Nantucket National Wildlife Refuge (Nantucket NWR) at Great Point in Nantucket, Massachusetts. The study team de...

Stakeholder Evaluation for Canaan Valley National Wildlife Refuge: Completion Report

USGS Publications Warehouse

Sexton, Natalie R.; Burkardt, Nina; Swann, Margaret Earlene; Stewart, Susan C.

2009-01-01

The National Wildlife Refuge System, managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), is the largest system of public lands in the world dedicated to wildlife conservation. There are over 545 national wildlife refuges nationwide, encompassing 95 million acres. As part of the National Wildlife Refuge System Improvement Act of 1997, each refuge is developing 15-year comprehensive conservation plans (CCPs). Each CCP describes a vision and desired future condition for the refuge and outlines goals, objectives, and management strategies for each refuge's habitat and visitor service programs. The CCP process for Canaan Valley National Wildlife Refuge (Refuge) in Davis, West Virginia was initiated in 2006. This planning process provides a unique opportunity for public input and involvement. Public involvement is an important part of the CCP process. Participation by parties with a stake in the resource (stakeholders) has the potential to increase understanding and support and reduce conflicts. Additionally, meaningful public participation in a decision process may increase trust and provide satisfaction in terms of both process and outcome for management and the public. Public meetings are a common way to obtain input from community members, visitors, and potential visitors. An 'Issues Workbook' is another tool the FWS uses to obtain public input and participation early in the planning process. Sometimes, however, these traditional methods do not capture the full range of perspectives that exist. A stakeholder evaluation is a way to more fully understand community preferences and opinions related to key topics in refuge planning. It can also help refuge staff understand how changes in management affect individuals in terms of their preference for services and experiences. Secondarily, a process such as this can address 'social goals' such as fostering trust in regulating agencies and reducing conflict among stakeholders. As part of the CCP planning effort at Canaan

Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge Alternative Transportation Study.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2010-04-01

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge (CNWR) is located along Virginia's Eastern Shore in Accomack County. The CNWR is comprised of several barrier beach islands, of which the Virginia portion of Assateague Is...

76 FR 43339 - Hunt Fee at Caddo Lake National Wildlife Refuge, TX

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-07-20

... Fee at Caddo Lake National Wildlife Refuge, TX AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior. ACTION...), announce our intent to implement a hunt fee at Caddo Lake National Wildlife Refuge (Refuge), located in.... Caddo Lake NWR is within RMU 16 where deer densities increased from 8.7 to 15.1 deer per 1,000 acres and...

National Wildlife Refuges: Portals to conservation

Treesearch

Joseph F. McCauley

2014-01-01

Scientific uncertainty regarding the potential effects of climate change on natural ecosystems will make it increasingly challenging for the National Wildlife Refuge System to fulfill its mission to conserve wildlife and fish habitat across the diverse ecosystems of the United States. This is especially true in the contiguous 48 states, where 70 percent of the land and...

Deer Flat National Wildlife Refuge: Lake Lowell water based recreation data summary

USGS Publications Warehouse

Schuster, Rudy M.

2012-01-01

Introduction: Established in 1909, Deer Flat National Wildlife Refuge is one of the oldest refuges in the National Wildlife Refuge System. The Refuge has two units, Lake Lowell and the Snake River Islands. The Lake Lowell Unit is 10,636 acres and includes the almost 9,000-acre Lake Lowell and surrounding lands. The Refuge offers the six priority wildlife-dependent activities (fishing, hunting, wildlife observation, wildlife interpretation, wildlife photography and environmental education) as defined in The National Wildlife Refuge System Administration Act as amended by the Refuge System Improvement Act of 1997 as well as other non-wildlife-dependent activities. The purpose of this study is to describe use characteristics of recreational boaters on Lake Lowell. This study does not address use in other parts of the Refuge or other recreational activities. The sampling and data collection consisted of observations of boat activity made from fixed vantage points on the west and east pools of Lake Lowell to develop vessels-at-one-time (VAOT) estimates for three areas: the West Pool, the Headquarters section of the East Pool, and the East section of the East Pool. A complete description of the sampling locations and a map are provided below Traffic counters were also used to collect data on the number of vehicles entering the parking lots. Data were collected between April 15 and September 30, 2011.

75 FR 32205 - Felsenthal National Wildlife Refuge, Ashley, Bradley, and Union Counties, AR; Overflow National...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-06-07

... DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR Fish and Wildlife Service [FWS-R4-R-2010-N061; 40136-1265-0000-S3] Felsenthal National Wildlife Refuge, Ashley, Bradley, and Union Counties, AR; Overflow National Wildlife Refuge, Ashley County, AR AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior. ACTION: Notice of availability...

78 FR 45953 - Theodore Roosevelt National Wildlife Refuge, Sharkey County, MS; and Holt Collier National...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-07-30

... mission of the National Wildlife Refuge System, consistent with sound principles of fish and wildlife management, conservation, legal mandates, and our policies. In addition to outlining broad management... developing and prioritizing the management goals and objectives for each refuge within the National Wildlife...

50 CFR 29.1 - May we allow economic uses on national wildlife refuges?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... 50 Wildlife and Fisheries 9 2014-10-01 2014-10-01 false May we allow economic uses on national wildlife refuges? 29.1 Section 29.1 Wildlife and Fisheries UNITED STATES FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR (CONTINUED) THE NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE SYSTEM LAND USE MANAGEMENT General Rules...

50 CFR 29.1 - May we allow economic uses on national wildlife refuges?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... 50 Wildlife and Fisheries 9 2013-10-01 2013-10-01 false May we allow economic uses on national wildlife refuges? 29.1 Section 29.1 Wildlife and Fisheries UNITED STATES FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR (CONTINUED) THE NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE SYSTEM LAND USE MANAGEMENT General Rules...

50 CFR 29.1 - May we allow economic uses on national wildlife refuges?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... 50 Wildlife and Fisheries 8 2011-10-01 2011-10-01 false May we allow economic uses on national wildlife refuges? 29.1 Section 29.1 Wildlife and Fisheries UNITED STATES FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR (CONTINUED) THE NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE SYSTEM LAND USE MANAGEMENT General Rules...

Effects of cattle grazing and haying on wildlife conservation at National Wildlife Refuges in the United States

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Strassmann, Beverly I.

1987-01-01

The National Wildlife Refuge System is perhaps the most important system of federal lands for protecting wildlife in the United States. Only at refuges has wildlife conservation been legislated to have higher priority than either recreational or commercial activities. Presently, private ranchers and farmers graze cattle on 981,954 ha and harvest hay on 12,021 ha at 123 National Wildlife Refuges. US Fish and Wildlife Service policy is to permit these uses primarily when needed to benefit refuge wildlife. To evaluate the success of this policy, I surveyed grassland management practices at the 123 refuges. The survey results indicate that in fiscal year 1980 there were 374,849 animal unit months (AUMs) of cattle grazing, or 41% more than was reported by the Fish and Wildlife Service. According to managers' opinions, 86 species of wildlife are positively affected and 82 are negatively affected by refuge cattle grazing or haying. However, quantitative field studies of the effect of cattle grazing and haying on wildlife coupled with the survey data on how refuge programs are implemented suggest that these activities are impeding the goal of wildlife conservation. Particular management problems uncovered by the survey include overgrazing of riparian habitats, wildlife mortality due to collisions with cattle fences, and mowing of migratory bird habitat during the breeding season. Managers reported that they spend 919,740 administering cattle grazing and haying; thus refuge grazing and haying programs are also expensive. At any single refuge these uses occupy up to 50% of refuge funds and 55% of staff time. In light of these results, prescribed burning may be a better wildlife management option than is either cattle grazing or haying.

Moosehorn National Wildlife Refuge Workbook Summary

USGS Publications Warehouse

Montag, Jessica M.; Stinchfield, Holly M.

2009-01-01

The Moosehorn National Wildlife Refuge in eastern Maine is currently developing a comprehensive conservation plan (CCP) that will guide Refuge management over the next 15 years. Workbooks were provided to local residents as part of the scoping process in order to get feedback on current and future management issues from the public. The workbooks asked questions regarding residents' use of the Refuge, conservation problems and issues in the region, the acceptability of Refuge management actions, and the importance of, satisfaction with, and acceptability of various activities allowed on the Refuge. The focus of this report is to present the results of the completed workbooks. Because of the small number of returned workbooks, it is not possible to generalize these findings to the broader public, nor is it possible to determine if respondents represent the average user. However, the results do provide an idea of possible conflicts and important issues that the Refuge may have to address in the future. The permitted uses of the Refuge are one possible conflict area. Many respondents were supportive of consumptive recreation (hunting, fishing, and trapping), but a few were adamantly opposed to these sorts of activities on the Refuge. Another issue that received several comments was motorized recreation. While some people felt strongly that ATVs and snowmobiles should be allowed, others felt just as strongly that motorized recreation of any type should not be allowed in the Refuge. Many in the sample were also very concerned about Refuge development and its effects on the human and natural environments. Issues mentioned include the loss of access to private land for consumptive recreation, concern about fish and wildlife habitat degradation, and water quality.

75 FR 2158 - Palmyra Atoll National Wildlife Refuge, U.S. Pacific Island Territory

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-01-14

... migratory birds, coral reefs, and threatened and endangered species in their natural setting. Palmyra Atoll..., (808) 792-9586. U.S. Mail: Beth Flint, Acting Project Leader, Pacific Reefs National Wildlife Refuge..., Pacific Reefs National Wildlife Refuge Complex, phone (808) 792-9553. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Refuge...

76 FR 78939 - James Campbell National Wildlife Refuge, Honolulu County, HI; Final Comprehensive Conservation...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-12-20

...] James Campbell National Wildlife Refuge, Honolulu County, HI; Final Comprehensive Conservation Plan and... Wildlife Refuge Complex, 66-590 Kamehameha Highway, Room 2C, Hale`iwa, HI 96712. In-Person Viewing or Pickup: O`ahu National Wildlife Refuge Complex, 66-590 Kamehameha Highway, Room 2C, Hale`iwa, HI 96712...

75 FR 28816 - Guam National Wildlife Refuge, Yigo, Guam

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-05-24

... DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR Fish and Wildlife Service [FWS-R1-R-2009-N221; 10137-1265-0000 S3] Guam National Wildlife Refuge, Yigo, Guam AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior. ACTION: Notice of.... Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), announce the availability of our final comprehensive conservation...

Alternative Transportation Study : Monomoy National Wildlife Refuge.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2010-05-31

This report provides an overview of the historic and current visitation, infrastructure, and transportation conditions related to Monomoy National Wildlife Refuge and the surrounding areas in Chatham, MA. The study defines transportation-related goal...

77 FR 1503 - Massasoit National Wildlife Refuge, Plymouth, MA

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-01-10

... DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR Fish and Wildlife Service [FWS-R5-R-2011-N221; BAC-4311-K9-S3] Massasoit National Wildlife Refuge, Plymouth, MA AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior. ACTION: Notice... comments. SUMMARY: We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), intend to prepare a comprehensive...

77 FR 67660 - Cahaba River National Wildlife Refuge, Alabama

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-11-13

... DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR Fish and Wildlife Service [FWS-R4-R-2012-N211; FXRS12650400000S3-123-FF04R02000] Cahaba River National Wildlife Refuge, Alabama AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior...; request for comments. SUMMARY: We, the Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), intend to prepare a...

75 FR 1404 - Kenai National Wildlife Refuge, Soldotna, AK

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-01-11

... DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR Fish and Wildlife Service [FWS-R7-R-2009-N250; 70133-1265-0000-S3] Kenai National Wildlife Refuge, Soldotna, AK AGENCY: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior. ACTION: Notice of availability: record of decision. SUMMARY: We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service...

75 FR 17763 - Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, Fairbanks, AK

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-04-07

... DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR Fish and Wildlife Service [FWS-R7-R-2009-N260; 70133-1265-0000-S3] Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, Fairbanks, AK AGENCY: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior. ACTION... statement; request for comment. SUMMARY: We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), will be...

50 CFR 29.1 - May we allow economic uses on national wildlife refuges?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... 50 Wildlife and Fisheries 6 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false May we allow economic uses on national... § 29.1 May we allow economic uses on national wildlife refuges? We may only authorize public or private economic use of the natural resources of any national wildlife refuge, in accordance with 16 U.S.C. 715s...

50 CFR 29.1 - May we allow economic uses on national wildlife refuges?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

... 50 Wildlife and Fisheries 9 2012-10-01 2012-10-01 false May we allow economic uses on national... § 29.1 May we allow economic uses on national wildlife refuges? We may only authorize public or private economic use of the natural resources of any national wildlife refuge, in accordance with 16 U.S.C. 715s...

Monitoring and research at Walnut Creek National Wildlife Refuge

USGS Publications Warehouse

Roelle, James E.; Hamilton, David B.

1993-01-01

Walnut Creek National Wildlife Refuge-Prairie Learning Center (Walnut Creek or the Refuge) is one of the newest additions to the National Wildlife Refuge System, which consists of over 480 units throughout the United States operated by the U.S. Department of the Interior, Fish and Wildlife Service (the Service). Located about 20 miles east of Des Moines, Iowa, the Refuge has an approved acquisition boundary containing 8,654 acres (Figure 1). Acquisition is from willing sellers only, and to date the Service has purchased approximately 5,000 acres. The acquisition boundary encompasses about 43% of the watershed of Walnut Creek, which bisects the Refuge and drains into the Des Moines River to the southeast. Approximately 25%-30% of the Walnut Creek watershed is downstream of the Refuge. As authorized by Congress in 1990, the purposes of the Refuge are to (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service 1992): • restore native tallgrass pairie, wetland, and woodland habitats for breeding and migratory waterfowl and resident wildlife; • serve as a major environmental education center providing opportunities for study; • provide outdoor recreation benefits to the public; and • provide assistance to local landowners to improve their lands for wildlife habitat. To implement these purposes authorized by Congress, the Refuge has established the goal of recreating as nearly as possible the natural communities that existed at the time of settlement by Euro-Americans (circa 1840). Current land use is largely agricultural, including 69% cropland, 17% grazed pasture, and 7.5% grassland (dominantly brome) enrolled in the Conservation Reserve Program). About 1,395 acres of relict native communities also exist on the Refuge, including prairie (725 acres), oak savanna and woodland (450 acres), and riparian or wetland areas (220 acres). Some of these relicts are highly restorable; others contain only a few prairie plants in a matrix of brome and will be more difficult to restore. When the

The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge: An Interdisciplinary Unit.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Thieman, Gayle; Geil, Mike

This paper presents a set of interdisciplinary lessons for teaching about the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (Alaska). Lessons include a petroleum product treasure hunt, an examination of life without petroleum, the development of a wildlife poster, an exploration of the tundra ecosystem and the plants and animals that live there, identification…

The national public's values and interests related to the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge: A computer content analysis

Treesearch

David N. Bengston; David P. Fan; Roger Kaye

2010-01-01

This study examined the national public's values and interests related to the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. Computer content analysis was used to analyze more than 23,000 media stories about the refuge from 1995 through 2007. Ten main categories of Arctic National Wildlife Refuge values and interests emerged from the analysis, reflecting a diversity of values,...

Nowitna National Wildlife Refuge land cover mapping project users guide

USGS Publications Warehouse

Markon, Carl J.

1988-01-01

Title III of the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act of 1980 (ANILCA 1980) established the Nowitna National Wildlife Refuge (NNWR).  Section 304 of the Act requires the Secretary of Interior to "prepare, and from time to time revise, a comprehensive conservation plan" for the refuge.  

Regional economic impacts of current and proposed management alternatives for Don Edwards National Wildlife Refuge

USGS Publications Warehouse

Richardson, Leslie; Huber, Chris; Koontz, Lynne

2012-01-01

The National Wildlife Refuge System Improvement Act of 1997 requires all units of the National Wildlife Refuge System to be managed under a Comprehensive Conservation Plan. The Comprehensive Conservation Plan must describe the desired future conditions of a Refuge and provide long-range guidance and management direction to achieve refuge purposes. The Don Edwards San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge, located at the south end of California's San Francisco Bay and one of seven refuges in the San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge Complex, is in the process of developing a range of management goals, objectives, and strategies for the Comprehensive Conservation Plan. The Comprehensive Conservation Plan must contain an analysis of expected effects associated with current and proposed Refuge management strategies. For Refuge Comprehensive Conservation Plan planning, a regional economic analysis provides a means of estimating how current management (No Action Alternative) and proposed management activities (alternatives) affect the local economy. This type of analysis provides two critical pieces of information: (1) it illustrates the Don Edwards San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge's contribution to the local community, and (2) it can help in determining whether economic effects are or are not a real concern in choosing among management alternatives. This report first presents a description of the local community and economy near the Don Edwards San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge. Next, the methods used to conduct a regional economic impact analysis are described. An analysis of the final Comprehensive Conservation Plan management strategies that could affect stakeholders, residents, and the local economy is then presented. The management activities of economic concern in this analysis are: * Spending in the local community by Refuge visitors; * Refuge personnel salary spending; and * Refuge purchases of goods and services within the local

Analysis and Mapping of Vegetation and Habitat for the Sheldon National Wildlife Refuge

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Tagestad, Jerry D.

The Lakeview, Oregon, office of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) contracted Pacific Northwest National Laboratory to classify vegetation communities on Sheldon National Wildlife Refuge in northeastern Nevada. The objective of the mapping project was to provide USFWS refuge biologists and planners with detailed vegetation and habitat information that can be referenced to make better decisions regarding wildlife resources, fuels and fire risk, and land management. This letter report describes the datasets and methods used to develop vegetation cover type and shrub canopy cover maps for the Sheldon National Wildlife Refuge. The two map products described in this reportmore » are (1) a vegetation cover classification that provides updated information on the vegetation associations occurring on the refuge and (2) a map of shrub canopy cover based on high-resolution images and field data.« less

76 FR 3922 - Willapa National Wildlife Refuge, Pacific County, WA

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-01-21

... DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR Fish and Wildlife Service [FWS-R1-R-2010-N083; 1265-0000-10137-S3] Willapa National Wildlife Refuge, Pacific County, WA AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior. ACTION...; request for comments. SUMMARY: We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), announce the availability...

75 FR 29582 - Yukon Flats National Wildlife Refuge, Fairbanks, AK

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-05-26

... DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR Fish and Wildlife Service [FWS-R7-R-2010-N082; 70133-1265-0000-U4] Yukon Flats National Wildlife Refuge, Fairbanks, AK AGENCY: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior. ACTION: Notice of availability: record of decision. SUMMARY: We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service...

75 FR 34154 - Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge, Clark County, WA

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-06-16

... DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR Fish and Wildlife Service [FWS-R1-R-2010-N001; 1265-0000-10137-S3] Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge, Clark County, WA AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior. ACTION... comments. SUMMARY: We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), announce the availability of our draft...

75 FR 57056 - Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge and Wallops Island National Wildlife Refuge, Accomack...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-09-17

... opportunities for hunting, fishing, wildlife observation and photography, and environmental education and... divisions that are located on the Virginia Barrier Islands: Assawoman Island Division, which contains 1,434... opportunities to learn about and enjoy wildlands and wildlife. Refuge staff manages this barrier island habitat...

76 FR 59153 - Elizabeth Hartwell Mason Neck National Wildlife Refuge, Fairfax County, VA, and Featherstone...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-09-23

... DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR Fish and Wildlife Service [FWS-R5-R-2011-N128; BAC-4311-K9-S3] Elizabeth Hartwell Mason Neck National Wildlife Refuge, Fairfax County, VA, and Featherstone National Wildlife Refuge, Prince William County, VA AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior. ACTION: Notice of...

75 FR 8396 - Izembek National Wildlife Refuge, Cold Bay, Alaska

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-02-24

... DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR Fish and Wildlife Service [FWS-R7-R-2009-N288; 70133-1265-0000-U4] Izembek National Wildlife Refuge, Cold Bay, Alaska AGENCY: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior. ACTION: Revised Notice SUMMARY: We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), intend to prepare an...

77 FR 5044 - Mashpee National Wildlife Refuge, Barnstable County, MA

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-02-01

... DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR Fish and Wildlife Service [FWS-R5-R-2011-N220; BAC-4311-K9-S3] Mashpee National Wildlife Refuge, Barnstable County, MA AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior. ACTION: Notice... comments. SUMMARY: We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), intend to prepare a comprehensive...

Innoko National Wildlife Refuge land cover mapping project users guide

USGS Publications Warehouse

Markon, Carl J.

1987-01-01

Conservation Act of 1980 (ANILCA, 1980) requires the Secretary of Interior to conduct a continuing study of fish, wildlife, and habitats on the Innoko National Wildlife Refuge (INWR). Included in this study is a determination of the extent, location, and carrying capacity of fish and wildlife habitats.

User’s manual to update the National Wildlife Refuge System Water Quality Information System (WQIS)

USGS Publications Warehouse

Chojnacki, Kimberly A.; Vishy, Chad J.; Hinck, Jo Ellen; Finger, Susan E.; Higgins, Michael J.; Kilbride, Kevin

2013-01-01

National Wildlife Refuges may have impaired water quality resulting from historic and current land uses, upstream sources, and aerial pollutant deposition. National Wildlife Refuge staff have limited time available to identify and evaluate potential water quality issues. As a result, water quality–related issues may not be resolved until a problem has already arisen. The National Wildlife Refuge System Water Quality Information System (WQIS) is a relational database developed for use by U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service staff to identify existing water quality issues on refuges in the United States. The WQIS database relies on a geospatial overlay analysis of data layers for ownership, streams and water quality. The WQIS provides summary statistics of 303(d) impaired waters and total maximum daily loads for the National Wildlife Refuge System at the national, regional, and refuge level. The WQIS allows U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service staff to be proactive in addressing water quality issues by identifying and understanding the current extent and nature of 303(d) impaired waters and subsequent total maximum daily loads. Water quality data are updated bi-annually, making it necessary to refresh the WQIS to maintain up-to-date information. This manual outlines the steps necessary to update the data and reports in the WQIS.

Mingo National Wildlife Refuge Environmental Education Program: Teacher's Handbook.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mingo National Wildlife Refuge, Puxico, MO.

A wide diversity of interesting plant and animal life can be observed and studied at Mingo National Wildlife Refuge, the last sizeable example of the swampland which once covered millions of acres in the area. Many of the species here, such as the swamp rabbit, are rare elsewhere in the state. The refuge's archaeological and historical resources…

Arctic National Wildlife Refuge land cover mapping project users guide

USGS Publications Warehouse

Markon, Carl J.

1986-01-01

Section 1002 of the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act of 1980 (ANILCA, 1980) requires the Secretary of Interior to conduct a continuing study of fish, wildlife, and habitats on the coastal plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR). Included in this study is a determination of the extent, location, and carrying capacity of fish and wildlife habitats.

Nonbreeding duck use at Central Flyway National Wildlife Refuges

USGS Publications Warehouse

Andersson, Kent; Davis, Craig A.; Harris, Grant; Haukos, David A.

2018-01-01

Within the U.S. portion of the Central Flyway, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service manages waterfowl on numerous individual units (i.e., Refuges) within the National Wildlife Refuge System. Presently, the extent of waterfowl use that Refuges receive and the contribution of Refuges to waterfowl populations (i.e., the proportion of the Central Flyway population registered at each Refuge) remain unassessed. Such an evaluation would help determine to what extent Refuges support waterfowl relative to stated targets, aid in identifying species requiring management attention, inform management targets, and improve fiscal efficiencies. Using historic monitoring data (1954–2008), we performed this assessment for 23 Refuges in Texas, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Kansas, and Nebraska during migration and wintering months (October–March). We examined six dabbling ducks and two diving ducks, plus all dabbling ducks and all diving ducks across two periods (long-term [all data] and short-term [last 10 October–March periods]). Individual Refuge use was represented by the sum of monthly duck count averages for October–March. We used two indices of Refuge contribution: peak contribution and January contribution. Peak contribution was the highest monthly count average for each October–March period divided by the indexed population total for the Central Flyway in the corresponding year; January contribution used the January count average divided by the corresponding population index. Generally, Refuges in Kansas, Nebraska, and New Mexico recorded most use and contribution for mallards Anas platyrhynchos. Refuges along the Texas Gulf Coast recorded most use and contribution for other dabbling ducks, with Laguna Atascosa and Aransas (including Matagorda Island) recording most use for diving ducks. The long-term total January contribution of the assessed Refuges to ducks wintering in the Central Flyway was greatest for green-winged teal Anas creccawith 35%; 12–15% for American

76 FR 38414 - James Campbell National Wildlife Refuge, Honolulu County, HI; Draft Comprehensive Conservation...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-06-30

...] James Campbell National Wildlife Refuge, Honolulu County, HI; Draft Comprehensive Conservation Plan and...`iwa, HI 96712. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: David Ellis, Project Leader, (808) 637-6330...`ahu National Wildlife Refuge Complex, 66-590 Kamehameha Highway, Room 2C, Hale`iwa, HI 96712. The...

77 FR 9692 - Keālia Pond National Wildlife Refuge and Kakahai`a National Wildlife Refuge, Maui County, HI...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-02-17

...: Glynnis Nakai, Project Leader, Maui National Wildlife Refuge Complex, P.O. Box 1042, K[imacr]hei, Hawai`i 96753. In-Person Viewing or Pickup: Call (808) 875-1582 to make an appointment during regular business... FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Glynnis Nakai, Project Leader, Maui NWR Complex, phone number (808) 875-1582...

75 FR 5114 - Desert National Wildlife Refuge Complex, Clark, Lincoln, and Nye Counties, NV

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-02-01

... DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR Fish and Wildlife Service [FWS-R8-R-2009-N222; 80230-1265-0000-S3] Desert National Wildlife Refuge Complex, Clark, Lincoln, and Nye Counties, NV AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife.... The Wildlife Refuge is located on 116 acres in northeastern Clark County. Due to its small size...

Parker River National Wildlife Refuge transit planning study.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2011-07-01

The Volpe Center studied the feasibility of the use of a transit vehicle for programs and special events at the Parker River National Wildlife Refuge in Newburyport, Massachusetts. The study defines the need for a transit vehicle, potential uses for ...

3 CFR 8613 - Proclamation 8613 of December 6, 2010. 50th Anniversary of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... Anniversary of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge 8613 Proclamation 8613 Presidential Documents Proclamations Proclamation 8613 of December 6, 2010 Proc. 8613 50th Anniversary of the Arctic National Wildlife RefugeBy the... anniversary of the establishment of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, we remember that this breathtaking...

75 FR 51098 - Protection Island and San Juan Islands National Wildlife Refuges, Jefferson, Island, San Juan...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-08-18

..., Washington Maritime National Wildlife Refuge Complex, 715 Holgerson Drive, Sequim, WA 98382. FOR FURTHER...] Protection Island and San Juan Islands National Wildlife Refuges, Jefferson, Island, San Juan, Skagit, and Whatcom Counties, WA AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior. ACTION: Notice of availability: draft...

77 FR 20840 - Bogue Chitto National Wildlife Refuge, LA and MS; Final Comprehensive Conservation Plan and...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-04-06

... Refuge System Improvement Act of 1997, requires us to develop a CCP for each national wildlife refuge... of historical regimes, soil types and elevation, and the current hydrological system. Management... published under the authority of the National Wildlife Refuge System Improvement Act of 1997, Public Law 105...

75 FR 67763 - Tualatin River National Wildlife Refuge, Washington and Yamhill Counties, OR

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-11-03

... National Wildlife Refuge System, consistent with sound principles of fish and wildlife management... information on the scope of issues to consider during the CCP planning process. DATES: To ensure consideration... comprehensive conservation planning for this refuge, and (2) obtain suggestions and information on the scope of...

Species accounts for the Alamosa/Monte Vista/Baca National Wildlife Refuge Complex

USGS Publications Warehouse

Ellison, Laura E.

2011-01-01

As part of an interagency agreement between the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), the Alamosa/Monte Vista/Baca National Wildlife Refuge Complex requested help with the synthesis of scientific information for 10 focal species and their habitat requirements in response to common Refuge management activities in the San Luis Valley, Colorado. This information will be instrumental in developing the Service's Comprehensive Conservation Plan (CCP), which is required by law for each unit of the National Wildlife Refuge System. After consultation with Refuge managers and USGS staff, the 10 species chosen for detailed literature reviews and synthesis of information were the following: (1) American Avocet (Recurvirostra americana); (2) Wilson's Phalarope (Phalaropus tricolorPorzana carolina); (4) White-faced Ibis (Plegadis chihi); (5) Black Tern (Chlidonias niger); (6) Short-eared Owl (Asio flammeus); (7) Brewer's Sparrow (Spizella breweri); (8) Savannah Sparrow (Passerculus sandwichensis); (9) Northern Leopard Frog [Lithobates (=Rana) pipiens]; and, (10) Tadpole Shrimp (Triops longicaudatus).

Forest invasive adaptive management on national wildlife refuge lands in the central hardwood region

Treesearch

Damon B. Lesmeister; Sean M. Blomquist; Eric V. Lonsdorf; Daniel Wood; Perry J. Williams; Brad Pendley; Karen E. Mangan; Benjamin A. Walker

2014-01-01

Approximately 2.4 million acres of National Wildlife Refuge System lands are impacted by invasive plants and are the primary challenge for habitat management in the Central Hardwood region. In 2011, biologists, managers, and contracted support staff from six national wildlife refuges in southern Indiana, Illinois, and Missouri developed an adaptive management project...

76 FR 30382 - Willamette Valley National Wildlife Refuge Complex, Benton, Linn, Marion, and Polk Counties, OR

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-05-25

... Wildlife Refuge Complex, 26208 Finley Refuge Road, Corvallis, OR 97333- 9533. Web site: http://www.fws.gov... Refuge System Administration Act of 1966 (16 U.S.C. 668dd-668ee) (Refuge Administration Act), as amended by the National Wildlife Refuge System Improvement Act of 1997, requires us to develop a CCP for each...

Blue-winged teals in the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1999-01-01

Two male blue-winged teals are joined by a female in the waters of the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge, which shares a boundary with Kennedy Space Center. The teals inhabit marshes, shallow ponds and lakes from British Columbia, Quebec and Newfoundland to North Carolina, the Gulf Coast and southern California, wintering as far south as South America. The 92,000- acre wildlife refuge is a habitat for more than 310 species of birds, 25 mammals, 117 fishes and 65 amphibians and reptiles. The marshes and open water of the refuge also provide wintering areas for 23 species of migratory waterfowl, as well as a year-round home for great blue herons, great egrets, wood storks, cormorants, brown pelicans and other species of marsh and shore birds.

78 FR 70318 - Cat Island National Wildlife Refuge; West Feliciana Parish, Louisiana; Notice of Intent To...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-11-25

...-FF04R02000] Cat Island National Wildlife Refuge; West Feliciana Parish, Louisiana; Notice of Intent To... comprehensive conservation plan (CCP) and associated National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) documents for Cat... NEPA documents for Cat Island National Wildlife Refuge NWR, West Feliciana Parish, Louisiana, in a...

50 CFR Appendix I to Part 37 - Legal Description of the Coastal Plain, Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, Alaska

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... 50 Wildlife and Fisheries 9 2013-10-01 2013-10-01 false Legal Description of the Coastal Plain, Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, Alaska I Appendix I to Part 37 Wildlife and Fisheries UNITED STATES FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR (CONTINUED) THE NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE SYSTEM...

50 CFR Appendix I to Part 37 - Legal Description of the Coastal Plain, Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, Alaska

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... 50 Wildlife and Fisheries 8 2011-10-01 2011-10-01 false Legal Description of the Coastal Plain, Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, Alaska I Appendix I to Part 37 Wildlife and Fisheries UNITED STATES FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR (CONTINUED) THE NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE SYSTEM...

50 CFR 32.5 - What are the requirements for sportfishing on areas of the National Wildlife Refuge System?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... 50 Wildlife and Fisheries 8 2011-10-01 2011-10-01 false What are the requirements for sportfishing on areas of the National Wildlife Refuge System? 32.5 Section 32.5 Wildlife and Fisheries UNITED STATES FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR (CONTINUED) THE NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE...

50 CFR 32.5 - What are the requirements for sportfishing on areas of the National Wildlife Refuge System?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

... 50 Wildlife and Fisheries 9 2012-10-01 2012-10-01 false What are the requirements for sportfishing on areas of the National Wildlife Refuge System? 32.5 Section 32.5 Wildlife and Fisheries UNITED STATES FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR (CONTINUED) THE NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE...

50 CFR Appendix I to Part 37 - Legal Description of the Coastal Plain, Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, Alaska

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... 50 Wildlife and Fisheries 9 2014-10-01 2014-10-01 false Legal Description of the Coastal Plain, Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, Alaska I Appendix I to Part 37 Wildlife and Fisheries UNITED STATES FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR (CONTINUED) THE NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE SYSTEM...

50 CFR 32.5 - What are the requirements for sportfishing on areas of the National Wildlife Refuge System?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... 50 Wildlife and Fisheries 9 2013-10-01 2013-10-01 false What are the requirements for sportfishing on areas of the National Wildlife Refuge System? 32.5 Section 32.5 Wildlife and Fisheries UNITED STATES FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR (CONTINUED) THE NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE...

50 CFR Appendix I to Part 37 - Legal Description of the Coastal Plain, Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, Alaska

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

... 50 Wildlife and Fisheries 9 2012-10-01 2012-10-01 false Legal Description of the Coastal Plain, Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, Alaska I Appendix I to Part 37 Wildlife and Fisheries UNITED STATES FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR (CONTINUED) THE NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE SYSTEM...

50 CFR 32.5 - What are the requirements for sportfishing on areas of the National Wildlife Refuge System?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... 50 Wildlife and Fisheries 6 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false What are the requirements for sportfishing on areas of the National Wildlife Refuge System? 32.5 Section 32.5 Wildlife and Fisheries UNITED STATES FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR (CONTINUED) THE NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE...

50 CFR 32.5 - What are the requirements for sportfishing on areas of the National Wildlife Refuge System?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... 50 Wildlife and Fisheries 9 2014-10-01 2014-10-01 false What are the requirements for sportfishing on areas of the National Wildlife Refuge System? 32.5 Section 32.5 Wildlife and Fisheries UNITED STATES FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR (CONTINUED) THE NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE...

50 CFR Appendix I to Part 37 - Legal Description of the Coastal Plain, Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, Alaska

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... 50 Wildlife and Fisheries 6 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Legal Description of the Coastal Plain, Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, Alaska I Appendix I to Part 37 Wildlife and Fisheries UNITED STATES FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR (CONTINUED) THE NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE SYSTEM...

50 CFR 32.2 - What are the requirements for hunting on areas of the National Wildlife Refuge System?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

... 50 Wildlife and Fisheries 9 2012-10-01 2012-10-01 false What are the requirements for hunting on areas of the National Wildlife Refuge System? 32.2 Section 32.2 Wildlife and Fisheries UNITED STATES FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR (CONTINUED) THE NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE SYSTEM...

50 CFR 32.2 - What are the requirements for hunting on areas of the National Wildlife Refuge System?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... 50 Wildlife and Fisheries 9 2014-10-01 2014-10-01 false What are the requirements for hunting on areas of the National Wildlife Refuge System? 32.2 Section 32.2 Wildlife and Fisheries UNITED STATES FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR (CONTINUED) THE NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE SYSTEM...

50 CFR 32.2 - What are the requirements for hunting on areas of the National Wildlife Refuge System?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... 50 Wildlife and Fisheries 6 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false What are the requirements for hunting on areas of the National Wildlife Refuge System? 32.2 Section 32.2 Wildlife and Fisheries UNITED STATES FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR (CONTINUED) THE NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE SYSTEM...

50 CFR 32.2 - What are the requirements for hunting on areas of the National Wildlife Refuge System?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... 50 Wildlife and Fisheries 9 2013-10-01 2013-10-01 false What are the requirements for hunting on areas of the National Wildlife Refuge System? 32.2 Section 32.2 Wildlife and Fisheries UNITED STATES FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR (CONTINUED) THE NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE SYSTEM...

50 CFR 32.2 - What are the requirements for hunting on areas of the National Wildlife Refuge System?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... 50 Wildlife and Fisheries 8 2011-10-01 2011-10-01 false What are the requirements for hunting on areas of the National Wildlife Refuge System? 32.2 Section 32.2 Wildlife and Fisheries UNITED STATES FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR (CONTINUED) THE NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE SYSTEM...

77 FR 2754 - Establishment of Everglades Headwaters National Wildlife Refuge and Conservation Area

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-01-19

...-FF04R02000] Establishment of Everglades Headwaters National Wildlife Refuge and Conservation Area AGENCY... Refuge and Conservation Area in Polk, Osceola, Highlands, and Okeechobee Counties, Florida. The Service establishes the Refuge and Conservation Area in order to support a connected conservation landscape; to...

Two roseate spoonbills in the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1999-01-01

Two roseate spoonbills wade in the waters of the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge, which shares a boundary with Kennedy Space Center. The birds, named for their brilliant pink color and paddle-shaped bill, feed in shallow water by swinging their bill back and forth, scooping up small fish and crustaceans. They typically inhabit mangroves on the coasts of southern Florida, Louisiana and Texas. The 92,000-acre wildlife refuge is a habitat for more than 310 species of birds, 25 mammals, 117 fishes and 65 amphibians and reptiles. The marshes and open water of the refuge also provide wintering areas for 23 species of migratory waterfowl, as well as a year-round home for great blue herons, great egrets, wood storks, cormorants, brown pelicans and other species of marsh and shore birds.

Planning for climate change on the National Wildlife Refuge System

Treesearch

B. Czech; S. Covington; T. M. Crimmins; J. A. Ericson; C. Flather; M. Gale; K. Gerst; M. Higgins; M. Kaib; E. Marino; T. Moran; J. Morton; N. Niemuth; H. Peckett; D. Savignano; L. Saperstein; S. Skorupa; E. Wagener; B. Wilen; B. Wolfe

2014-01-01

This document originated in 2008 as a collaborative project of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) and the University of Maryland's Graduate Program in Sustainable Development and Conservation Biology. The original title was A Primer on Climate Change for the National Wildlife Refuge System. The Primer has evolved into Planning for Climate Change on the...

Summer in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2001-01-01

This colorful image of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and the Beaufort Sea was acquired by the Multi-angle Imaging SpectroRadiometer's nadir (vertical-viewing) camera on August 16, 2000, during Terra orbit 3532. The swirling patterns apparent on the Beaufort Sea are small ice floes driven by turbulent water patterns, or eddies, caused by the interactions of water masses of differing salinity and temperature. By this time of year, all of the seasonal ice which surrounds the north coast of Alaska in winter has broken up, although the perennial pack ice remains further north. The morphology of the perennial ice pack's edge varies in response to the prevailing wind. If the wind is blowing strongly toward the perennial pack (that is, to the north), the ice edge will be more compact. In this image the ice edge is diffuse, and the patterns reflected by the ice floes indicate fairly calm weather.

The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (often abbreviated to ANWR) was established by President Eisenhower in 1960, and is the largest wildlife refuge in the United States. Animals of the Refuge include the 130,000-member Porcupine caribou herd, 180 species of birds from four continents, wolves, wolverine, polar and grizzly bears, muskoxen, foxes, and over 40 species of coastal and freshwater fish. Although most of ANWR was designated as wilderness in 1980, the area along the coastal plain was set aside so that the oil and gas reserves beneath the tundra could be studied. Drilling remains a topic of contention, and an energy bill allowing North Slope oil development to extend onto the coastal plain of the Refuge was approved by the US House of Representatives on August 2, 2001.

The Refuge encompasses an impressive variety of arctic and subarctic ecosystems, including coastal lagoons, barrier islands, arctic tundra, and mountainous terrain. Of all these, the arctic tundra is the landscape judged most important for wildlife. From the coast inland to an average of 30

Draft comprehensive conservation plan and environmental impact statement-Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge

USGS Publications Warehouse

,

2015-01-01

The Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge Complex, consisting of some of the newer properties in the National Wildlife Refuge System, is a work in progress. Offering unique assets to surrounding communities, these lands promise to become some of the premier urban wildlife refuges in the country. At the heart of the refuge complex is the Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge: 16,000 acres of shortgrass and mixed-grass prairie that is home to bison, bald eagles, migratory songbirds, prairie dogs, and much more—all within the Denver Metropolitan area.This comprehensive conservation plan will be the first in the country designed to begin implementing the Refuge System’s new Urban Refuge Initiative. To accomplish this, we analyzed a wide range of options on how best to support up to one million visitors per year without compromising our principal purposes to protect and preserve fish and wildlife and their habitats. We are fortunate to have inherited a great deal of infrastructure from the U.S. Army, but we are also constrained by the current condition and layout of these facilities. Some of this infrastructure may be acting as barriers to the public—a condition inconsistent with the purposes of the refuge. Accordingly, we have developed a goal to increase and improve suitable access to the refuge, develop sustainable transportation options, and provide more connections among the units of the refuge complex. This increased access will enable people from all walks of life to visit the refuge. The vision we have developed for the refuge complex calls for the restoration of the refuge’s historical habitats, and the reconnection of people with the natural lands of the refuge and of the region at large using a network consisting of multimodal trails, a far-reaching light-rail system, and the Denver International Airport. This refuge is well positioned to leverage and catalyze early investments to create world-class wildlife habitat and a

77 FR 18852 - Lee Metcalf National Wildlife Refuge, Stevensville, MT; Draft Comprehensive Conservation Plan and...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-03-28

... management purpose, for migratory birds'' (Migratory Bird Conservation Act); and (2) ``for (a) incidental... participate in interpretive programs in the indoor and outdoor classrooms. The Refuge provides habitat for... National Wildlife Refuge System, consistent with sound principles of fish and wildlife management...

Monitoring and modeling terrestrial arthropod diversity on the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge

Treesearch

Matthew L. Bowser; John M. Morton

2009-01-01

The primary purpose of the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge (KENWR) is to "conserve fish and wildlife populations in their natural diversity," where "fish and wildlife" explicitly includes arthropods. To this end, we developed a Long Term Ecological Monitoring Program (LTEMP), a collaborative effort with the USDA Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA)...

77 FR 29358 - Kenai National Wildlife Refuge, Soldotna, AK; Environmental Impact Statement for the Shadura...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-05-17

... right-of-way within the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge (Refuge) under the Alaska National Interest Lands... comments or requests for information by any of the following methods to: Email: [email protected] prepare an environmental impact statement (EIS) for, a proposed right-of-way within the Refuge. The right...

75 FR 4414 - Banks Lake National Wildlife Refuge, Lanier County, GA

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-01-27

... opportunities include wildlife observation and wildlife photography. The refuge hosts several listed species... CCP. The compatibility determinations for fishing; wildlife observation; wildlife photography..., photography, and interpretation; guided sport fishing; vegetation control on refuge shoreline by adjacent...

75 FR 36437 - Holla Bend National Wildlife Refuge, Pope and Yell Counties, AR

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-06-25

... DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR Fish and Wildlife Service [FWS-R4-R-2010-N085; 40136-1265-0000-S3] Holla Bend National Wildlife Refuge, Pope and Yell Counties, AR AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service... significant impact. SUMMARY: We, the Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), announce the availability of our...

Leucocytozoonosis in Canada Geese at the Seney National Wildlife Refuge

USGS Publications Warehouse

Herman, C.M.; Barrow, J.H.; Tarshis, I.B.

1975-01-01

A history is given of the Seney National Wildlife Refuge and the losses of goslings of Canada geese (Branta canadensis) recorded since inception of the refuge in 1935. Since 1960, when more reliable data became available, losses have been extensive every 4 years. Gosling deaths are attributed to the infection with Leucocytozoon simondi. The blackfly (Simulium innocens) is considered to be the prime vector in the transmission of this blood parasite to goslings.

78 FR 3911 - Big Stone National Wildlife Refuge, Big Stone and Lac Qui Parle Counties, MN; Final Comprehensive...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-01-17

... DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR Fish and Wildlife Service [FWS-R3-R-2012-N259; FXRS1265030000-134-FF03R06000] Big Stone National Wildlife Refuge, Big Stone and Lac Qui Parle Counties, MN; Final Comprehensive... significant impact (FONSI) for the environmental assessment (EA) for Big Stone National Wildlife Refuge...

76 FR 30190 - Atchafalaya National Wildlife Refuge, LA; Draft Comprehensive Conservation Plan and Environmental...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-05-24

... contributing toward the mission of the National Wildlife Refuge System, consistent with sound principles of fish and wildlife management, conservation, legal mandates, and our policies. In addition to outlining broad management direction on conserving wildlife and their habitats, CCPs identify wildlife-dependent...

Planning in the human ecotone: Managing wild places on the Togiak National Wildlife Refuge

Treesearch

Stewart Allen

2002-01-01

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is revising the long-range plan for Alaska’s Togiak National Wildlife Refuge, over half of which is designated as the Togiak Wilderness Area. Many of the planning issues are social rather than biological, involving public use and its effects on Refuge resources and opportunities. Planners, managers, and stakeholders are finding...

75 FR 56130 - Pearl Harbor National Wildlife Refuge, Honolulu County, HI; Comprehensive Conservation Plan and...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-09-15

... DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR Fish and Wildlife Service [FWS-R1-R-2010-N160; 1265-0000-10137-S3] Pearl Harbor National Wildlife Refuge, Honolulu County, HI; Comprehensive Conservation Plan and... Kamehameha Highway, Room 2C, Hale`iwa, HI 96712. Alternatively, you may fax comments to the refuge at (808...

Invasive Plant Management in the United States National Wildlife Refuge

USGS Publications Warehouse

Lusk, Michael; Ericson, Jenny

2011-01-01

Invasive species pose a significant challenge to the National Wildlife Refuge System and have been identified as the single most important threat to habitat management on refuges. At present, it is estimated that over 2 million acres of refuge lands are invaded by invasive plants. The current and potential costs of controlling invasive plants, as well as monitoring and restoring refuge lands, are significant both financially and ecologically. Budgetary expenditures for invasive species projects in FY 2009 totaled $18.4 million. A number of strategies are used to confront this threat and have resulted in success on a variety of levels. The Refuge System utilizes key partnerships, invasive species strike teams, and a dedicated cadre of volunteers to implement projects that incorporate mechanical, chemical and biological control methods.

Type C botulism losses at Horicon National Wildlife Refuge, 1978

USGS Publications Warehouse

Windingstad, R.M.; Duncan, R.M.; Drieslein, R.L.

1980-01-01

Avian botulism was responsible for the death of over 6,000 waterfowl at Horicon National Wildlife Refuge in Wisconsin in 1978. The outbreak occurred in early fall on a flooded 250 hectare fallow agricultural area on the northeast end of the refuge. The species most severely affected was the green-winged teal (Anas carolinensis), which made up almost 45% of the total birds found. Carcass pick-up, mouse toxicity tests, and antitoxin injections of waterfowl are discussed.

Framework for ecological monitoring on lands of Alaska National Wildlife Refuges and their partners

USGS Publications Warehouse

Woodward, Andrea; Beever, Erik A.

2010-01-01

National Wildlife Refuges in Alaska and throughout the U.S. have begun developing a spatially comprehensive monitoring program to inform management decisions, and to provide data to broader research projects. In an era of unprecedented rates of climate change, monitoring is essential to detecting, understanding, communicating and mitigating climate-change effects on refuge and other resources under the protection of U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and requires monitoring results to address spatial scales broader than individual refuges. This document provides guidance for building a monitoring program for refuges in Alaska that meets refuge-specific management needs while also allowing synthesis and summary of ecological conditions at the ecoregional and statewide spatial scales.

76 FR 78309 - Hawaiian and Pacific Islands National Wildlife Refuge Complex; Wilderness Review and Legislative...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-12-16

... Forest, Palmyra Atoll, Pearl Harbor, Rose Atoll, and Wake Atoll. These refuges are located in Hawai'i... the following national wildlife refuges: Baker Island, Guam, Hakalau Forest, Hanalei, Hawaiian Islands... identified a WSA on the Hakalau Forest Refuge, as part of the refuge's CCP completed in September 2010. The...

50 CFR Table I to Part 36 - Summary Listing the National Wildlife Refuges in Alaska as established by the Alaska Lands Act...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... 50 Wildlife and Fisheries 9 2013-10-01 2013-10-01 false Summary Listing the National Wildlife... Part 36 Wildlife and Fisheries UNITED STATES FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR (CONTINUED) THE NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE SYSTEM ALASKA NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGES Pt. 36, Table I Table I to...

50 CFR Table I to Part 36 - Summary Listing the National Wildlife Refuges in Alaska as established by the Alaska Lands Act...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

... 50 Wildlife and Fisheries 9 2012-10-01 2012-10-01 false Summary Listing the National Wildlife... Part 36 Wildlife and Fisheries UNITED STATES FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR (CONTINUED) THE NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE SYSTEM ALASKA NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGES Pt. 36, Table I Table I to...

50 CFR Table I to Part 36 - Summary Listing the National Wildlife Refuges in Alaska as established by the Alaska Lands Act...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... 50 Wildlife and Fisheries 8 2011-10-01 2011-10-01 false Summary Listing the National Wildlife... Part 36 Wildlife and Fisheries UNITED STATES FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR (CONTINUED) THE NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE SYSTEM ALASKA NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGES Pt. 36, Table I Table I to...

50 CFR Table I to Part 36 - Summary Listing the National Wildlife Refuges in Alaska as established by the Alaska Lands Act...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... 50 Wildlife and Fisheries 6 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Summary Listing the National Wildlife... Part 36 Wildlife and Fisheries UNITED STATES FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR (CONTINUED) THE NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE SYSTEM ALASKA NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGES Pt. 36, Table I Table I to...

50 CFR Table I to Part 36 - Summary Listing the National Wildlife Refuges in Alaska as established by the Alaska Lands Act...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... 50 Wildlife and Fisheries 9 2014-10-01 2014-10-01 false Summary Listing the National Wildlife... Part 36 Wildlife and Fisheries UNITED STATES FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR (CONTINUED) THE NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE SYSTEM ALASKA NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGES Pt. 36, Table I Table I to...

76 FR 78940 - Minidoka National Wildlife Refuge, Blaine, Cassia, Minidoka, and Power Counties, ID...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-12-20

...; Comprehensive Conservation Plan and Environmental Assessment AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior. ACTION... prepare a comprehensive conservation plan (CCP) for Minidoka National Wildlife Refuge. We will also... principles of fish and wildlife management, conservation, legal mandates, and our policies. In addition to...

Biological Diversity, Ecological Health and Condition of Aquatic Assemblages at National Wildlife Refuges in Southern Indiana, USA

PubMed Central

Morris, Charles C.; Robb, Joseph R.; McCoy, William

2015-01-01

Abstract The National Wildlife Refuge system is a vital resource for the protection and conservation of biodiversity and biological integrity in the United States. Surveys were conducted to determine the spatial and temporal patterns of fish, macroinvertebrate, and crayfish populations in two watersheds that encompass three refuges in southern Indiana. The Patoka River National Wildlife Refuge had the highest number of aquatic species with 355 macroinvertebrate taxa, six crayfish species, and 82 fish species, while the Big Oaks National Wildlife Refuge had 163 macroinvertebrate taxa, seven crayfish species, and 37 fish species. The Muscatatuck National Wildlife Refuge had the lowest diversity of macroinvertebrates with 96 taxa and six crayfish species, while possessing the second highest fish species richness with 51 species. Habitat quality was highest in the Muscatatuck River drainage with increased amounts of forested habitats compared to the Patoka River drainage. Biological integrity of the three refuges ranked the Patoka NWR as the lowest biological integrity (mean IBI reach scores = 35 IBI points), while Big Oaks had the highest biological integrity (mean IBI reach score = 41 IBI points). The Muscatatuck NWR had a mean IBI reach score of 31 during June, which seasonally increased to a mean of 40 IBI points during summer. Watershed IBI scores and habitat condition were highest in the Big Oaks NWR. PMID:25632261

Analysis of Crude Oil Production in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge

EIA Publications

2008-01-01

This report responds to a request from Senator Ted Stevens that the Energy Information Administration provide an assessment of federal oil and natural gas leasing in the coastal plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) in Alaska.

75 FR 7286 - Rappahannock River Valley National Wildlife Refuge, Caroline, Essex, King George, Lancaster...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-02-18

... DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR Fish and Wildlife Service [FWS-R5-R-2009-N203; BAC-4311-K9-S3] Rappahannock River Valley National Wildlife Refuge, Caroline, Essex, King George, Lancaster, Middlesex, Richmond, and Westmoreland Counties, VA AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior. ACTION: Notice of...

75 FR 30052 - Nomans Land Island National Wildlife Refuge, Town of Chilmark, MA

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-05-28

... DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR Fish and Wildlife Service [FWS-R5-R-2009-N185; BAC-4311-K9-S3] Nomans Land Island National Wildlife Refuge, Town of Chilmark, MA AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior... Weir Hill Road, Sudbury, MA 01776. In-Person Drop-off, Viewing, or Pickup: Call 978-443-4661 to make an...

Bats of Ouray National Wildlife Refuge

USGS Publications Warehouse

Ellison, Laura E.

2011-01-01

Ouray National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) is located in the northeast corner of Utah along the Green River and is part of the Upper Colorado River System and the Colorado Plateau. The Colorado Plateau is home to 19 species of bats, some of which are quite rare. Of those 19 species, a few have a more southern range and would not be expected to be found at Ouray NWR, but it is unknown what species occur at Ouray NWR or their relative abundance. The assumption is that Ouray NWR provides excellent habitat for bats, since the riparian habitat consists of a healthy population of cottonwoods with plenty of older, large trees and snags that would provide foraging and roosting habitat for bats. The more than 4,000 acres of wetland habitat, along with the associated insect population resulting from the wetland habitat, would provide ideal foraging habitat for bats. The overall objective of this project is to conduct a baseline inventory of bat species occurring on the refuge using mist nets and passive acoustic monitoring.

An osprey at home in the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1999-01-01

A Rough-legged hawk stares at the landscape from a perch in a tree in the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge. This type of hawk is rarely seen in Florida, ranging from northern Alaska through Manitoba and Newfoundland and wintering from California east to Virginia. The 92,000-acre refuge, which shares a boundary with the Kennedy Space Center, is habitat for more than 310 species of birds, 25 mammals, 117 fishes and 65 amphibians and reptiles.

An osprey at home in the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1999-01-01

A Rough-legged Hawk fans its wings as it gently lands in a tree in the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge. This type of hawk is rarely seen in Florida, ranging from northern Alaska through Manitoba and Newfoundland and wintering from California east to Virginia. The 92,000-acre refuge, which shares a boundary with the Kennedy Space Center, is habitat for more than 310 species of birds, 25 mammals, 117 fishes and 65 amphibians and reptiles.

76 FR 24512 - Laguna Cartagena National Wildlife Refuge, Lajas, Puerto Rico; Draft Comprehensive Conservation...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-05-02

... enforcement officer. Alternative C (Wetland Restoration Emphasis) Under this alternative, we would concentrate... limited baseline biological information. Active habitat wetland management would be implemented by... National Wildlife Refuge. Alternative B (Wildlife Diversity and Habitat Restoration, Proposed) Under this...

Climate change adaptation for the US national wildlife refuge system

Treesearch

Brad Griffith; J. Michael Scott; Robert Adamcik; Daniel Ashe; Brian Czech; Robert Fischman; Patrick Gonzalez; Joshua Lawler; A. David McGuire; Anna Pidgorna

2009-01-01

Since its establishment in 1903, the National Wildlife Refuge System (NWRS) has grown to 635 units and 37 Wetland Management Districts in the United States and its territories. These units provide the seasonal habitats necessary for migratory waterfowl and other species to complete their annual life cycles. Habitat conversion and fragmentation, invasive species,...

A rescued pelican is released at the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge near KSC.

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1999-01-01

A rescued white pelican, dubbed 'Fisheater' by his rescuers, takes a tentative step and stretches its wings after being let go at the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge. Looking on is Mark Epstein, with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, who had held the bird while Kat Royer, also with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, placed on it a leg band issued by the U.S. Department of the Interior's Bird Banding Laboratory. The pelican was found covered in crude oil from a contaminated ditch in northern Indiana in November, and was rescued by a local Police Department, treated, and flown to the Back to Nature Wildlife Refuge in Orlando, Fla. for care and rest. It is being released to join a flock of about 30 other white pelicans that are wintering on the refuge. White pelicans inhabit marshy lakes and along the Pacific and Texas coasts. They winter from Florida and southern California south to Panama, chiefly in coastal lagoons. They are frequently seen flying in long lines, flapping and sailing in unison, but also ride rising air currents to soar gracefully in circles. The Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge, which encompasses 92,000 acres that are a habitat for more than 331 species of birds, 31 mammals, 117 fishes, and 65 amphibians and reptiles. The marshes and open water of the refuge provide wintering areas for 23 species of migratory waterfowl, as well as a year-round home for great blue herons, great egrets, wood storks, cormorants, brown pelicans and other species of marsh and shore birds, as well as a variety of insects.

Willets gather in the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge.

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2000-01-01

Willets gather around a plant in the shallow waters of the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge, which shares a boundary with Kennedy Space Center. Willets are best identified in flight by their black-and-white wing pattern; on the ground by their thick black bills and gray legs. They breed in southern Canada, the United States and the West Indies, wintering from the southern U.S. to central South America. The 92,000-acre refuge is a habitat for more than 330 species of birds, 31 mammals, 117 fishes and 65 amphibians and reptiles. The marshes and open water of the refuge provide wintering areas for 23 species of migratory waterfowl, as well as a year-round home for great blue herons, great egrets, wood storks, cormorants, brown pelicans and other species of marsh and shore birds.

78 FR 66056 - Sunkhaze Meadows National Wildlife Refuge and Carlton Pond Waterfowl Production Area, Penobscot...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-11-04

... hiking, hunting, and fishing. Background The CCP Process The National Wildlife Refuge System... activities, such as wildlife observation, photography, hiking, snowmobiling, and hunting, would continue to... management (if warranted) to [[Page 66058

50 CFR 32.4 - Opening of wildlife refuge areas to fishing.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... 50 Wildlife and Fisheries 9 2014-10-01 2014-10-01 false Opening of wildlife refuge areas to fishing. 32.4 Section 32.4 Wildlife and Fisheries UNITED STATES FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR (CONTINUED) THE NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE SYSTEM HUNTING AND FISHING General Provisions...

50 CFR 32.4 - Opening of wildlife refuge areas to fishing.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... 50 Wildlife and Fisheries 8 2011-10-01 2011-10-01 false Opening of wildlife refuge areas to fishing. 32.4 Section 32.4 Wildlife and Fisheries UNITED STATES FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR (CONTINUED) THE NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE SYSTEM HUNTING AND FISHING General Provisions...

50 CFR 32.4 - Opening of wildlife refuge areas to fishing.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... 50 Wildlife and Fisheries 9 2013-10-01 2013-10-01 false Opening of wildlife refuge areas to fishing. 32.4 Section 32.4 Wildlife and Fisheries UNITED STATES FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR (CONTINUED) THE NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE SYSTEM HUNTING AND FISHING General Provisions...

50 CFR 32.4 - Opening of wildlife refuge areas to fishing.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

... 50 Wildlife and Fisheries 9 2012-10-01 2012-10-01 false Opening of wildlife refuge areas to fishing. 32.4 Section 32.4 Wildlife and Fisheries UNITED STATES FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR (CONTINUED) THE NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE SYSTEM HUNTING AND FISHING General Provisions...

50 CFR 32.4 - Opening of wildlife refuge areas to fishing.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... 50 Wildlife and Fisheries 6 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Opening of wildlife refuge areas to fishing. 32.4 Section 32.4 Wildlife and Fisheries UNITED STATES FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR (CONTINUED) THE NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE SYSTEM HUNTING AND FISHING General Provisions...

75 FR 27576 - J.N. “Ding” Darling National Wildlife Refuge, Lee County, FL

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-05-17

... DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR Fish and Wildlife Service [FWS-R4-R-2010-N052; 40136-1265-0000-S3] J.N. ``Ding'' Darling National Wildlife Refuge, Lee County, FL AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior... variety of species in a highly developed landscape. The city of Sanibel, Lee County, Sanibel-Captiva...

A loggerhead shrike in the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1999-01-01

A loggerhead shrike perches on a branch in the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge, which shares a boundary with Kennedy Space Center. The loggerhead shrike prefers grasslands, orchards and open areas with scattered trees throughout a range extending from southern Canada to southern Florida and the Gulf Coast. The Refuge encompasses 92,000 acres that are a habitat for more than 331 species of birds, 31 mammals, 117 fishes, and 65 amphibians and reptiles. The marshes and open water of the refuge provide wintering areas for 23 species of migratory waterfowl, as well as a year-round home for great blue herons, great egrets, wood storks, cormorants, brown pelicans and other species of marsh and shore birds, as well as a variety of insects.

Planning applications in east central Florida. [St. Johns National Wildlife Refuge

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hannah, J. W.; Thomas, G. L.; Esparza, F. (Principal Investigator); Millard, J. J.

1975-01-01

The author has identified the following significant results. St. Johns National Wildlife Refuge, a 4000 acre marsh, was established primarily to protect the Dusky Seaside Sparrow. A vegetation map of the refuge based on ground observations and color infrared photography was made. The preferred habitat of this sparrow is high-to-medium density spartina (a marsh grass) with no trees nearby. An increase in spartina density corresponds to an increase in marsh wetness. A thematic map shows the birds habitat preferences.

75 FR 17430 - Hopper Mountain, Bitter Creek, and Blue Ridge National Wildlife Refuges, Kern, San Luis Obispo...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-04-06

...] Hopper Mountain, Bitter Creek, and Blue Ridge National Wildlife Refuges, Kern, San Luis Obispo, Tulare... Wildlife Refuges (NWRs) located in Kern, San Luis Obispo, Tulare, and Ventura counties of California. We... developing a CCP for Hopper Mountain, Bitter Creek, and Blue Ridge NWRs in Kern, San Luis Obispo, Tulare, and...

Future frequencies of extreme weather events in the National Wildlife Refuges of the conterminous U.S.

USGS Publications Warehouse

Martinuzzi, Sebastian; Allstadt, Andrew J.; Bateman, Brooke L.; Heglund, Patricia J.; Pidgeon, Anna M.; Thogmartin, Wayne E.; Vavrus, Stephen J.; Radeloff, Volker C.

2016-01-01

Climate change is a major challenge for managers of protected areas world-wide, and managers need information about future climate conditions within protected areas. Prior studies of climate change effects in protected areas have largely focused on average climatic conditions. However, extreme weather may have stronger effects on wildlife populations and habitats than changes in averages. Our goal was to quantify future changes in the frequency of extreme heat, drought, and false springs, during the avian breeding season, in 415 National Wildlife Refuges in the conterminous United States. We analyzed spatially detailed data on extreme weather frequencies during the historical period (1950–2005) and under different scenarios of future climate change by mid- and late-21st century. We found that all wildlife refuges will likely experience substantial changes in the frequencies of extreme weather, but the types of projected changes differed among refuges. Extreme heat is projected to increase dramatically in all wildlife refuges, whereas changes in droughts and false springs are projected to increase or decrease on a regional basis. Half of all wildlife refuges are projected to see increases in frequency (> 20% higher than the current rate) in at least two types of weather extremes by mid-century. Wildlife refuges in the Southwest and Pacific Southwest are projected to exhibit the fastest rates of change, and may deserve extra attention. Climate change adaptation strategies in protected areas, such as the U.S. wildlife refuges, may need to seriously consider future changes in extreme weather, including the considerable spatial variation of these changes.

Transit and trail connections: assessment of visitor access to National Wildlife Refuges

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2010-12-01

The purpose of the study is to characterize the use of transit and non-motorized transportation modes for visitor access to National Wildlife Refuges (NWRs), as well as identify opportunities for and constraints to alternative transportation access. ...

Regional economic analysis of current and proposed management alternatives for Rappahannock River Valley National Wildlife Refuge

USGS Publications Warehouse

Koontz, Lynne; Sexton, Natalie; Donovan, Ryan

2009-01-01

The National Wildlife Refuge System Improvement Act of 1997 requires all units of the National Wildlife Refuge System to be managed under a Comprehensive Conservation Plan. The Comprehensive Conservation Plan must describe the desired future conditions of a refuge and provide long-range guidance and management direction to achieve refuge purposes. The Rappahannock River Valley National Wildlife Refuge (refuge) is in the process of developing a range of management goals, objectives, and strategies for the Comprehensive Conservation Plan. The Comprehensive Conservation Plan for the refuge must contain an analysis of expected effects associated with current and proposed refuge management strategies. The purpose of this study was to assess the regional economic implications associated with draft Comprehensive Conservation Plan management strategies. Special interest groups and local residents often criticize a change in refuge management, especially if there is a perceived negative impact to the local economy. Having objective data on economic impacts may show that these fears are overstated. Quite often, the extent of economic benefits a refuge provides to a local community is not fully recognized, yet at the same time the effects of negative changes is overstated. Spending associated with refuge recreational activities, such as wildlife viewing and hunting, can generate considerable tourist activity for surrounding communities. Additionally, refuge personnel typically spend considerable amounts of money purchasing supplies in local stores, repairing equipment and purchasing fuel at the local service stations, and reside and spend their salaries in the local community. For refuge Comprehensive Conservation Plan planning, a regional economic assessment provides a means of estimating how current management (no action alternative) and proposed management activities (alternatives) could affect the local economy. This type of analysis provides two critical pieces of

75 FR 61171 - Iroquois National Wildlife Refuge, Genesee County and Orleans County, NY

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-10-04

..., would be converted to native shrub species. Similar to many other national wildlife refuges, we propose..., with only some native shrub swamp habitat remaining. Under this alternative, forest cover would...

Roseate Spoonbill feeds in the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge.

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2000-01-01

In the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge, a roseate spoonbill searches the water for food. The birds, named for their brilliant pink color and paddle-shaped bill, feed in shallow water by swinging their bill back and forth, scooping up small fish and crustaceans. They typically inhabit mangroves on the coasts of southern Florida, Louisiana and Texas. The 92,000-acre refuge, which shares a boundary with Kennedy Space Center, is a habitat for more than 330 species of birds, 31 mammals, 117 fishes and 65 amphibians and reptiles. The marshes and open water of the refuge provide wintering areas for 23 species of migratory waterfowl, as well as a year-round home for great blue herons, great egrets, wood storks, cormorants, brown pelicans and other species of marsh and shore birds.

77 FR 56229 - White River National Wildlife Refuge, AR; Final Comprehensive Conservation Plan and Finding of No...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-09-12

... DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR Fish and Wildlife Service [FWS-R4-R-2011-N267; FXRS12650400000-123...: You may obtain a copy of the CCP by writing to: Mr. Dennis Sharp, Refuge Manager, White River NWR, 57... Process The National Wildlife Refuge System Administration Act of 1966 (16 U.S.C. 668dd-668ee...

Use of survey data to define regional and local priorities for management on national wildlife refuges

Treesearch

John R. Sauer; Jennifer Casey; Harold Laskowski; Jan D. Taylor; Jane Fallon

2005-01-01

National Wildlife Refuges must manage habitats to support a variety of species that often have conflicting needs. To make reasonable management decisions, managers must know what species are priorities for their refuges and the relative importance of the species. Unfortunately, species priorities are often set regionally, but refuges must develop local priorities that...

Gallinules in the waters of KSC-Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1999-01-01

A mother gallinule (right) calls her two chicks to enter the algae-covered water in the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge, which shares a boundary with Kennedy Space Center. Gallinules, called Moorhens in the Old World, are duck-like swimming birds that constantly bob their heads while moving. They are identified by the prominent red bill with yellow tip and red frontal shield as well as white feathers under the tail, as shown here on the mother. Gallinules range throughout the Americas, from southern Canada to southern South America, inhabiting freshwater marshes and ponds with cattails and other aquatic vegetation. The 92,000-acre wildlife refuge is a habitat for more than 310 species of birds, 25 mammals, 117 fishes and 65 amphibians and reptiles. The marshes and open water of the refuge provide wintering areas for 23 species of migratory waterfowl, as well as a year-round home for great blue herons, great egrets, wood storks, cormorants, brown pelicans and other species of marsh and shore birds.

Recommendations to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service: Alternative Transportation at Lower Rio Grande Valley National Wildlife Refuge / World Birding Center / South Texas Refuge Complex Provided by the Interagency Transportation Assistance Group (TAG) McA

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2008-01-29

At the request of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), an inter-agency Transportation Assistance Group (TAG) site review was conducted at the Lower Rio Grande Valley National Wildlife Refuge and the World Birding Center, in the South Texas Refug...

77 FR 1078 - San Pablo Bay National Wildlife Refuge, Sonoma, Napa, and Solano Counties, CA; Final...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-01-09

... principles of sound fish and wildlife management. Based on the associated environmental assessment, this... contributing toward the mission of the National Wildlife Refuge System, consistent with sound principles of fish and wildlife management, conservation, legal mandates, and our policies. In addition to outlining...

Learning from conservation planning for the U.S. National Wildlife Refuges.

PubMed

Meretsky, Vicky J; Fischman, Robert L

2014-10-01

The U.S. National Wildlife Refuge System has nearly completed its first round of unit-level, comprehensive conservation plans (CCPs) and will soon begin required revisions. Laws and policies governing refuge planning emphasize ecological integrity, landscape-scale conservation, and adaptive management. We evaluated 185 CCPs completed during 2005-2011, which cover 324 of 555 national wildlife refuges. We reviewed CCP prescriptions addressing 5 common conservation issues (habitat and game, nongame, imperiled, and invasive species) and 3 specialized topics (landscape-scale conservation, climate change, and environmental quality). Common conservation issues received prescriptions in >90% of CCPs. Specialized topics received more variable treatment. Prescriptions for aquatic connectivity, water quantity, and climate-change impacts increased over the study period. Except for climate change, direct actions were the most common type of management prescription, followed by plans or studies. Most CCPs stated a commitment to adaptive management and prescribed monitoring for common conservation objectives; other aspects of planning for adaptive management were often lacking, despite strong support for adaptive management in the conservation planning literature. To better address refuge-specific threats, we recommend that revised plans explicitly match identified refuge issues with prescriptions, particularly for under-represented concerns such as novel pests and pathogens. We recommend incorporating triggers into monitoring frameworks and specifying actions that will occur when threshold values are reached to improve support for adaptive management. Revised CCPs should better reflect work that refuges already undertake to extend conservation objectives beyond their borders and better engage with regional conservation efforts to continue this work. More thorough landscape-scale threat assessments and explicit prioritization of planned actions would further improve conservation

A rescued pelican flies to freedom at the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge near KSC.

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1999-01-01

A white pelican named 'Fisheater' by its rescuers, beats its wings as it flies to freedom at the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge. The pelican was found covered in crude oil from a contaminated ditch in northern Indiana in November, and was rescued by a local Police Department, treated, and flown to the Back to Nature Wildlife Refuge in Orlando, Fla. for care and rest. It is being released today to join a flock of about 30 other white pelicans that are wintering on the refuge. Before its release, however, Kat Royer, with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, placed on it a leg band issued by the U.S. Department of the Interior's Bird Banding Laboratory. White pelicans inhabit marshy lakes and along the Pacific and Texas coasts. They winter from Florida and southern California south to Panama, chiefly in coastal lagoons. They are frequently seen flying in long lines, flapping and sailing in unison, but also ride rising air currents to soar gracefully in circles. The Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge, which encompasses 92,000 acres that are a habitat for more than 331 species of birds, 31 mammals, 117 fishes, and 65 amphibians and reptiles. The marshes and open water of the refuge provide wintering areas for 23 species of migratory waterfowl, as well as a year-round home for great blue herons, great egrets, wood storks, cormorants, brown pelicans and other species of marsh and shore birds, as well as a variety of insects.

A rescued pelican flies to freedom at the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge near KSC.

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1999-01-01

A white pelican named 'Fisheater' by its rescuers soars to open water in the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge as it flies to freedom. The pelican was found covered in crude oil from a contaminated ditch in northern Indiana in November, and was rescued by a local Police Department, treated, and flown to the Back to Nature Wildlife Refuge in Orlando, Fla. for care and rest. It is being released today to join a flock of about 30 other white pelicans that are wintering on the refuge, some of which are nearby. Before its release, however, Kat Royer, with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, placed on it a leg band issued by the U.S. Department of the Interior's Bird Banding Laboratory. White pelicans inhabit marshy lakes and along the Pacific and Texas coasts. They winter from Florida and southern California south to Panama, chiefly in coastal lagoons. They are frequently seen flying in long lines, flapping and sailing in unison, but also ride rising air currents to soar gracefully in circles. The Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge, which encompasses 92,000 acres that are a habitat for more than 331 species of birds, 31 mammals, 117 fishes, and 65 amphibians and reptiles. The marshes and open water of the refuge provide wintering areas for 23 species of migratory waterfowl, as well as a year-round home for great blue herons, great egrets, wood storks, cormorants, brown pelicans and other species of marsh and shore birds, as well as a variety of insects.

Roseate Spoonbills preen in the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge.

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2000-01-01

In the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge, two roseate spoonbills mirror each other as they preen their lipstick-colored feathers. The birds, named for their brilliant pink color and paddle-shaped bill, feed in shallow water by swinging their bill back and forth, scooping up small fish and crustaceans. They typically inhabit mangroves on the coasts of southern Florida, Louisiana and Texas. The 92,000-acre refuge, which shares a boundary with Kennedy Space Center, is a habitat for more than 330 species of birds, 31 mammals, 117 fishes and 65 amphibians and reptiles. The marshes and open water of the refuge provide wintering areas for 23 species of migratory waterfowl, as well as a year-round home for great blue herons, great egrets, wood storks, cormorants, brown pelicans and other species of marsh and shore birds.

A roseate spoonbill in the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1999-01-01

A roseate spoonbill balancing on one leg is reflected in the waters of the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge, which shares a boundary with Kennedy Space Center. The birds, named for their brilliant pink color and paddle-shaped bill, feed in shallow water by swinging their bill back and forth, scooping up small fish and crustaceans. They typically inhabit mangroves on the coasts of southern Florida, Louisiana and Texas. The 92,000- acre refuge is a habitat for more than 310 species of birds, 25 mammals, 117 fishes and 65 amphibians and reptiles. The marshes and open water of the refuge also provide wintering areas for 23 species of migratory waterfowl, as well as a year-round home for great blue herons, great egrets, wood storks, cormorants, brown pelicans and other species of marsh and shore birds.

Change in surficial water area, Quivera National Wildlife Refuge, Stafford County, Kansas

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Yarger, H. L. (Principal Investigator)

1973-01-01

The author has identified the following significant results. MSS-7 images acquired in August, October, and December 1972 revealed changes in both the number of water pools and surficial water area of larger pools in Quivera National Wildlife Refuge (Big and Little Salt Marsh), Stafford County, Kansas.

Arctic Refuge coastal plain terrestrial wildlife research summaries

USGS Publications Warehouse

Douglas, David C.; Reynolds, Patricia E.; Rhode, E.B.

2002-01-01

In 1980, when the U.S. Congress enacted the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act (ANILCA), it also mandated a study of the coastal plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. Section 1002 of ANILCA stated that a comprehensive inventory of fish and wildlife resources would be conducted on 1.5 million acres of the Arctic Refuge coastal plain (1002 Area). Potential petroleum reserves in the 1002 Area were also to be evaluated from surface geological studies and seismic exploration surveys. Results of these studies and recommendations for future management of the Arctic Refuge coastal plain were to be prepared in a report to Congress.In 1987, the Department of the Interior published the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, Alaska, Coastal Plain Resource Assessment - Report and Recommendations to the Congress of the United States and Final Environmental Impact Statement. This report to Congress identified the potential for oil and gas production (updated* most recently by the U.S. Geological Survey in 2001), described the biological resources, and evaluated the potential adverse effects to fish and wildlife resources. The 1987 report analyzed the potential environmental consequences of five management alternatives for the coastal plain, ranging from wilderness designation to opening the entire area to lease for oil and gas developement. The report's summary recommended opening the 1002 Area to an orderly oil and gas leasing program, but cautioned that adverse effects to some wildlife populations were possible.Congress did not act on this recommendation nor any other alternative for the 1002 Area, and scientists continued studies of key wildlife species and habitats on the coastal plain of the Arctic Refuge and surrounding areas. This report contains updated summaries of those scientific investigations of caribou, muskoxen, predators (grizzly bears, wolves, golden eagles), polar bears, snow geese, and their wildlife habitats.Contributions to this report were

American avocets in the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1999-01-01

A flock of American avocets take time to feed in the waters of the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge, which shares a boundary with Kennedy Space Center. Avocets are not commonly seen in the East, but range from Washington and Manitoba south to Texas and California. However, avocets may stray eastward to the Atlantic coast during their southward migration in the fall. Their common habitat is freshwater marshes and shallow marshy lakes. Much like spoonbills, they sweep their bills from side to side along the surface of the water to pick up crustaceans, aquatic insects and floating seeds. The Refuge encompasses 92,000 acres that are a habitat for more than 331 species of birds, 31 mammals, 117 fishes, and 65 amphibians and reptiles. The marshes and open water of the refuge provide wintering areas for 23 species of migratory waterfowl, as well as a year-round home for great blue herons, great egrets, wood storks, cormorants, brown pelicans and other species of marsh and shore birds, as well as a variety of insects.

Roseate Spoonbill displays wings in the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge.

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2000-01-01

A female roseate spoonbill displays her colorful wings in a mating ritual in Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge. The birds, named for their brilliant pink color and paddle-shaped bill, feed in shallow water by swinging their bill back and forth, scooping up small fish and crustaceans. They typically inhabit mangroves on the coasts of southern Florida, Louisiana and Texas. The 92,000-acre refuge, which shares a boundary with Kennedy Space Center, is a habitat for more than 330 species of birds, 31 mammals, 117 fishes and 65 amphibians and reptiles. The marshes and open water of the refuge provide wintering areas for 23 species of migratory waterfowl, as well as a year-round home for great blue herons, great egrets, wood storks, cormorants, brown pelicans and other species of marsh and shore birds.

Visitor survey results for the Souris River Loop National Wildlife Refuges: Completion report

USGS Publications Warehouse

Sexton, Natalie R.; Koontz, Lynne; Stewart, Susan C.

2005-01-01

In support of the CCP planning effort for the Souris River Loop Refuges, the Policy Analysis and Science Assistance Branch/Fort Collins Science Center (PASA) of the U.S. Geological Survey conducted visitor surveys at three refuges in North Dakota: Des Lacs, J. Clark Salyer, and Upper Souris National Wildlife Refuges. This research was conducted in order to assess visitor experience, perceptions, and preferences and visitor spending related to recreation on these public lands. This baseline information and input is needed by the refuges to inform their CCP process. Specifically, this survey research assesses the characteristics of visitors and their trips, the activities in which visitors engage while on the refuge, details regarding their trip experience, as well as their preferences and attitudes about various management features, including existing and future conditions. 

Black-necked stilts share nesting in the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1999-01-01

A pair of black-necked stilts protect their grass-lined nest in the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge, which shares a boundary with Kennedy Space Center. Stilts usually produce three or four brown-spotted buff eggs in a shallow depression lined with grass or shell fragments. In the nesting season they are particularly agressive. Stilts are identified by a distinct head pattern of black and white, very long red legs, and straight, very thin bill. Their habitat is salt marshes and shallow coastal bays from Delaware and northern South America in the East, and freshwater marshes from Oregon and Saskatchewan to the Gulf Coast. The 92,000-acre wildlife refuge is a habitat for more than 310 species of birds, 25 mammals, 117 fishes and 65 amphibians and reptiles. The marshes and open water of the refuge also provide wintering areas for 23 species of migratory waterfowl, as well as a year-round home for great blue herons, great egrets, wood storks, cormorants, brown pelicans and other species of marsh and shore birds.

Black-necked stilts share nesting in the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1999-01-01

A black-necked stilt waits near its nesting mate nest in the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge, which shares a boundary with Kennedy Space Center. Stilts usually produce three or four brown-spotted buff eggs in a shallow depression lined with grass or shell fragments. In the nesting season they are particularly agressive. Stilts are identified by a distinct head pattern of black and white, very long red legs, and straight, very thin bill. Their habitat is salt marshes and shallow coastal bays from Delaware and northern South America in the East, and freshwater marshes from Oregon and Saskatchewan to the Gulf Coast. The 92,000-acre wildlife refuge is a habitat for more than 310 species of birds, 25 mammals, 117 fishes and 65 amphibians and reptiles. The marshes and open water of the refuge also provide wintering areas for 23 species of migratory waterfowl, as well as a year-round home for great blue herons, great egrets, wood storks, cormorants, brown pelicans and other species of marsh and shore birds.

Black-necked stilts share nesting in the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1999-01-01

A Black-necked Stilt sits on its nest in the waters of the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge, which shares a boundary with Kennedy Space Center. Stilts are identified by a distinct head pattern of black and white, very long red legs, and straight, very thin bill. They usually produce three or four brown-spotted buff eggs in a shallow depression lined with grass or shell fragments. In the nesting season they are particularly agressive. Their habitat is salt marshes and shallow coastal bays from Delaware and northern South America in the East, and freshwater marshes from Oregon and Saskatchewan to the Gulf Coast. The 92,000-acre wildlife refuge is a habitat for more than 310 species of birds, 25 mammals, 117 fishes and 65 amphibians and reptiles. The marshes and open water of the refuge also provide wintering areas for 23 species of migratory waterfowl, as well as a year-round home for great blue herons, great egrets, wood storks, cormorants, brown pelicans and other species of marsh and shore birds.

78 FR 13692 - Clarks River National Wildlife Refuge, KY; Final Comprehensive Conservation Plan/Land Protection...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-02-28

... recreation including non-motorized boating, walking, hiking, jogging, and bicycling; (7) research and... associated benefits. Authority This notice is published under the authority of the National Wildlife Refuge...

Hydrologic effects of impoundments in Sherburne National Wildlife Refuge, Minnesota

USGS Publications Warehouse

Brown, R.G.

1984-01-01

The hydrologic effects of proposed impoundments in Sherburne National Wildlife Refuge were found to be insignificant with respect to both ground- and surface-water flow patterns and water quality. Monitoring of water levels in 23 observation wells and of discharge in the St. Francis River during 1980 and 1981 has shown that ground water in the surf icial aquifer responds quickly to areal recharge and subsequently discharges to the St. Francis River. The impoundment of surface water in the refuge was not found to affect water levels in the refuge significantly. The impoundments may affect ground-water-flow systems beneath and adjacent to the impoundments. Quality of ground and surface water was found to be similar except ground water contained higher concentrations of dissolved nitrite plus nitrate nitrogen than surface water. Phytoplankton removed dissolved nitrite plus nitrate nitrogen from surface water. The effects of impoundments on water quality are expected to be minor.

Long-Billed Curlew Breeding Success on Mid-Columbia River National Wildlife Refuges, South-Central Washington and North-Central Oregon, 2007-08

USGS Publications Warehouse

Stocking, Jessica; Elliott-Smith, Elise; Holcomb, Neil; Haig, Susan M.

2010-01-01

Long-billed curlew (Numenius americanus) reproductive success was evaluated on the Mid-Columbia River National Wildlife Refuges of south-central Washington and north-central Oregon during the 2007 and 2008 breeding seasons. Additionally, we assisted the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in collecting information on distribution, abundance, and brood habitat for this shorebird species of conservation concern. A total of 32 breeding pairs were located on the refuges in 2007 and 35 pairs were located in 2008. We monitored 17 nests in 2007 and 23 nests in 2008. Curlew pairs were most abundant on Hanford Reach National Monument in 2007 but more nests were located on Umatilla National Wildlife Refuge in both years, with Columbia National Wildlife Refuge supporting few pairs. Nest success was 23.6 percent in 2007 and 32.9 percent in 2008 after taking into account exposure time and combining data for all the refuges. We were unable to detect any relationship between nest success and habitat type or habitat variables measured. However, our study was the first to document use of agricultural fields on the refuge as curlew nest habitat. We collected 39 and 28 brood locations in 2007 and 2008, respectively, and many observations were likely resightings of the same brood. Broods used a similar variety of habitats as nesting curlew and no clear habitat use pattern was detected.

78 FR 16286 - Neal Smith National Wildlife Refuge, Jasper County, IA; Final Comprehensive Conservation Plan and...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-03-14

... National Wildlife Refuge System (NWRS), consistent with sound principles of fish and wildlife management, conservation, legal mandates, and Service policies. In addition to outlining broad management direction on... purposes. We use these purposes as the foundation for developing and prioritizing the management goals and...

Roseate Spoonbill displays wings in the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge.

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2000-01-01

A female roseate spoonbill (left) displays her colorful wings to the male at right in a mating ritual in Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge. The birds, named for their brilliant pink color and paddle-shaped bill, feed in shallow water by swinging their bill back and forth, scooping up small fish and crustaceans. They typically inhabit mangroves on the coasts of southern Florida, Louisiana and Texas. The 92,000-acre refuge, which shares a boundary with Kennedy Space Center, is a habitat for more than 330 species of birds, 31 mammals, 117 fishes and 65 amphibians and reptiles. The marshes and open water of the refuge provide wintering areas for 23 species of migratory waterfowl, as well as a year-round home for great blue herons, great egrets, wood storks, cormorants, brown pelicans and other species of marsh and shore birds.

75 FR 52546 - Hakalau Forest National Wildlife Refuge, Hawai`i County, HI; Comprehensive Conservation Plan and...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-08-26

...] Hakalau Forest National Wildlife Refuge, Hawai`i County, HI; Comprehensive Conservation Plan and...; Hilo, HI 96720. Alternatively, you may fax comments to the refuge at (808) 443-2304, or e-mail them to... attend two open house meetings. The meetings were held March 3 and 4, 2009, in Hilo, HI, and Captain Cook...

Wetland modeling and information needs at Stillwater National Wildlife Refuge

USGS Publications Warehouse

Hamilton, David B.; Auble, Gregor T.

1993-01-01

The marshes in and around Stillwater National Wildlife Refuge (the Refuge) are extremely dynamic; expanding and contracting in size both seasonally, due to runoff and subsequent evapotranspiration, and over longer periods, due to climatic variation. The dynamic nature of these marshes results in a diversity of wetland habitats, which support a variety of migratory birds. To maintain this wetland diversity and control the loss of migratory bird habitat in the Lahontan Valley, the Refuge was established and currently manages a complex of marsh units. However, changes in the hydrology, and changes that will occur as a result of the Fallon Paiute-Shoshone and Truckee-Carson-Pyramid Lake Water Rights Settlement Act (Public Law 101-618, 104 Stat. 3389), greatly affect the Refuge's wetland management capability. In light of these changes, and the legal requirements associated with environmental impact assessments, the Refuge convened a workshop to discuss several aspects of wetland management in the Lahontan Valley. The workshop, described in this report, had three primary objectives: 1. discuss the types and relative proportions of primary wetland habitats that should be provided as described in the settlement act; 2. discuss wetland management models that might be developed to help manage these marshes under hydrologic regimes likely in the future; and 3. discuss future information and monitoring needs, including proposals for valley-wide biodiversity surveys, which would be helpful when considering withdrawn Bureau of Reclamation (BR) lands for possible incorporation into the Refuge. Several presentations at the beginning of the workshop provided a common basis for discussing these objectives. Refuge staff provided background on the history and past management. The Nature Conservatory discussed their role in the settlement act, proposals for valley-wide biodiversity surveys, and results of a literature review for Stillwater Marsh and the Lahontan Valley (Nachlinger

Toxicity to amphibians of environmental extracts from natural waters in National Parks and Fish and Wildlife Refuges

USGS Publications Warehouse

Bridges, Christine M.; Little, Edward E.

2005-01-01

Amphibian population declines are not limited to overly degraded habitats, but often occur in relatively pristine environments such as national parks or wildlife refuges, thus forcing biologists to examine less obvious causes for declines such as the presence of contaminants. The objective of our study was to extract naturally-occurring compounds from amphibian habitats (using semipermeable membrane devices) in three national parks or wildlife refuges (two sites within Sequoia Kings Canyon National Park, Big Bend National Park, and Kenai National Wildlife Refuge), and assess their toxicity to developing larvae using bioassays. Extracts did not cause mortality, so all effects observed were sublethal, influencing life history characteristics. In all three areas studied, amphibians reared in extracts from at least one of the two sites exhibited either a lengthened larval period or reduced mass at metamorphosis. Extracts from both the air and water at one site in Sequoia Kings Canyon National Park lengthened the larval period, which is in agreement with studies showing elevated levels of aerially transported contaminants at sites such as this within the park. Ultraviolet radiation, which is also suspected of having caused amphibian declines and was included as a factor in our study, did not act alone or alter the toxicity of the extracts.

Toxicity to amphibians of environmental extracts from natural waters in National Parks and Fish and Wildlife Refuges

USGS Publications Warehouse

Bridges, C.M.; Little, E.E.

2005-01-01

Amphibian population declines are not limited to overtly degraded habitats, but often occur in relatively pristine environments such as national parks or wildlife refuges, thus forcing biologists to examine less obvious causes for declines such as the presence of contaminants. The objective of our study was to extract naturally-occurring compounds from amphibian habitats (using semipermeable membrane devices) in three national parks or wildlife refuges (two sites within Sequoia Kings Canyon National Park, Big Bend National Park, and Kenai National Wildlife Refuge), and assess their toxicity to developing larvae using bioassays. Extracts did not cause mortality, so all effects observed were sublethal, influencing life history characteristics. In all three areas studied, amphibians reared in extracts from at least one of the two sites exhibited either a lengthened larval period or reduced mass at metamorphosis. Extracts from both the air and water at one site in Sequoia Kings Canyon National Park lengthened the larval period, which is in agreement with studies showing elevated levels of aerially transported contaminants at sites such as this within the park. Ultraviolet radiation, which is also suspected of having caused amphibian declines and was included as a factor in our study, did not act alone or alter the toxicity of the extracts. ?? ISSCA 2005.

Mercury in wetlands at the Glacial Ridge National Wildlife Refuge, northwestern Minnesota, 2007-9

USGS Publications Warehouse

Cowdery, Timothy K.; Brigham, Mark E.

2013-01-01

The Glacial Ridge National Wildlife Refuge was established in 2004 on land in northwestern Minnesota that had previously undergone extensive wetland and prairie restorations. About 7,000 acres of drained wetlands were restored to their original hydrologic function and aquatic ecosystem. During 2007–9, the U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Red Lake Watershed District, analyzed mercury concentrations in wetland water and sediment to evaluate the effect of wetland restoration on mercury methylation. The wetland waters sampled generally were of the calcium/magnesium bicarbonate type. Nitrogen in water was mostly in the form of dissolved-organic nitrogen, with very low dissolved-nitrate and dissolved-ammonia concentrations. About 71 percent of all phosphorus in water was dissolved, with one-half of that in the form of orthophosphorus. Wetland water had total-mercury and methylmercury concentrations ranging from 1.5 to 20 nanograms per liter (ng/L) and 0.2 to 16 ng/L, respectively. Median concentrations were 7.1 and 2.9 ng/L, respectively. About one-half of the mercury in wetland water samples was in the form of methylmercury, but this form ranged from 7 to 81 percent of each sample. Compared to concentrations in stream sediment samples collected throughout the United States, Glacial Ridge National Wildlife Refuge wetland sediment samples contained typical total-mercury concentrations, but methylmercury concentrations were nearly twice as high. The maximum concentration measured in Glacial Ridge National Wildlife Refuge wetland water approached the highest published water methylmercury concentration in uncontaminated waters of which we are aware. However, the upper quartile of water methylmercury concentrations is similar to concentrations reported for some impoundments and wetlands in northwestern Minnesota and North Dakota. Methylmercury concentrations in sampled wetlands were much higher than those from typical

Survey of bats on Columbia National Wildlife Refuge, Washington, December 2011-April 2012

USGS Publications Warehouse

Hagar, Joan C.; Manning, Tom; Barnett, Jenny

2013-01-01

Bats are diverse and abundant in many ecosystems worldwide. They perform important ecosystem functions, particularly by consuming large quantities of insects (Cleveland and others, 2006; Jones and others, 2009; Kuhn and others, 2011). The importance of bats to biodiversity and to ecosystem integrity has been overlooked in many regions, largely because the challenges of detecting and studying these small, nocturnal mammals have rendered a paucity of information on matters as basic as species distribution and natural history attributes. Recently, concern for bats has arisen in response to recognition of large-scale threats, such as white-nosed syndrome (WNS; Turner and others, 2009; Frick and others, 2010) and mortality at wind energy facilities (Arnett and others, 2008), factors that are causing unprecedented population declines of bats (Boyles and others, 2011). WNS is a fungal disease that has killed more than 1 million cave-hibernating bats in eastern North America since being discovered in New York State in 2006 (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 2012). WNS has spread rapidly from northeastern U.S., and as of August 2012 has been confirmed as far west as eastern Missouri(U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 2013). Given the rapid spread of WNS, there is concern that the disease may soon affect western bat populations. Hibernating bats are particularly vulnerable to the effects of WNS (Blehert and others, 2009). Refuges in eastern Washington, including the Mid-Columbia River National Wildlife Refuge Complex (MCRNWRC) and Little Pend Oreille National Wildlife Refuge, support many potential hibernacula. Sixteen species of bats potentially occur on these refuges, including one federally listed species of concern (Townsend’s big-eared bat [Corynorhinus townsendii]; see table 1 for scientific names of bats), and 12 species that are of conservation concern in Washington and Oregon (table 1). However, little is known about bats on these refuges because few surveys have been

75 FR 22838 - Cape Romain National Wildlife Refuge, Charleston County, SC

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-04-30

... opportunities for hunting, fishing, wildlife observation, wildlife photography, and environmental education and... additional elementary schools, students, and teachers. The refuge would be staffed at current levels plus the...

77 FR 16058 - Willapa National Wildlife Refuge, Pacific County, WA; Record of Decision for Final Environmental...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-03-19

... National Wildlife Refuge System, consistent with sound principles of fish and wildlife management... implementation. Alternative 2 is the foundation of our CCP. The CCP will guide our management and administration... management issues in our Draft and Final CCP/EIS. To address these issues, we developed and evaluated three...

75 FR 28642 - Limiting Mountain Lion Predation on Desert Bighorn Sheep on Kofa National Wildlife Refuge, Yuma...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-05-21

... DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR Fish and Wildlife Service [FWS-R2-R-2009-N274] [22570-1261-0000-K2] Limiting Mountain Lion Predation on Desert Bighorn Sheep on Kofa National Wildlife Refuge, Yuma and La Paz Counties, AZ AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior. ACTION: Notice of availability of the final...

Decision analysis of mitigation and remediation of sedimentation within large wetland systems: a case study using Agassiz National Wildlife Refuge

USGS Publications Warehouse

Post van der Burg, Max; Jenni, Karen E.; Nieman, Timothy L.; Eash, Josh D.; Knutsen, Gregory A.

2014-01-01

Sedimentation has been identified as an important stressor across a range of wetland systems. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has the responsibility of maintaining wetlands within its National Wildlife Refuge System for use by migratory waterbirds and other wildlife. Many of these wetlands could be negatively affected by accelerated rates of sedimentation, especially those located in agricultural parts of the landscape. In this report we document the results of a decision analysis project designed to help U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service staff at the Agassiz National Wildlife Refuge (herein referred to as the Refuge) determine a strategy for managing and mitigating the negative effects of sediment loading within Refuge wetlands. The Refuge’s largest wetland, Agassiz Pool, has accumulated so much sediment that it has become dominated by hybrid cattail (Typha × glauca), and the ability of the staff to control water levels in the Agassiz Pool has been substantially reduced. This project consisted of a workshop with Refuge staff, local and regional stakeholders, and several technical and scientific experts. At the workshop we established Refuge management and stakeholder objectives, a range of possible management strategies, and assessed the consequences of those strategies. After deliberating a range of actions, the staff chose to consider the following three strategies: (1) an inexpensive strategy, which largely focused on using outreach to reduce external sediment inputs to the Refuge; (2) the most expensive option, which built on the first option and relied on additional infrastructure changes to the Refuge to increase management capacity; and (3) a strategy that was less expensive than strategy 2 and relied mostly on existing infrastructure to improve management capacity. Despite the fact that our assessments were qualitative, Refuge staff decided they had enough information to select the third strategy. Following our qualitative assessment, we discussed

Feral Hogs Management at Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge: Analysis of Current Management Program

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rosenfeld, Arie; Hinkle, C. Ross; Epstein, Marc

2002-01-01

This ST1 Technical Memorandum (TM) summarizes a two-month project on feral hog management in Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge (MINWR). For this project, feral hogs were marked and recaptured, with the help of local trappers, to estimate population size and habitat preferences. Habitat covers included vegetation cover and Light Detection and Ranging (LIDAR) data for MINWR. In addition, an analysis was done of hunting records compiled by the Refuge and hog-car accidents compiled by KSC Security.

Visitor reponse to demonstration fees at National Wildlife Refuges

USGS Publications Warehouse

Taylor, J.G.; Vaske, J.J.; Shelby, L.B.; Donnelly, M.P.; Browne, Cassandra M.

2002-01-01

In response to a request from the United States Fish and Wildlife Service, we examined the likelihood of visitors changing their plans for future visits to National Wildlife Refuges (NWR) because of changes in entrance or use fees. We obtained data for this study from 3,173 respondents from 14 NWRs between 1998 and 2000. Overall, only 8% of all respondents reported potential displacement as a likely response to fee changes. Bivariate analyses indicated that displacement was related to the NWR visited, participation in consumptive or nonconsumptive activities, amount of fees paid, and respondents' income, but the strength of these relationships was weak. Beliefs about the fee program and attitude toward fees paid were better predictors of displacement potential. Multivariate log-linear analysis highlighted significant interactions among the variables and complexity of understanding the displacement process.

43 CFR 3101.5-1 - Wildlife refuge lands.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... 43 Public Lands: Interior 2 2014-10-01 2014-10-01 false Wildlife refuge lands. 3101.5-1 Section... § 3101.5-1 Wildlife refuge lands. (a) Wildlife refuge lands are those lands embraced in a withdrawal of public domain and acquired lands of the United States for the protection of all species of wildlife...

43 CFR 3101.5-1 - Wildlife refuge lands.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... 43 Public Lands: Interior 2 2013-10-01 2013-10-01 false Wildlife refuge lands. 3101.5-1 Section... § 3101.5-1 Wildlife refuge lands. (a) Wildlife refuge lands are those lands embraced in a withdrawal of public domain and acquired lands of the United States for the protection of all species of wildlife...

43 CFR 3101.5-1 - Wildlife refuge lands.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... 43 Public Lands: Interior 2 2011-10-01 2011-10-01 false Wildlife refuge lands. 3101.5-1 Section... § 3101.5-1 Wildlife refuge lands. (a) Wildlife refuge lands are those lands embraced in a withdrawal of public domain and acquired lands of the United States for the protection of all species of wildlife...

43 CFR 3101.5-1 - Wildlife refuge lands.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

... 43 Public Lands: Interior 2 2012-10-01 2012-10-01 false Wildlife refuge lands. 3101.5-1 Section... § 3101.5-1 Wildlife refuge lands. (a) Wildlife refuge lands are those lands embraced in a withdrawal of public domain and acquired lands of the United States for the protection of all species of wildlife...

Roseate Spoonbill squawks at intruder in the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge.

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2000-01-01

In the shallow waters of the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge, a roseate spoonbill squawks at nearby intruders. The birds, named for their brilliant pink color and paddle-shaped bill, feed in shallow water by swinging their bill back and forth, scooping up small fish and crustaceans. They typically inhabit mangroves on the coasts of southern Florida, Louisiana and Texas. The 92,000-acre refuge, which shares a boundary with Kennedy Space Center, is a habitat for more than 330 species of birds, 31 mammals, 117 fishes and 65 amphibians and reptiles. The marshes and open water of the refuge provide wintering areas for 23 species of migratory waterfowl, as well as a year-round home for great blue herons, great egrets, wood storks, cormorants, brown pelicans and other species of marsh and shore birds.

Hydrologic assessment of the Edwin B. Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge

USGS Publications Warehouse

Wieben, Christine M.; Chepiga, Mary M.

2018-03-19

The Edwin B. Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge (hereafter Forsythe refuge or the refuge) is situated along the central New Jersey coast and provides a mixture of freshwater and saltwater habitats for numerous bird, wildlife, and plant species. Little data and information were previously available regarding the freshwater dynamics that support the refuge’s ecosystems. In cooperation with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the U.S. Geological Survey conducted an assessment of the hydrologic resources and processes in the refuge and surrounding areas to provide baseline information for evaluating restoration projects and future changes in the hydrologic system associated with climate change and other anthropogenic stressors.During spring 2015, water levels were measured at groundwater and surface-water sites in and near the Forsythe refuge. These water-level measurements, along with surface-water elevations obtained from digital elevation models, were used to construct water-table-elevation and depth-to-water maps of the refuge and surrounding areas. Water-table elevations in the refuge ranged from sea level to approximately 65 feet above sea level; in most of the refuge, the water-table elevation was within 3 feet of sea level. The water-table-elevation map indicates that the direction of shallow groundwater flow at the regional scale is generally from west to east (much of it from the northwest to the southeast), and groundwater moves downgradient from the uplands toward major groundwater discharge areas consisting of coastal streams and wetlands. The depth to water is estimated to be less than 2 feet for approximately 86 percent of the refuge, which coincides closely with the percentage of wetland area in the refuge. Depth to water in excess of 20 feet below land surface is limited to higher elevation areas of the refuge.Streamflow data collected at continuous-record streamgages and partial-record stations within the Mullica-Toms Basin were summarized

Willets and avocets in the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1999-01-01

In the waters of the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge, which shares a boundary with Kennedy Space Center, willets (left) and American avocets (right) attack the water below in a feeding frenzy. Willets inhabit coastal beaches, freshwater and salt marches, lakeshores and wet prairies, ranging from southern Canada and United States to the West Indies. Avocets are not commonly seen in the East, but range from Washington and Manitoba south to Texas and California. However, avocets may stray eastward to the Atlantic coast during their southward migration in the fall. Their common habitat is freshwater marshes and shallow marshy lakes. The Refuge encompasses 92,000 acres that are a habitat for more than 331 species of birds, 31 mammals, 117 fishes, and 65 amphibians and reptiles. The marshes and open water of the refuge provide wintering areas for 23 species of migratory waterfowl, as well as a year-round home for great blue herons, great egrets, wood storks, cormorants, brown pelicans and other species of marsh and shore birds, as well as a variety of insects.

Situation report: Heavy DDT contamination at Wheeler National Wildlife Refuge

USGS Publications Warehouse

Fleming, W.J.; Atkeson, T.Z.

1980-01-01

A DDT manufacturing plant that operated on the Redstone Arsenal near Huntsville, Alabama discharged DDT-Iaden effluent from 1947 to 1970 into a creek on Wheeler National Wildlife Refuge. Seven to 9 years after the plant closed, high DDT, DDE, and DDD levels were reported in soils, river sediments, and fish in the area. Eleven of 27 mallards (Anas platyrhynchos) collected on the Refuge during February 1979 had carcass DDE residues that exceeded levels associated with eggshell thinning. DDE residues in a smaller number of mallards exceeded levels associated with egg breakage, poor hatchability, and abnormal hehavior and poor survival of offspring. Several avian species have disappeared from the Refuge since 1950, probably due to both industrial discharges of DDT from the plant and insecticidal use of DDT in the area. The contamination still presents a threat to herons, waterfowl, and raptors including occasional wintering or migrant eagles (Haliaeetus leucocephalus), and probably many other avian species. A maternity colony of endangered gray bats (Myotis grisescens) is also threatened by this contamination.

76 FR 77245 - Attwater Prairie Chicken National Wildlife Refuge, Austin and Colorado Counties, TX...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-12-12

...-FF02R06000] Attwater Prairie Chicken National Wildlife Refuge, Austin and Colorado Counties, TX..., TX 77434; phone: (979) 234-3021; fax: (979) 234-3278. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Introduction With... elements conduct research on of hog movement corridors; impacts of red depending on results of imported...

77 FR 8890 - Clarks River National Wildlife Refuge, KY; Draft Comprehensive Conservation Plan and...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-02-15

...-FF04R02000] Clarks River National Wildlife Refuge, KY; Draft Comprehensive Conservation Plan and... availability of a draft comprehensive conservation plan and environmental assessment (Draft CCP/EA) for Clarks... (telephone). SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Introduction With this notice, we continue the CCP process for Clarks...

Long Term Ecological Monitoring Program on the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge, Alaska: An FIA adjunct inventory

Treesearch

Bowser John M. Morton; Edward Berg; Dawn Magness; Todd Eskelin

2009-01-01

Kenai National Wildlife Refuge (KENWR) has a legislative mandate "to conserve fish and wildlife populations and habitats in their natural diversity". To improve our understanding of spatial and temporal variation at the landscape level, we are developing the Long Term Ecological Monitoring Program (LTEMP) to assess change in biota on the sample frame used by...

77 FR 31870 - Final Comprehensive Conservation Plan for the Bowdoin National Wildlife Refuge Complex

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-05-30

... remaining complex waters do not support a sport fishery due high salinity levels or shallow water depth... addressing the salinity and blowing salts issue on Bowdoin National Wildlife Refuge. The Region 6 Regional... Thibadeau and Alternative 4 for addressing the salinity and blowing salts issue. These preferred...

78 FR 21397 - Don Edwards San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge, Alameda, Santa Clara, and San Mateo...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-04-10

...) 792-5828. Mail: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, San Francisco Bay NWR Complex, 1 Marshlands Road... the San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge Complex, 1 Marshlands Road, Fremont, CA 94555 (510) 792... and environmental education. We announce our decision and the availability of the FONSI for the final...

Global change and conservation triage on National Wildlife Refuges

USGS Publications Warehouse

Johnson, Fred A.; Eaton, Mitchell; McMahon, Gerard; Raye Nilius,; Mike Bryant,; Dave Case,; Martin, Julien; Wood, Nathan J.; Laura Taylor,

2015-01-01

National Wildlife Refuges (NWRs) in the United States play an important role in the adaptation of social-ecological systems to climate change, land-use change, and other global-change processes. Coastal refuges are already experiencing threats from sea-level rise and other change processes that are largely beyond their ability to influence, while at the same time facing tighter budgets and reduced staff. We engaged in workshops with NWR managers along the U.S. Atlantic coast to understand the problems they face from global-change processes and began a multidisciplinary collaboration to use decision science to help address them. We are applying a values-focused approach to base management decisions on the resource objectives of land managers, as well as those of stakeholders who may benefit from the goods and services produced by a refuge. Two insights that emerged from our workshops were a conspicuous mismatch between the scale at which management can influence outcomes and the scale of environmental processes, and the need to consider objectives related to ecosystem goods and services that traditionally have not been explicitly considered by refuges (e.g., protection from storm surge). The broadening of objectives complicates the decision-making process, but also provides opportunities for collaboration with stakeholders who may have agendas different from those of the refuge, as well as an opportunity for addressing problems across scales. From a practical perspective, we recognized the need to (1) efficiently allocate limited staff time and budgets for short-term management of existing programs and resources under the current refuge design and (2) develop long-term priorities for acquiring or protecting new land/habitat to supplement or replace the existing refuge footprint and thus sustain refuge values as the system evolves over time. Structuring the decision-making problem in this manner facilitated a better understanding of the issues of scale and suggested

The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge: Many Alternatives and One Choice To Make. Lesson Plan.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Foundation for Teaching Economics, San Francisco, CA.

The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) is an area of land located in the northeast corner of Alaska within the Arctic Circle that includes a potentially oil-rich coastal plain between the Beaufort Sea, the Brooks Range, and the Prudhoe Bay oil fields. For the past several years, ANWR has also been the location of a national debate over energy…

Climate change adaptation for the US National Wildlife Refuge System

USGS Publications Warehouse

Griffith, Brad; Scott, J. Michael; Adamcik, Robert S.; Ashe, Daniel; Czech, Brian; Fischman, Robert; Gonzalez, Patrick; Lawler, Joshua J.; McGuire, A. David; Pidgorna, Anna

2009-01-01

Since its establishment in 1903, the National Wildlife Refuge System (NWRS) has grown to 635 units and 37 Wetland Management Districts in the United States and its territories. These units provide the seasonal habitats necessary for migratory waterfowl and other species to complete their annual life cycles. Habitat conversion and fragmentation, invasive species, pollution, and competition for water have stressed refuges for decades, but the interaction of climate change with these stressors presents the most recent, pervasive, and complex conservation challenge to the NWRS. Geographic isolation and small unit size compound the challenges of climate change, but a combined emphasis on species that refuges were established to conserve and on maintaining biological integrity, diversity, and environmental health provides the NWRS with substantial latitude to respond. Individual symptoms of climate change can be addressed at the refuge level, but the strategic response requires system-wide planning. A dynamic vision of the NWRS in a changing climate, an explicit national strategic plan to implement that vision, and an assessment of representation, redundancy, size, and total number of units in relation to conservation targets are the first steps toward adaptation. This adaptation must begin immediately and be built on more closely integrated research and management. Rigorous projections of possible futures are required to facilitate adaptation to change. Furthermore, the effective conservation footprint of the NWRS must be increased through land acquisition, creative partnerships, and educational programs in order for the NWRS to meet its legal mandate to maintain the biological integrity, diversity, and environmental health of the system and the species and ecosystems that it supports.

A Resume of Prescribed Burnings on the Piedmont National Wildlife Refuge

Treesearch

Eugene Czuhai; Charles T. Cushwa

1968-01-01

Information concerning the effects of prescribed burning on wildlife habitat in the Atlantic Piedmont is meager. Much information on this topic was in unpublished quarterly reports written by Piedmont Wildlife Refuge managers. This information has been summarized and presented chronologically.

Transportation Observations, Considerations and Recommendations for Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge Provided by the Interagency Transportation Assistance Group (TAG)

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2008-01-08

A field investigation of the current transportation infrastructure and operations at : Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge (CNWR) and Assateague Island National : Seashore (ASIS) by the interagency Transportation Assistance Group (TAG) was : conduc...

50 CFR 26.41 - What is the process for determining if a use of a national wildlife refuge is a compatible use?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... 50 Wildlife and Fisheries 9 2014-10-01 2014-10-01 false What is the process for determining if a use of a national wildlife refuge is a compatible use? 26.41 Section 26.41 Wildlife and Fisheries UNITED STATES FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR (CONTINUED) THE NATIONAL WILDLIFE...

50 CFR 26.41 - What is the process for determining if a use of a national wildlife refuge is a compatible use?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... 50 Wildlife and Fisheries 6 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false What is the process for determining if a use of a national wildlife refuge is a compatible use? 26.41 Section 26.41 Wildlife and Fisheries UNITED STATES FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR (CONTINUED) THE NATIONAL WILDLIFE...

50 CFR 26.41 - What is the process for determining if a use of a national wildlife refuge is a compatible use?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

... 50 Wildlife and Fisheries 9 2012-10-01 2012-10-01 false What is the process for determining if a use of a national wildlife refuge is a compatible use? 26.41 Section 26.41 Wildlife and Fisheries UNITED STATES FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR (CONTINUED) THE NATIONAL WILDLIFE...

50 CFR 26.41 - What is the process for determining if a use of a national wildlife refuge is a compatible use?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... 50 Wildlife and Fisheries 9 2013-10-01 2013-10-01 false What is the process for determining if a use of a national wildlife refuge is a compatible use? 26.41 Section 26.41 Wildlife and Fisheries UNITED STATES FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR (CONTINUED) THE NATIONAL WILDLIFE...

50 CFR 26.41 - What is the process for determining if a use of a national wildlife refuge is a compatible use?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... 50 Wildlife and Fisheries 8 2011-10-01 2011-10-01 false What is the process for determining if a use of a national wildlife refuge is a compatible use? 26.41 Section 26.41 Wildlife and Fisheries UNITED STATES FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR (CONTINUED) THE NATIONAL WILDLIFE...

A digital model for planning water management at Benton Lake National Wildlife Refuge, west-central Montana

USGS Publications Warehouse

Nimick, David A.; McCarthy, Peter M.; Fields, Vanessa

2011-01-01

Benton Lake National Wildlife Refuge is an important area for waterfowl production and migratory stopover in west-central Montana. Eight wetland units covering about 5,600 acres are the essential features of the refuge. Water availability for the wetland units can be uncertain owing to the large natural variations in precipitation and runoff and the high cost of pumping supplemental water. The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, has developed a digital model for planning water management. The model can simulate strategies for water transfers among the eight wetland units and account for variability in runoff and pumped water. This report describes this digital model, which uses a water-accounting spreadsheet to track inputs and outputs to each of the wetland units of Benton Lake National Wildlife Refuge. Inputs to the model include (1) monthly values for precipitation, pumped water, runoff, and evaporation; (2) water-level/capacity data for each wetland unit; and (3) the pan-evaporation coefficient. Outputs include monthly water volume and flooded surface area for each unit for as many as 5 consecutive years. The digital model was calibrated by comparing simulated and historical measured water volumes for specific test years.

76 FR 30959 - Bogue Chitto National Wildlife Refuge, LA and MS; Draft Comprehensive Conservation Plan and...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-05-27

... National Wildlife Refuge System Improvement Act of 1997, requires us to develop a CCP for each national...; however, the island could still be subjected to habitat improvement projects, such as forest thinning and... temporarily, compromise Holmes Island's wilderness character. Under Alternative A, negative effects to soils...

Silvio O. Conte National Fish and Wildlife Refuge: Draft comprehensive conservation plan and environmental impact statement

USGS Publications Warehouse

,; Donovan, Elizabeth; Gascoigne, William; Cullinane Thomas, Catherine

2015-01-01

The Connecticut River is treasured by all for its majesty and significance in supporting life along its winding 410-mile passage through urban and rural communities in New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, and Connecticut. Working with our partners, we are inspired to protect and enhance the natural and cultural richness throughout the watershed, especially on lands and waters entrusted to our agency as the Silvio O. Conte National Fish and Wildlife Refuge. Together with our partners, we design, support, and implement strategic conservation actions across the watershed, and communicate conservation needs and successes through extensive outreach and education programs. On refuge lands, we offer visitor programs and activities that promote an appreciation of the Connecticut River watershed as an intact, interconnected, and healthy ecosystem. Visitors respond to this greater awareness by becoming active stewards of the watershed’s natural and cultural resources. Our actions exemplify the Service’s vital role in conserving the Connecticut River watershed and the refuge’s important contribution to the mission of the National Wildlife Refuge System.

Experimental woodcock management at the Moosehorn National Wildlife Refuge

USGS Publications Warehouse

Sepik, G.F.; Owen, R.B.; Coulter, M.W.; Keppie, Daniel M.; Owen, Ray B.

1977-01-01

The purpose of this study is to develop woodcock(Philohela minor) management techniques that can be easily used by the small landowner or incorporated with other land management operations such as commercial timber harvesting. The Moosehorn National Wildlife Refuge contains areas which are characteristic of the abandoned farms now being purchased for recreation or retirement as well as areas suitable for commercial forest management. Woodcock management, beginning in 1973, has centered on rejuvenation of diurnal habitat and creation of summer fields and singing grounds. Strips (10 mwide, 25 to 125 mlong and separated by 40 m) were clear~cut in two alder (Alnus sp.) stands resulting in increased diurnal use in at least one cover, increased singing male use and good alder regeneration. Small clear-cuts (30 X30 m) in a large contiguous woodland (1200 ha) with a history of few singing males resulted in an increased number of singing males despite an overall decrease in the number of singing males throughout the refuge. Management strategies and recommendations also are given.

Assessment of sediments in the riverine impoundments of national wildlife refuges in the Souris River Basin, North Dakota

USGS Publications Warehouse

Tangen, Brian A.; Laubhan, Murray K.; Gleason, Robert A.

2014-01-01

Accelerated sedimentation of reservoirs and riverine impoundments is a major concern throughout the United States. Sediments not only fill impoundments and reduce their effective life span, but they can reduce water quality by increasing turbidity and introducing harmful chemical constituents such as heavy metals, toxic elements, and nutrients. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service national wildlife refuges in the north-central part of the United States have documented high amounts of sediment accretion in some wetlands that could negatively affect important aquatic habitats for migratory birds and other wetland-dependent wildlife. Therefore, information pertaining to sediment accumulation in refuge impoundments potentially is important to guide conservation planning, including future management actions of individual impoundments. Lands comprising Des Lacs, Upper Souris, and J. Clark Salyer National Wildlife Refuges, collectively known as the Souris River Basin refuges, encompass reaches of the Des Lacs and Souris Rivers of northwestern North Dakota. The riverine impoundments of the Souris River Basin refuges are vulnerable to sedimentation because of the construction of in-stream dams that interrupt and slow river flows and because of post-European settlement land-use changes that have increased the potential for soil erosion and transport to rivers. Information regarding sediments does not exist for these refuges, and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service personnel have expressed interest in assessing refuge impoundments to support refuge management decisions. Sediment cores and surface sediment samples were collected from impoundments within Des Lacs, Upper Souris, and J. Clark Salyer National Wildlife Refuges during 2004–05. Cores were used to estimate sediment accretion rates using radioisotope (cesium-137 [137Cs], lead-210 [210Pb]) dating techniques. Sediment cores and surface samples were analyzed for a suite of elements and agrichemicals, respectively. Examination of

Vegetation communities at Big Muddy National Fish and Wildlife Refuge, Missouri

USGS Publications Warehouse

Struckhoff, Matthew A.; Grabner, Keith W.; Stroh, Esther D.

2011-01-01

New and existing data were used to describe and map vegetation communities at Big Muddy National Fish and Wildlife Refuge. Existing data had been gathered during the growing seasons of 2002, 2003, and 2004. New data were collected in 2007 to describe previously unsampled communities and communities within which insufficient data had been collected. Plot data and field observations were used to describe 17 natural and semi-natural communities at the Association level of the National Vegetation Classification System (NVCS). Four ruderal communities not included in the NVCS are also described. Data were used to inform delineation of communities using aerial photos from 2000, 2002, 2003, 2005, 2006, and 2007. During this process, eleven additional land cover classes including cultural features, managed vegetation communities, and water features were identified. These features were mapped, some were described, but no vegetation data were collected. In 2009, nearly all community polygons were field visited and classified to the Association level. When necessary, polygon boundaries were adjusted based on field observations. The final map includes 482 polygons of 27 land cover classes encompassing 3,174 hectares on 5 units of the refuge. Data and information will inform the development of the refuge Comprehensive Conservation Plan.

Analysis of Oil and Gas Production in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge

EIA Publications

2004-01-01

This study analyzed the impact on future oil imports and expenditures of opening the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) to petroleum development. High, low, and mean ANWR oil resource case projections were compared to the Annual Energy Outlook 2004 reference case. The study also examined whether potential synergies exist in opening ANWR to petroleum development and the construction of an Alaska gas pipeline from the North Slope to the lower 48 states.

Detection probabilities and site occupancy estimates for amphibians at Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge

USGS Publications Warehouse

Smith, L.L.; Barichivich, W.J.; Staiger, J.S.; Smith, Kimberly G.; Dodd, C.K.

2006-01-01

We conducted an amphibian inventory at Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge from August 2000 to June 2002 as part of the U.S. Department of the Interior's national Amphibian Research and Monitoring Initiative. Nineteen species of amphibians (15 anurans and 4 caudates) were documented within the Refuge, including one protected species, the Gopher Frog Rana capito. We also collected 1 y of monitoring data for amphibian populations and incorporated the results into the inventory. Detection probabilities and site occupancy estimates for four species, the Pinewoods Treefrog (Hyla femoralis), Pig Frog (Rana grylio), Southern Leopard Frog (R. sphenocephala) and Carpenter Frog (R. virgatipes) are presented here. Detection probabilities observed in this study indicate that spring and summer surveys offer the best opportunity to detect these species in the Refuge. Results of the inventory suggest that substantial changes may have occurred in the amphibian fauna within and adjacent to the swamp. However, monitoring the amphibian community of Okefenokee Swamp will prove difficult because of the logistical challenges associated with a rigorous statistical assessment of status and trends.

Adaptive management in the U.S. National Wildlife Refuge System: Science-management partnerships for conservation delivery

USGS Publications Warehouse

Moore, C.T.; Lonsdorf, E.V.; Knutson, M.G.; Laskowski, H.P.; Lor, S.K.

2011-01-01

Adaptive management is an approach to recurrent decision making in which uncertainty about the decision is reduced over time through comparison of outcomes predicted by competing models against observed values of those outcomes. The National Wildlife Refuge System (NWRS) of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is a large land management program charged with making natural resource management decisions, which often are made under considerable uncertainty, severe operational constraints, and conditions that limit ability to precisely carry out actions as intended. The NWRS presents outstanding opportunities for the application of adaptive management, but also difficult challenges. We describe two cooperative programs between the Fish and Wildlife Service and the U.S. Geological Survey to implement adaptive management at scales ranging from small, single refuge applications to large, multi-refuge, multi-region projects. Our experience to date suggests three important attributes common to successful implementation: a vigorous multi-partner collaboration, practical and informative decision framework components, and a sustained commitment to the process. Administrators in both agencies should consider these attributes when developing programs to promote the use and acceptance of adaptive management in the NWRS. ?? 2010 .

75 FR 68377 - Tamarac National Wildlife Refuge, Becker County, and Tamarac Wetland Management District, Minnesota

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-11-05

... Tamarac National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) and Tamarac Wetland Management District (WMD). Goals and objectives... complete the CCP process for Tamarac NWR and WMD, which we began by publishing a notice of intent on (72 FR... Federally-designated wilderness acres. The Tamarac WMD consists of 8,577 acres of wetland easements...

An expanded map of vegetation communities at Big Muddy National Fish and Wildlife Refuge

USGS Publications Warehouse

Struckhoff, Matthew A.

2013-01-01

In 2012, a map of vegetation communities on Big Muddy National Fish and Wildlife Refuge was expanded based on interpretation of aerial photographs and field data. National Agricultural Imagery Program aerial photographs were used to identify distinct communities on previously unmapped refuge units and newly acquired parcels. Newly mapped polygons were then visited to adjust map boundaries, classify communities according to the National Vegetation Classification System, and quantify the abundance of dominant species and non-native, invasive species of concern to the refuge and other resource management agencies along the Missouri River. The expanded map now covers 6,136 hectares representing 33 community types, including 6 previously unmapped types. The full map includes 1,113 polygons, of which 627 are new, 21 are updated from the 2009 mapping effort, and 465 are unchanged from 2009. Mortality of primarily cottonwood stems, because of growing-season floods between 2008 and 2011, has reduced foliar cover of woody stems and created more open wooded communities. In herbaceous communities, dominance by herbaceous old fields has increased due to the inclusion of refuge units dominated by lands in recent agricultural production in the expanded map. Wetland community abundance has increased slightly due to recent flooding.

76 FR 19781 - Protection Island and San Juan Islands National Wildlife Refuges, Jefferson, San Juan, Skagit...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-04-08

...., Lopez Island, WA 98261. North Olympic Public Library..... 630 N. Sequim Ave., 360-683-1161 Sequim, WA...] Protection Island and San Juan Islands National Wildlife Refuges, Jefferson, San Juan, Skagit, Island, and Whatcom Counties, WA; Final Comprehensive Conservation Plan, Wilderness Stewardship Plan, and Finding of...

Use of saltcedar vegetation by landbirds migrating through the Bosque Del Apache National Wildlife Refuge

Treesearch

Jeffrey F. Kelly; Deborah M. Finch

1999-01-01

We compared diversity, abundance and energetic condition of migrant landbirds captured in four different vegetation types in the Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge. We found lower species diversity among migrants caught in exotic saltcedar vegetation than in native willow or cottonwood. In general, Migrants were most abundant in agricultural edge and least...

Habitat Evaluation Procedures (HEP) Report; Steigerwald Lake National Wildlife Refuge, Technical Report 2000-2001.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Allard, Donna

2001-09-01

Steigenvald Lake National Wildlife Refuge (NWR, refuge) was established as a result of the U. S. Army Corps of Engineers (COE) transferring ownership of the Stevenson tract located in the historic Steigerwald Lake site to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS, Service) for the mitigation of the fish and wildlife losses associated with the construction of a second powerhouse at the Bonneville Dam on the Columbia River and relocation of the town of North Bonneville (Public Law 98-396). The construction project was completed in 1983 and resulted in the loss of approximately 577 acres of habitat on the Washingtonmore » shore of the Columbia River (USFWS, 1982). The COE determined that acquisition and development of the Steigenvald Lake area, along with other on-site project management actions, would meet their legal obligation to mitigate for these impacts (USCOE, 1985). Mitigation requirements included restoration and enhancement of this property to increase overall habitat diversity and productivity. From 1994 to 1999, 317 acres of additional lands, consisting of four tracts of contiguous land, were added to the original refuge with Bonneville Power Administration (BPA) funds provided through the Washington Wildlife Mitigation Agreement. These tracts comprised Straub (191 acres), James (90 acres), Burlington Northern (27 acres), and Bliss (9 acres). Refer to Figure 1. Under this Agreement, BPA budgeted $2,730,000 to the Service for 'the protection, mitigation, and enhancement of wildlife and wildlife habitat that was adversely affected by the construction of Federal hydroelectric dams on the Columbia River or its tributaries' in the state of Washington (BPA, 1993). Lands acquired for mitigation resulting from BPA actions are evaluated using the habitat evaluation procedures (HEP) methodology, which quantifies how many Habitat Units (HUs) are to be credited to BPA. HUs or credits gained lessen BPA's debt, which was formally tabulated in the Federal Columbia River

A white pelican and egrets in the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1999-01-01

A white pelican and several small egrets rest on the bank of a pond in in the waters of the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge, which shares a boundary with Kennedy Space Center. White pelicans inhabit marshy lakes and along the Pacific and Texas coasts. They winter from Florida and southern California south to Panama, chiefly in coastal lagoons. They are frequently seen flying in long lines, flapping and sailing in unison, but also ride rising air currents to soar gracefully in circles. The range of the egret includes southern and eastern states, Mexico, Central and South America, and the West Indies. The Refuge encompasses 92,000 acres that are a habitat for more than 331 species of birds, 31 mammals, 117 fishes, and 65 amphibians and reptiles. The marshes and open water of the refuge provide wintering areas for 23 species of migratory waterfowl, as well as a year-round home for great blue herons, great egrets, wood storks, cormorants, brown pelicans and other species of marsh and shore birds, as well as a variety of insects.

Chemical quality of water and bottom sediment, Stillwater National Wildlife Refuge, Lahontan Valley, Nevada

USGS Publications Warehouse

Thodal, Carl E.

2017-12-28

The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service collected data on water and bottom-sediment chemistry to be used to evaluate a new water rights acquisition program designed to enhance wetland habitat in Stillwater National Wildlife Refuge and in Lahontan Valley, Churchill County, Nevada. The area supports habitat critical to the feeding and resting of migratory birds travelling the Pacific Flyway. Information about how water rights acquisitions may affect the quality of water delivered to the wetlands is needed by stakeholders and Stillwater National Wildlife Refuge managers in order to evaluate the effectiveness of this approach to wetlands management. A network of six sites on waterways that deliver the majority of water to Refuge wetlands was established to monitor the quality of streamflow and bottom sediment. Each site was visited every 4 to 6 weeks and selected water-quality field parameters were measured when flowing water was present. Water samples were collected at varying frequencies and analyzed for major ions, silica, and organic carbon, and for selected species of nitrogen and phosphorus, trace elements, pharmaceuticals, and other trace organic compounds. Bottom-sediment samples were collected for analysis of selected trace elements.Dissolved-solids concentrations exceeded the recommended criterion for protection of aquatic life (500 milligrams per liter) in 33 of 62 filtered water samples. The maximum arsenic criterion (340 micrograms per liter) was exceeded twice and the continuous criterion was exceeded seven times. Criteria protecting aquatic life from continuous exposure to aluminum, cadmium, lead, and mercury (87, 0.72, 2.5, and 0.77 micrograms per liter, respectively) were exceeded only once in filtered samples (27, 40, 32, and 36 samples, respectively). Mercury was the only trace element analyzed in bottom-sediment samples to exceed the published probable effect concentration (1,060 micrograms per kilogram).

Selenium concentrations in waters tributary to and in the vicinity of the Kesterson National Wildlife Refuge, Fresno and Merced counties, California

USGS Publications Warehouse

Presser, T.S.; Barnes, Ivan

1984-01-01

Analyses were made for selenium in waters and other materials of the Kesterson National Wildlife Refuge. Analyses were also made of source agricultural drainage waters from the San Luis Drain discharged into the refuge, and surrounding irrigation supply and return waters. Selenium concentrations range from 140 to 1 ,400 micrograms per liter (microgram/L) in irrigation drain waters supplied to the San Luis Drain. The selenium supplied to the Kesterson National Wildlife Refuge is to a small extent precipitated in sodium sulfate (thenardite) but a higher concentration was found in an alagal mat. Most other waters of the area contain less than detectable < 2 micrograms per liter concentrations of selenium. Oxidation of organic matter and reduction of selenate to selenite were found to be necessary for a quantitative analysis of total selenium. (USGS)

Additions to the aquatic diptera (Chaoboridae, Chironomidae, Culicidae, Tabanidae, Tipulidae) fauna of the White River National Wildlife Refuge, Arkansas

USGS Publications Warehouse

Chordas, Stephen W.; Hudson, Patrick L.; Chapman, Eric G.

2004-01-01

The dipteran fauna of Arkansas is generally poorly known. A previous study of the Aquatic macroinvertebrates of the White River National Wildlife Refuge, the largest refuge in Arkansas, reported only 12 diptera taxa out of 219 taxa collected (Chordas et al., 1996). Most of the dipterans from this study were identified only to the family level. The family Chironomidae is a large, diverse group and was predicted to be much more diverse in the refuge than indicated by previous studies. In this study, Chironomidae were targeted, with other aquatic or semiaquatic dipterans also retained, in collections designed to better define the dipteran fauna of the White River National Wildlife Refuge. Adult dipterans were collected from 22 sites within the refuge using sweep-nets, two types of blacklight traps, and lighted fan traps in June of 2001. Specimens from previous studies were retrieved and identified to the lowest possible taxonomic level. A total of 4,917 specimens representing 122 taxa was collected. The 122 taxa were comprised of the following: two chaoborids, 83 chironomids, 15 culicids, nine tabanids, and 13 tipulids. Of these, 46 species are new state records for Arkansas. Nine undescribed species of chironomids were collected, and eight species records represent significant range extensions.

Fire history and fire management implications in the Yukon Flats National Wildlife Refuge, interior Alaska

Treesearch

S. A. Drury; P. J. Grissom

2008-01-01

We conducted this investigation in response to criticisms that the current Alaska Interagency Fire Management Plans are allowing too much of the landscape in interior Alaska to burn annually. To address this issue, we analyzed fire history patterns within the Yukon Flats National Wildlife Refuge, interior Alaska. We dated 40 fires on 27 landscape points within the...

2. VIEW, LOOKING EAST, SHOWING J. CLARK SALYER NATIONAL WILDLIFE ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

2. VIEW, LOOKING EAST, SHOWING J. CLARK SALYER NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE, JUST EAST OF WESTHOPE, NORTH DAKOTA (THE NORTH END OF THE REFUGE JUST SOUTH OF DAM 357 AND THE CANADIAN BORDER) - J. Clark Salyer National Wildlife Refuge Dams, Along Lower Souris River, Kramer, Bottineau County, ND

Past and predicted future effects of housing growth on open space conservation opportunity areas and habitat connectivity around National Wildlife Refuges

USGS Publications Warehouse

Hamilton, Christopher M.; Baumann, Matthias; Pidgeon, Anna M.; Helmers, David P.; Thogmartin, Wayne E.; Heglund, Patricia J.; Radeloff, Volker C.

2016-01-01

ContextHousing growth can alter suitability of matrix habitats around protected areas, strongly affecting movements of organisms and, consequently, threatening connectivity of protected area networks.ObjectivesOur goal was to quantify distribution and growth of housing around the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service National Wildlife Refuge System. This is important information for conservation planning, particularly given promotion of habitat connectivity as a climate change adaptation measure.MethodsWe quantified housing growth from 1940 to 2000 and projected future growth to 2030 within three distances from refuges, identifying very low housing density open space, “opportunity areas” (contiguous areas with <6.17 houses/km2), both nationally and by USFWS administrative region. Additionally, we quantified number and area of habitat corridors within these opportunity areas in 2000.ResultsOur results indicated that the number and area of open space opportunity areas generally decreased with increasing distance from refuges and with the passage of time. Furthermore, total area in habitat corridors was much lower than in opportunity areas. In addition, the number of corridors sometimes exceeded number of opportunity areas as a result of habitat fragmentation, indicating corridors are likely vulnerable to land use change. Finally, regional differences were strong and indicated some refuges may have experienced so much housing growth already that they are effectively too isolated to adapt to climate change, while others may require extensive habitat restoration work.ConclusionsWildlife refuges are increasingly isolated by residential housing development, potentially constraining the movement of wildlife and, therefore, their ability to adapt to a changing climate.

Optimal water depth management on river-fed National Wildlife Refuges in a changing climate

USGS Publications Warehouse

Nicol, Samuel; Griffith, Brad; Austin, Jane; Hunter, Christine M.

2014-01-01

The prairie pothole region (PPR) in the north-central United States and south-central Canada constitutes the most important waterfowl breeding area in North America. Projected long-term changes in precipitation and temperature may alter the drivers of waterfowl abundance: wetland availability and emergent vegetation cover. Previous studies have focused on isolated wetland dynamics, but the implications of changing precipitation on managed, river-fed wetlands have not been addressed. Using a structured decision making (SDM) approach, we derived optimal water management actions for 20 years at four river-fed National Wildlife Refuges (NWRs) in North and South Dakota under contrasting increasing/decreasing (+/−0.4 %/year) inflow scenarios derived from empirical trends. Refuge pool depth is manipulated by control structures. Optimal management involves setting control structure heights that have the highest probability of providing a desired mix of waterfowl habitat, given refuge capacities and inflows. We found optimal seasonal control structure heights for each refuge were essentially the same under increasing and decreasing inflow trends of 0.4 %/year over the next 20 years. Results suggest managed pools in the NWRs receive large inflows relative to their capacities. Hence, water availability does not constrain management; pool bathymetry and management tactics can be greater constraints on attaining management objectives than climate-mediated inflow. We present time-dependent optimal seasonal control structure heights for each refuge, which are resilient to the non-stationary precipitation scenarios we examined. Managers can use this information to provide a desired mixture of wildlife habitats, and to re-assess management objectives in reserves where pool bathymetry prevents attaining the currently stated objectives.

Discovering the Factors Contributing to the Decline and Mortality of Willow Oaks in the D'Arbonne National Wildlife Refuge, LA.

Treesearch

Theodor D. Leininger

1998-01-01

Since the early 1990's, mature willow oaks (Quercus phellos L.) on certain sites in the D'Arbonne National Wildlife Refuge(DNWR), in northeast Louisiana, have shown crown dieback. The die back is progressive with some trees continuing to decline, eventually leading to death, within one to three years. This condition has caused the Refuge forester to...

Blood lead concentrations in mallards from Delevan and Colusa National Wildlife Refuges

USGS Publications Warehouse

Mauser, David M.; Rocke, Tonie E.; Mensik, John G.; Brand, Christopher J.

1990-01-01

Blood samples were taken from 181 (108 adult drakes and 73 individuals of mixed age and sex) mallards, Anas platyrhynchos , from Colusa and Delevan National Wildlife Refuges during late winter and summer of 1987. The percentage of birds with elevated lead concentration was 28.7 for late winter and 16.4 for late summer. For summer trapped birds, a significantly greater proportion of males than females contained elevated lead levels. These findings indicate that lead poisoning may be a year-round event in certain areas of the Sacramento Valley.

50 CFR 25.21 - When and how do we open and close areas of the National Wildlife Refuge System to public access...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

... 50 Wildlife and Fisheries 9 2012-10-01 2012-10-01 false When and how do we open and close areas of the National Wildlife Refuge System to public access and use or continue a use? 25.21 Section 25.21 Wildlife and Fisheries UNITED STATES FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR (CONTINUED) THE...

50 CFR 25.21 - When and how do we open and close areas of the National Wildlife Refuge System to public access...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... 50 Wildlife and Fisheries 6 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false When and how do we open and close areas of the National Wildlife Refuge System to public access and use or continue a use? 25.21 Section 25.21 Wildlife and Fisheries UNITED STATES FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR (CONTINUED) THE...

50 CFR 25.21 - When and how do we open and close areas of the National Wildlife Refuge System to public access...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... 50 Wildlife and Fisheries 8 2011-10-01 2011-10-01 false When and how do we open and close areas of the National Wildlife Refuge System to public access and use or continue a use? 25.21 Section 25.21 Wildlife and Fisheries UNITED STATES FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR (CONTINUED) THE...

50 CFR 25.21 - When and how do we open and close areas of the National Wildlife Refuge System to public access...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... 50 Wildlife and Fisheries 9 2014-10-01 2014-10-01 false When and how do we open and close areas of the National Wildlife Refuge System to public access and use or continue a use? 25.21 Section 25.21 Wildlife and Fisheries UNITED STATES FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR (CONTINUED) THE...

50 CFR 25.21 - When and how do we open and close areas of the National Wildlife Refuge System to public access...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... 50 Wildlife and Fisheries 9 2013-10-01 2013-10-01 false When and how do we open and close areas of the National Wildlife Refuge System to public access and use or continue a use? 25.21 Section 25.21 Wildlife and Fisheries UNITED STATES FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR (CONTINUED) THE...

A geospatial approach to identify water quality issues for National Wildlife Refuges in Oregon and Washington

USGS Publications Warehouse

Hinck, Jo Ellen; Chojnacki, Kimberly; Finger, Susan E.; Linder, Greg; Kilbride, Kevin

2011-01-01

Many National Wildlife Refuges (Refuges) have impaired water quality resulting from historic and current land uses, upstream sources, and aerial pollutant deposition. Competing duties limit the time available for Refuge staff to identify and evaluate potential water quality issues. As a result, water quality–related issues may not be resolved until a problem has already arisen. This study developed a geospatial approach for identifying and prioritizing water quality issues affecting natural resources (including migratory birds and federally listed species) within Refuge boundaries. We assessed the location and status of streams pursuant to the Clean Water Act in relation to individual Refuges in Oregon and Washington, United States. Although twelve Refuges in Oregon (60%) and eight Refuges in Washington (40%) were assessed under the Clean Water Act, only 12% and 3% of total Refuge stream lengths were assessed, respectively. Very few assessed Refuge streams were not designated as impaired (0% in Oregon, 1% in Washington). Despite the low proportions of stream lengths assessed, most Refuges in Oregon (70%) and Washington (65%) are located in watersheds with approved total maximum daily loads. We developed summaries of current water quality issues for individual Refuges and identified large gaps for Refuge-specific water quality data and habitat utilization by sensitive species. We conclude that monitoring is warranted on many Refuges to better characterize water quality under the Clean Water Act.

Herpetofaunal diversity of Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge, North Carolina

USGS Publications Warehouse

Meyers, J.M.; Pike, D.A.

2006-01-01

In the past century, habitat alteration and fragmentation have increased dramatically, which increases the need for improving our understanding of how species and biological communities react to these modifications. A national strategy on biological diversity has focused attention on how these habitat modifications affect species, especially herpetofauna (i.e., changes in species richness, community evenness and similarity, and dominant/rare species). As part of this strategy, we surveyed Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge, a coastal, mixed second-growth forested swamp (MFS) and pocosin wetland (PW), in North Carolina for amphibians and reptiles from September 2000 to August 2001. We randomly selected three sites (3 x 3 km) in two major habitat types (MFS, PW) and completed random surveys and trapping using transects, quadrats, nighttime aural road surveys, drift fences, canal transects, coverboards, incidental captures, and evening road surveys. We also collected herpetofauna opportunistically throughout the refuge to establish an updated species list. For analysis, we used Shannon-Weiner species diversity (H'), evenness (1'), species richness and species detectability (COMDYN4), and community percent similarity index to determine herpetofaunal community differences. We estimated 39 species in MFS and 32 species in PW (P < 0.10). Species detectability was similar between habitats (0.84 to 0.86). More reptilian species (+ 31 %) inhabited MFS than PW, but estimated amphibian species richness was identical (17 spp.). H' was higher (P < 0.000 I) for PW (2.6680) than for MFS (2.1535) because of lower J' in the latter (0.6214 vs. 0.8010). Dominance of three Rana species caused lower J' and H' in MFS. Similarity between the communities was 56.6%; we estimated 22-24 species in common for each habitat (95% CI = 18 to 31 spp.). We verified 49 of the 52 herpetofaunal species on the refuge that were known to exist in the area. Restoration of natural water flows may

77 FR 21797 - Hopper Mountain, Bitter Creek, and Blue Ridge National Wildlife Refuges, Ventura, Kern, San Luis...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-04-11

..., and visitor and volunteer opportunities. Alternatives for Blue Ridge NWR Under Alternative B...-FF08R00000] Hopper Mountain, Bitter Creek, and Blue Ridge National Wildlife Refuges, Ventura, Kern, San Luis... Conservation Plan (CCP) and Environmental Assessment (EA) for the Hopper Mountain, Bitter Creek, and Blue Ridge...

Characterization of sediment and measurement of groundwater levels and temperatures, Camas National Wildlife Refuge, eastern Idaho

USGS Publications Warehouse

Twining, Brian V.; Rattray, Gordon W.

2016-11-02

The Camas National Wildlife Refuge (Refuge) in eastern Idaho, established in 1937, contains wetlands, ponds, and wet meadows that are essential resting and feeding habitat for migratory birds and nesting habitat for waterfowl. Initially, natural sources of water supported these habitats. However, during the past few decades, climate change and changes in surrounding land use have altered and reduced natural groundwater and surface water inflows such that the wetlands, ponds, and wet meadows are now maintained through water management and groundwater pumping. These water management activities have proven to be inefficient and costly, prompting the Refuge to develop alternative water management options that are more efficient and less expensive. The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, is studying the hydrogeology at the Refuge to provide information for developing alternative water management options.The hydrogeologic studies at the Refuge included characterizing the type, distribution, and hydraulic conductivity of surficial sediments and measuring water levels and temperatures in monitoring wells. Four monitoring wells and seven soil probe coreholes were drilled at the Refuge. Seven water level and temperature data loggers were installed in the wells and water levels and temperatures were continuously recorded from November 2014 to June 2016. Sediment cores were collected from the coreholes and sediment type and distribution were characterized from drillers’ notes, geophysical logs, corehole samples, and particle grain-size analysis. The hydraulic conductivities of sediments were estimated using the measured average grain size and the assumed textural maturity of the sediment, and ranged from about 20 to 290 feet per day.

77 FR 49011 - Texas Mid-Coast National Wildlife Refuge Complex, Brazoria, Fort Bend, Matagorda, and Wharton...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-08-15

.... The Complex, which includes Brazoria, San Bernard, and Big Boggy National Wildlife Refuges (NWRs), is... Drop-off, Viewing, or Pickup: You may drop off comments during regular business hours (8 a.m. to 4:30 p... Bernard NWR, which was established in 1968, and encompasses 52,400 acres; and Big Boggy NWR, which was...

76 FR 26751 - Prime Hook National Wildlife Refuge, Sussex County, DE; Comprehensive Conservation Plan and...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-05-09

... the planting of genetically modified organisms until the refuge completed compatibility determinations... to wildlife, plant, and habitat conservation, while providing for wildlife-dependent recreation...

Arctic Refuge

Atmospheric Science Data Center

2014-05-15

article title:  Summer in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge     View Larger Image This colorful image of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and the Beaufort Sea was acquired by the Multi-angle Imaging ...

75 FR 49516 - Lewis and Clark National Wildlife Refuge and the Julia Butler Hansen Refuge for the Columbian...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-08-13

... that dredge-spoil islands provide benefits for wildlife. Julia Butler Hansen Refuge Alternative 1 Under... safety purposes, studying potential wilderness lands, developing a bicycling and hiking trail, installing...

The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge: an exploration of the meanings embodied in America's last great wilderness

Treesearch

Roger W. Kaye

2000-01-01

The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge has been the subject of more than 50 major studies investigating the bio-physical resources potentially threatened by oil development. This continuing project investigates the more elusive qualities at risk: the set of meanings this place holds for those who value it as wilderness. Findings indicate that these meanings may also be...

A survey of the amphibians of Savannah National Wildlife Refuge, South Carolina and Georgia

USGS Publications Warehouse

Dodd, C. Kenneth; Barichivich, William J.

2017-01-01

From 2004 to 2006, we used a variety of sampling techniques to survey the amphibians of Savannah National Wildlife Refuge (SNWR), a large protected area straddling the lower portions of the Savannah River on the border between South Carolina and Georgia. We documented 22 amphibian species—15 frogs and 7 salamanders—with a possible 23rd species present. Species richness was lower than what might be expected from amphibian field guides of species inhabiting the adjacent Coastal Plain, likely due to a lack of specialized habitats, such as temporary ponds and upland pine forest. Amphibians occupied a variety of habitats and appeared tolerant of the mildly acidic and low-oxygen conditions of many of the wetlands. Although additional species may be found at SNWR, this initial survey provides a historic baseline for monitoring amphibian populations as areas adjacent to the refuge are disturbed, the climate changes, and multi-use management objectives are implemented within refuge boundaries.

76 FR 582 - Elizabeth Hartwell Mason Neck National Wildlife Refuge, Fairfax County, VA, and Featherstone...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-01-05

... Potomac River. Refuge visitors engage in wildlife observation and photography, environmental education and... to the public, including opportunities for hunting, fishing, wildlife observation and photography... continue to emphasize wildlife observation and photography opportunities, and provide a fall deer hunt. Our...

Change in agricultural land use constrains adaptation of national wildlife refuges to climate change

USGS Publications Warehouse

Hamilton, Christopher M.; Thogmartin, Wayne E.; Radeloff, Volker C.; Plantinga, Andrew J.; Heglund, Patricia J.; Martinuzzi, Sebastian; Pidgeon, Anna M.

2015-01-01

Land-use change around protected areas limits their ability to conserve biodiversity by altering ecological processes such as natural hydrologic and disturbance regimes, facilitating species invasions, and interfering with dispersal of organisms. This paper informs USA National Wildlife Refuge System conservation planning by predicting future land-use change on lands within 25 km distance of 461 refuges in the USA using an econometric model. The model contained two differing policy scenarios, namely a ‘business-as-usual’ scenario and a ‘pro-agriculture’ scenario. Regardless of scenario, by 2051, forest cover and urban land use were predicted to increase around refuges, while the extent of range and pasture was predicted to decrease; cropland use decreased under the business-as-usual scenario, but increased under the pro-agriculture scenario. Increasing agricultural land value under the pro-agriculture scenario slowed an expected increase in forest around refuges, and doubled the rate of range and pasture loss. Intensity of land-use change on lands surrounding refuges differed by regions. Regional differences among scenarios revealed that an understanding of regional and local land-use dynamics and management options was an essential requirement to effectively manage these conserved lands. Such knowledge is particularly important given the predicted need to adapt to a changing global climate.

1. VIEW OF HEADQUARTERS OF J. CLARK SALYER NATIONAL WILDLIFE ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

1. VIEW OF HEADQUARTERS OF J. CLARK SALYER NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE, SHOWING PART OF THE POND BEHIND DAM 326, LOOKING SOUTHEAST FROM THE LOOKOUT TOWER - J. Clark Salyer National Wildlife Refuge Dams, Along Lower Souris River, Kramer, Bottineau County, ND

Understory fuel variation at the Carolina Sandhills National Wildlife Refuge: a description of chemical and physical properties

Treesearch

Evelyn S. Wenk; G. Geoff Wang; Joan L. Walker

2013-01-01

Upland forest in the Carolina Sandhills National Wildlife Refuge is characterized by a longleaf pine (Pinus palustris) canopy with a variable understory and ground-layer species composition. The system was historically maintained by fire and has been managed with prescribed fire in recent decades. A management goal is to reduce turkey oak (...

Dust control products at Hagerman National Wildlife Refuge, Texas: environmental safety and performance

USGS Publications Warehouse

Kunz, Bethany K.; Little, Edward E.

2015-01-01

Controlling fugitive dust while protecting natural resources is a challenge faced by all managers of unpaved roads. Unfortunately, road managers choosing between dust control products often have little objective environmental information to aid their decisions. To address this information gap, the U.S. Geological Survey and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service collaborated on a field test of three dust control products with the objectives of (a) evaluating product performance under real-world conditions, (b) verifying the environmental safety of products identified as practically nontoxic in laboratory tests, and (c) testing the feasibility of several environmental monitoring techniques for use in dust control tests. In cooperation with refuge staff and product vendors, three products (one magnesium chloride plus binder, one cellulose, and one synthetic fluid plus binder) were applied in July 2012 to replicated road sections at the Hagerman National Wildlife Refuge in Texas. These sections were monitored periodically for 12 months after application. Product performance was assessed by mobile-mounted particulate-matter meters measuring production of fugitive dust and by observations of road conditions. Environmental safety was evaluated through on-site biological observations and leaching tests with samples of treated aggregate. All products reduced dust and improved surface condition during those 12 months. Planned environmental measurements were not always compatible with day-to-day refuge management actions; this incompatibility highlighted the need for flexible biological monitoring plans. As one of the first field tests of dust suppressants that explicitly incorporated biological endpoints, this effort provides valuable information for improving field tests and for developing laboratory or semifield alternatives.

Riparian Songbird Abundance a Decade after Cattle Removal on Hart Mountain and Sheldon National Wildlife Refuges

Treesearch

Susan L. Earnst; Jennifer A. Ballard; David S. Dobkin

2005-01-01

Cattle were removed from the high desert riparian habitats of Hart Mountain and Sheldon National Wildlife Refuges in 1990. This study compares songbird abundance in 2000-2001 to that in 1991-1993 on 69 permanent plots. Of the 51 species for which detections were sufficient to calculate changes in abundance, 71 percent (36/51) exhibited a positive trend and 76 percent (...

Potential Oil Production from Coastal Plain of Arctic National Wildlife Refuge: Updated Assessment

EIA Publications

2000-01-01

The Energy Information Administration (EIA) received a letter (dated March 10, 2000) from Senator Frank H. Murkowski as Chairman of the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources requesting an EIA Service Report with plausible scenarios for the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) supply development consistent with the most recent U.S. Geological Survey resource assessments. This service report is prepared in response to the request of Senator Murkowski. It focuses on the ANWR coastal plain, a region currently restricted from exploration and development, and updates EIA's 1987 ANWR assessment.

Investigation of frog abnormalities on national wildlife refuges in the Northeast U.S.

USGS Publications Warehouse

Eaton-Poole, L.; Pinkney, A.E.; Green, D.E.; Sutherland, D.R.; Babbitt, K.J.; ,

2003-01-01

To address concerns about frog abnormalities, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service examined over 3,643 frogs and toads on National Wildlife Refuges (NWRs) in the Northeast U.S. The objectives were to: 1) determine if certain refuges had sites where abnormalities were frequently observed; 2) evaluate if the prevalence of abnormalities at a site was consistent within a season and among years; and 3) investigate possible causes. Sampling was conducted from 1999 through 2001. A complete sample from a site consisted of ???50 metamorphs of one species. The prevalence of abnormalities ranged from 0 to 15% and fluctuated within season and among years. The most common external abnormalities were truncated limbs, and missing limbs, feet, and digits. Frogs with duplication of limb segments were rare (6). Based on radiographical examinations of 89 abnormal frogs, 55 had abnormalities due to trauma, 22 due to malformations, and 12 could not be classified. Metacercariae of the trematode Ribeiroia were detected in substantial numbers in two species from Iroquois NWR, with one specimen having supernumerary hindlimbs. We recommend continued sampling and integrated, causal evaluations on NWRs where the prevalence of abnormalities exceeds 5% or where the types of abnormalities warrant further study.

Bison grazing ecology at the Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge, Colorado

USGS Publications Warehouse

Germaine, Stephen S.; Zeigenfuss, Linda C.; Schoenecker, Kathryn A.

2013-01-01

The Rocky Mountain Arsenal (RMA) National Wildlife Refuge reintroduced bison to a small pasture in 2007. Refuge managers needed information on the effects of bison grazing on vegetation communities in the bison pasture as well as information on how bison might affect other management priorities at RMA. In particular, RMA managers were interested in bison grazing effects on vegetation productivity, amount of vegetation utilization by bison, and habitat selection by bison to inform RMA herd managers and for potential expansion of bison range on the refuge. In 2007, U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) designed a study to investigate bison grazing effects through measurement of vegetation in the 600-hectare enclosure where the bison are currently pastured. This research was a collaborative effort between USGS and RMA refuge staff and had active field components in 2007 and 2010. We found that the effects and intensity of bison grazing on vegetation in the RMA bison pasture is linked to prairie dog presence. Where both species were present, they were removing a significant amount of biomass compared to areas where only bison were present. Also, prairie dogs appeared to enhance the greater production of native forbs, but we were not able to identify the mechanism for this increased production. We were not able, however, to generate an accurate vegetation map for the bison pasture, and this limited our ability to achieve the level of statistical precision necessary to identify grazing impacts and habitat selection of bison.

78 FR 68858 - Seal Beach National Wildlife Refuge, Orange County, CA; Final Comprehensive Conservation Plan and...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-11-15

... mission; and is consistent with principles of sound fish and wildlife management. Based on the associated...-acre Refuge was officially established on July 11, 1974, following approval of a general management plan for the Refuge by the Service and the Navy. Refuge purposes include preservation and management of...

50 CFR 32.7 - What refuge units are open to hunting and/or sport fishing?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... Wildlife Refuge Big Branch Marsh National Wildlife Refuge Black Bayou Lake National Wildlife Refuge Bogue... Northern Tallgrass Prairie National Wildlife Refuge Rice Lake National Wildlife Refuge Rydell National... Management District Black Coulee National Wildlife Refuge Bowdoin National Wildlife Refuge Bowdoin Wetland...

Visitor and community survey results for Kilauea Point National Wildlife Refuge and Lighthouse: Completion report

USGS Publications Warehouse

Sexton, Natalie; Gillette, Shana C.; Koontz, Lynne; Stewart, Susan C.; Loomis, John; Wundrock, Katherine D.

2005-01-01

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) and the Central Federal Lands Highway Division of the Federal Highway Administration, U.S. Department of Transportation are currently pursuing the planning and potential design of an alternative transportation system (ATS) for Kilauea Point National Wildlife Refuge (Refuge or Kilauea Point NWR). The USFWS and CFLHD seek an alternative transportation solution that provides the highest quality visitor experience and is sensitive to biological and cultural resources and the needs of the local community. In planning the alternative transportation system, managers need to consider how an ATS would change factors such as visitor access, visitor experience, visitor willingness to pay, and visitor net economic benefits. The Policy Analysis and Science Assistance branch (PASA) at the U.S. Geological Survey Fort Collins Science Center is dedicated to studying relations between humans and the environment. The objective of PASA is to conduct studies to understand how humans are affected by environmental management decisions and how human activities impact use and conservation of natural resources.

Hydrologic conditions in the Florida Panther National Wildlife Refuge, 2006-2007

USGS Publications Warehouse

Reese, Ronald S.

2010-01-01

Much of the surface water that flows into the Florida Panther National Wildlife Refuge (FPNWR) probably exits southward through Fakahatchee Strand as it did prior to development, because culverts and bridges constructed along I-75 allow overland flow to continue southward within the strand. During the dry season and periods of low water levels, however, much of the flow is diverted westward by the I-75 Canal into Merritt Canal at the southwestern corner of the FPNWR. Substantial drainage of groundwater from the FPNWR into the I-75 Canal is indicated by (1) greater surface-water outflows than inflows in the FPNWR, (2) flows that increase to the west along the I-75 Canal, and (3) correlation of rapid groundwater-level declines at sites close to the I-75 Canal with rapid declines in canal surface-water levels due to operation of a control structure in the Merritt Canal. This drainage of groundwater probably occurs through permeable limestone exposed in the I-75 Canal bank below a cap rock layer. Compared to predevelopment conditions, the time currently required to drain ponded water in some areas of the refuge should be less because of accelerated groundwater discharge into the I-75 Canal caused by the lowering of water levels in the canal during the peak of the wet season extending into the early dry season. This drainage probably reduces the duration of the hydroperiod in these wetlands from the wet season into the dry season, possibly reducing or limiting the extent or vitality of wildlife and plant community habitats.

Water resources of the Iroquois National Wildlife Refuge, Genesee and Orleans counties, New York 2008-2010

USGS Publications Warehouse

Kappel, William M.; Jennings, Matthew B.

2012-01-01

A 2-year study of the water resources of the Iroquois National Wildlife Refuge (Refuge) in western New York was carried out in 2009-2010 in cooperation with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to assist the Refuge in the development of a 15-year Comprehensive Conservtion plan. The study focused on Oak Orchard Creek, which flows through the Refuge, the groundwater resources that underlie the Refuge, and the possible changes to these resources related to the potential development of a bedrock quarry along the northern side of the Refuge. Oak Orchard Creek was monitored seasonally for flow and water quality; four tributary streams, which flowed only during early spring, also were monitored. A continuous streamgage was operated on Oak Orchard Creek, just north of the Refuge at Harrison Road. Four bedrock wells were drilled within the Refuge to determine the type and thickness of unconsolidated glacial sediments and to characterize the thickness and type of bedrock units beneath the Refuge, primarily the Lockport Dolomite. Water levels were monitored in 17 wells within and adjacent to the Refuge and water-quality samples were collected from 11 wells and 6 springs and analyzed for physical properties, nutrients, major ions, and trace metals. Flow in Oak Orchard Creek is from two different sources. During spring runoff, flow from the Onondaga Limestone Escarpment, several miles south of the Refuge, supplements surface-water runoff and groundwater discharge from the Salina Group to the south and east of the Refuge. Flow to Oak Orchard Creek also comes from surface-water runoff from the Lockport Dolomite Escarpment, north of the Refuge, and from groundwater discharging from the Lockport Dolomite and unconsolidated deposits that overlie the Lockport Dolomite. During the summer and fall low-flow period, only small quantities of groundwater flow from the Salina shales and Lockport Dolomite bedrock and the unconsolidated sediments that overlie them; most of this flow is lost to

Manatees at the KSC Wildlife Refuge

NASA Image and Video Library

2002-01-08

Manatees gather in the shallows of Banana Creek inside NASA's Kennedy Space Center. Manatees live in Florida's warm-water rivers and inland springs. The Florida manatee feeds on more than 60 varieties of grasses and plants. Manatee cows give birth about once every three years. Gestation lasts about 12 months. KSC shares a boundary with the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge, which encompasses 92,000 acres that are a habitat for more than 331 species of birds, 31 mammals, 117 fishes, and 65 amphibians and reptiles.

Manatees at the KSC Wildlife Refuge

NASA Image and Video Library

2002-01-08

Manatees gather in the Banana Creek inside NASA's Kennedy Space Center. Manatees live in Florida's warm-water rivers and inland springs. The Florida manatee feeds on more than 60 varieties of grasses and plants. Manatee cows give birth about once every three years. Gestation lasts about 12 months. KSC shares a boundary with the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge, which encompasses 92,000 acres that are a habitat for more than 331 species of birds, 31 mammals, 117 fishes, and 65 amphibians and reptiles.

Cabeza Prieta National Wildlife Refuge: A survey of visitor experiences: Report to respondents

USGS Publications Warehouse

Ponds, Phadrea D.; Burkardt, Nina; Koontz, Lynne

2004-01-01

What are the regional economic impacts of visitor spending? In general the respondents indicated support for current management practices of CPNWR. We found that people came to the Refuge to experience a connection with the resource and the environment. More than half of the respondents said that viewing the desert scenery, seeking wilderness solitude and viewing wildlife were the most important reasons for making the visit to the refuge.

Mapping elemental contamination on Palmyra Atoll National Wildlife Refuge

USGS Publications Warehouse

Struckhoff, Matthew A.; Orazio, Carl E.; Tillitt, Donald E.; Shaver, David K.; Papoulias, Diana M.

2018-01-01

Palmyra Atoll, once a WWII U.S. Navy air station, is now a U.S. National Wildlife Refuge with nearly 50 km2 of coral reef and 275 ha of emergent lands with forests of Pisonia grandistrees and colonies of several bird species. Due to the known elemental and organic contamination from chemicals associated with aviation, power generation and transmission, waste management, and other air station activities, a screening survey to map elemental concentrations was conducted. A map of 1944 Navy facilities was georeferenced and identifiable features were digitized. These data informed a targeted survey of 25 elements in soils and sediment at locations known or suspected to be contaminated, using a hand-held X-ray fluorescence spectrometer. At dozens of locations, concentrations of elements exceeded established soil and marine sediment thresholds for adverse ecological effects. Results were compiled into a publically available geospatial dataset to inform potential remediation and habitat restoration activities.

Mapping elemental contamination on Palmyra Atoll National Wildlife Refuge.

PubMed

Struckhoff, Matthew A; Orazio, Carl E; Tillitt, Donald E; Shaver, David K; Papoulias, Diana M

2018-03-01

Palmyra Atoll, once a WWII U.S. Navy air station, is now a U.S. National Wildlife Refuge with nearly 50km 2 of coral reef and 275ha of emergent lands with forests of Pisonia grandis trees and colonies of several bird species. Due to the known elemental and organic contamination from chemicals associated with aviation, power generation and transmission, waste management, and other air station activities, a screening survey to map elemental concentrations was conducted. A map of 1944 Navy facilities was georeferenced and identifiable features were digitized. These data informed a targeted survey of 25 elements in soils and sediment at locations known or suspected to be contaminated, using a hand-held X-ray fluorescence spectrometer. At dozens of locations, concentrations of elements exceeded established soil and marine sediment thresholds for adverse ecological effects. Results were compiled into a publically available geospatial dataset to inform potential remediation and habitat restoration activities. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

A comprehensive list and photographic collection of the vascular flora of Caddo Lake National Wildlife Refuge, Texas, March 2011-March 2012

USGS Publications Warehouse

Allain, Larry

2014-01-01

A floristics inventory was conducted to identify and photograph the vascular plants occurring at Caddo Lake National Wildlife Refuge (NWR), Texas, from March 2011 to March 2012 by the U.S. Geological Survey in cooperation with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. This research resulted in the identification of 511 taxa of vascular plants representing 111 families and 317 genera. Despite the degree of development of the refuge at the time it was transferred to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, plant diversity was high. Of the 511 species identified in this study, 346 species are new records for Harrison County, and 3 species are new discoveries for Texas. Caddo Lake NWR is primarily forested with 55 tree species and 35 shrub species identified in this study. Of the species identified, 289 are associated with wetlands having a wetland classification of facultative or wetter, possibly reflecting the proximity of Caddo Lake to the refuge and the three streams that intersect the refuge. Sixty-two of the species found on the refuge are introduced. Chinese tallow tree (Triadica sebifera) is one of the more common invasive tree species on the refuge and is actively controlled by refuge staff. Chinese privet (Ligustrum sinense), sacred bamboo (Nandina domestica), and King’s Ranch bluestem (Bothriochloa ischaemum var. songarica) are present on the refuge and have the potential to become invasive. More than 10,000 photographs were taken of the plants found on the refuge in an effort to document general appearance and capture diagnostic characters of each plant species. Photographs were also taken of many of the animals and landscapes encountered during the project. Select images of each of the plants and animals are included in the collection of more than 1,600 photographs (all photographs by Larry Allain).

Waterfowl migration on Klamath Basin National Wildlife Refuges 1953-2001

USGS Publications Warehouse

Gilmer, David S.; Yee, Julie L.; Mauser, David M.; Hainline, James M.

2004-01-01

The Klamath Basin National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) complex, located in northeastern California and southern Oregon, is situated on a major Pacific Flyway migration corridor connecting waterfowl breeding grounds in the north with major wintering grounds in California and Mexico. The complex comprises five waterfowl refuges including Lower Klamath NWR, Tule Lake NWR, Upper Klamath NWR, Klamath Marsh NWR, and Clear Lake NWR, and one bald eagle refuge, Bear Valley NWR. Lower Klamath and Tule Lake NWRs are the largest refuges in the complex; historically, they supported some of the greatest autumn and spring concentrations of migrating waterfowl in North America. Starting in 1953, standardized waterfowl surveys from small aircraft have been conducted in autumn through spring. This report summarizes waterfowl migration activity (i.e., abundance, species composition, distribution on refuges, and chronology) over four time periods—the long-term (1953-2001), early (1953-76), recent (1977-2001), and the most recent (1998-2001)—to describe changing patterns of migration on Klamath Basin refuges from autumn 1953 to spring 2001.Over the long term, waterfowl abundance (birds per day) on the refuge complex averaged about 1.0 million in autumn and about 360,000 in spring. A record peak count of 5.8 million waterfowl was recorded September 24-25, 1958. Average abundance of autumn staging waterfowl for the refuge complex, after reaching record levels in the 1950s and early 1960s, began a decline that lasted until the 1980s. A gradual recovery occurred during the 1990s, but autumn abundance has not recovered to pre-1970 levels. In contrast to autumn, average spring abundance was generally lower in the early decades but has gradually increased through the 1990s, particularly on Lower Klamath NWR.Dabbling ducks represented an average of 68% of all waterfowl in autumn and 55% in spring for the long term. Northern pintail (Anas acuta) was dominant, representing 62% of all dabblers in

Fire Management in the Inter Galatic Interface or 30 Years of Fire Management at Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge/Kennedy Space Center, Florida

Treesearch

Frederic W. Adrian

2006-01-01

Prescribed burning is essential on Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge. Not only is it needed to manage the volatile fuels, but also to manage the complex system of fire maintained habitats found here. Fire management on the Refuge presents unique challenges. In addition to the restraints to prescribed burning that are common to many prescribed burning programs,...

Avian botulism and avian chlamydiosis in wild water birds, Benton Lake National Wildlife Refuge, Montana, USA

USGS Publications Warehouse

Docherty, Douglas E.; Franson, J. Christian; Brannian, Roger E.; Long, Renee R.; Radi, Craig A.; Krueger, David; Johnson, Robert F.

2012-01-01

In 1999, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) National Wildlife Health Center, Madison, Wisconsin, conducted a diagnostic investigation into a water bird mortality event involving intoxication with avian botulism type C and infection with avian chlamydiosis at the Benton Lake National Wildlife Refuge in Montana, USA. Of 24 carcasses necropsied, 11 had lesions consistent with avian chlamydiosis, including two that tested positive for infectious Chlamydophila psittaci, and 12 were positive for avian botulism type C. One bird tested positive for both avian botulism type C and C. psittaci. Of 61 apparently healthy water birds sampled and released, 13 had serologic evidence of C. psittaci infection and 7 were, at the time of capture, shedding infectious C. psittaci via the cloacal or oropharyngeal route. Since more routinely diagnosed disease conditions may mask avian chlamydiosis, these findings support the need for a comprehensive diagnostic investigation when determining the cause of a wildlife mortality event.

78 FR 64969 - Tualatin River National Wildlife Refuge, Washington and Yamhill Counties, OR; Final Comprehensive...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-10-30

...), consistent with sound principles of fish and wildlife management, conservation, legal mandates, and our policies. In addition to outlining broad management direction on conserving wildlife and their habitats... Administration Act. Comments We identified three alternatives for refuge management in the draft CCP/EA...

Landsat-faciliated vegetation classification of the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge and adjacent areas, Alaska

USGS Publications Warehouse

Talbot, S. S.; Shasby, M.B.; Bailey, T.N.

1985-01-01

A Landsat-based vegetation map was prepared for Kenai National Wildlife Refuge and adjacent lands, 2 million and 2.5 million acres respectively. The refuge lies within the middle boreal sub zone of south central Alaska. Seven major classes and sixteen subclasses were recognized: forest (closed needleleaf, needleleaf woodland, mixed); deciduous scrub (lowland and montane, subalpine); dwarf scrub (dwarf shrub tundra, lichen tundra, dwarf shrub and lichen tundra, dwarf shrub peatland, string bog/wetlands); herbaceous (graminoid meadows and marshes); scarcely vegetated areas ; water (clear, moderately turbid, highly turbid); and glaciers. The methodology employed a cluster-block technique. Sample areas were described based on a combination of helicopter-ground survey, aerial photo interpretation, and digital Landsat data. Major steps in the Landsat analysis involved: preprocessing (geometric connection), spectral class labeling of sample areas, derivation of statistical parameters for spectral classes, preliminary classification of the entree study area using a maximum-likelihood algorithm, and final classification through ancillary information such as digital elevation data. The vegetation map (scale 1:250,000) was a pioneering effort since there were no intermediate-sclae maps of the area. Representative of distinctive regional patterns, the map was suitable for use in comprehensive conservation planning and wildlife management.

76 FR 54247 - Supawna Meadows National Wildlife Refuge, Salem County, NJ; Final Comprehensive Conservation Plan...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-08-31

..., New Jersey. In this final CCP, we describe how we will manage this refuge for the next 15 years..., and other wildlife. We would continue to actively manage tidal marsh and grassland habitats, and would... consideration would be to manage a diversity of other refuge wetland and upland habitats to benefit breeding and...

77 FR 16854 - John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge at Tinicum, Delaware and Philadelphia Counties, PA; Draft...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-03-22

... urban setting. Visitors to the refuge also participate in wildlife observation, photography, and fishing... observation and photography, and environmental education and interpretation. We will review and update the CCP... focus on providing training for teachers so they could guide field trips on refuge property. Alternative...

Use of survey data to define regional and local priorities for management on National Wildlife Refuges

USGS Publications Warehouse

Sauer, J.R.; Casey, J.; Laskowski, H.; Taylor, J.D.; Fallon, J.; Ralph, C. John; Rich, Terrell D.

2005-01-01

National Wildlife Refuges must manage habitats to support a variety of species that often have conflicting needs. To make reasonable management decisions, managers must know what species are priorities for their refuges and the relative importance of the species. Unfortunately, species priorities are often set regionally, but refuges must develop local priorities that reconcile regional priorities with constraints imposed by refuge location and local management options. Some species cannot be managed on certain refuges, and the relative benefit of management to regional populations of species can vary greatly among refuges. We describe a process of 'stepping down' regional priorities to local priorities for bird species of management interest. We define three primary scales of management interest: regional (at which overall priority species are set); 'Sepik Blocks' (30 min blocks of latitude and longitude, which provide a landscape level context for a refuge); and the refuge. Regional surveys, such as the North American Breeding Bird Survey, provide information that can be summarized at regional and Sepik Block scales, permitting regional priorities to be focused to landscapes near refuges. However, refuges manage habitats, and managers need information about how the habitat management is likely to collectively influence the priority species. The value of the refuge for a species is also influenced by the availability of habitats within refuges and the relative amounts of those habitats at each scale. We use remotely-sensed data to assess proportions of habitats at the three geographic scales. These data provide many possible approaches for developing local priorities for management. Once these are defined, managers can use the priorities, in conjunction with predictions of the consequences of management for each species, to assess the overall benefit of alternative management actions for the priority species.

76 FR 52008 - Keālia Pond National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) and Kakahai'a NWR, Maui County, HI; Draft...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-08-19

...[amacr]lia Pond National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) and Kakahai'a NWR, Maui County, HI; Draft Comprehensive... open house meetings in K[imacr]hei and Kaunakakai, HI. In Planning Update 2, released in February 2010..., Mokulele Highway, K[imacr]hei, HI. The Draft CCPs/EAs are also available for downloading on our Web site...

76 FR 61378 - Dungeness National Wildlife Refuge, Clallam County, WA; Comprehensive Conservation Plan and...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-10-04

... winter, including dabbling and diving ducks, shorebirds, and bald eagles. Dungeness Refuge also provides... wildlife and habitat in the CCP and environmental document? What research or monitoring studies are needed...

Vegetation of Lacassine National Wildlife Refuge, Louisiana-Recent plant communities with comparison to a three-decade-old survey

USGS Publications Warehouse

Howard, Rebecca J.; Michot, Thomas C.; Allain, Larry

2011-01-01

Shifts in plant community composition and structure can affect the quality of habitat for wildlife species. Lacassine National Wildlife Refuge in southwestern Louisiana was established in 1937 with a primary goal of providing habitat for wintering waterfowl species. A large freshwater impoundment constructed on the refuge to improve waterfowl habitat value was completed in 1943. About 10 years after construction was completed, staff at the refuge became concerned that emergent vegetation cover was increasing in the impoundment over time while open water areas, which are critical as foraging and resting areas for waterfowl, were decreasing. To document vegetation change over time, we collected information on plant community species composition for comparison to similar data collected in 1973. A total of 84 sampling plots was established in 2006 within the impoundment to coincide as closely as possible to plots sampled in the earlier study. Plant species composition and cover were recorded at each plot in the summers of 2006 and 2007. Change between sampling events separated by more than three decades was determined by comparing the frequency of occurrence of 20 species identified in 1973 to their frequency in 2006 and 2007. Interannual variation was determined by comparing plot data between 2006 and 2007. In plots dominated by emergent vegetation, it was found that Bacopa caroliniana, Eleocharis equisetoides, Leersia hexandra, Panicum hemitomon, and Sagittaria lancifolia were significantly less frequent in 2006 and 2007 than in 1973. The frequency of Brasenia schreberi, Cabomba caroliniana, Nitella gracilis, and Nymphoides aquatica was significantly lower in 2006 and 2007 than in 1973 in plots dominated by floating-leaved plants, submersed plants, or open water. In 2007, Hydrocotyle sp. and Sacciolepis striata were more frequent than in 1973 in emergent vegetation plots, and Utricularia sp. was more frequent in submersed or open-water plots. We documented

78 FR 16523 - Deer Flat National Wildlife Refuge, Canyon, Payette, Owyhee, and Washington Counties, ID, and...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-03-15

..., OR; Draft Comprehensive Conservation Plan and Environmental Impact Statement AGENCY: Fish and.... Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), announce the availability of a draft comprehensive conservation... principles of fish and wildlife management, conservation, legal mandates, and Refuge System policies. In...

Forest bird monitoring protocol for strategic habitat conservation and endangered species management on O'ahu Forest National Wildlife Refuge, Island of O'ahu, Hawai'i

USGS Publications Warehouse

Camp, Richard J.; Gorresen, P. Marcos; Banko, Paul C.

2011-01-01

This report describes the results of a pilot forest bird survey and a consequent forest bird monitoring protocol that was developed for the O'ahu Forest National Wildlife Refuge, O'ahu Island, Hawai'i. The pilot survey was conducted to inform aspects of the monitoring protocol and to provide a baseline with which to compare future surveys on the Refuge. The protocol was developed in an adaptive management framework to track bird distribution and abundance and to meet the strategic habitat conservation requirements of the Refuge. Funding for this research was provided through a Science Support Partnership grant sponsored jointly by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS).

Wildlife and habitat damage assessment from Hurricane Charley: recommendations for recovery of the J. N. "Ding" Darling National Wildlife Refuge Complex

USGS Publications Warehouse

Meyers, J. Michael; Langtimm, Catherine A.; Smith, Thomas J.; Pednault-Willett, Kendra

2006-01-01

• On 13 August 2004, the first of four hurricanes to strike Florida in <6 weeks came ashore near J. N. “Ding” Darling National Wildlife Refuge (JNDDNWR) Complex, Sanibel Island, Florida. The eye of Category 4 Hurricane Charley passed just north of Sanibel Island with maximum sustained winds of 145 mph (123 knots) and a storm surge of 0.3-2.7 m (1-9 ft). Three USGS-BRD scientists (coastal ecologist and research wildlife biologists) and a USFWS wildlife biologist surveyed the storm damage to JNDDNWR Complex on the ground from 20-24 September 2004. • At the request of United States Fish and Wildlife Service refuge staff, the USGS team concentrated on assessing damage to wetlands and habitat for selected bird populations (especially mangrove forests, Mangrove Cuckoos [Coccyzus minor], and Black-whiskered Vireo [Vireo altiloquus]), waterbird rookeries (mangrove islands), impoundments (waterbirds and waterfowl), sea grass beds (manatees), and upland hardwood hammocks and ridges (threatened eastern indigo snake [Drymarchon couperi]). • The refuge complex sustained moderate to catastrophic damage to vegetation, especially mangrove forests and waterbird nesting or roosting islands. Lumpkin Island, Hemp Island, and Bird Key waterbird nesting areas had >50% and sometimes 90% of their vegetation severely damaged (dead, broken tree stems, and tipped trees). The Shell Mound Trail area of JNDDNWR sustained catastrophic damage to its old growth mangrove forests. Direct storm mortality and injury to manatees in the area of the JNDDNWR Complex was probably slight as manatees may have several strategies to reduce storm mortality. Damage to seagrass beds, an important habitat for manatees, fishes and invertebrates, is believed to be limited to the breach at North Captiva Island. At this breach, refuge staff documented inundation of beds by sand and scarring by trees dragged by winds. • Because seagrass beads and manatee habitat extend beyond refuge boundaries (see p. 28

Studies in the wilderness areas of the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge: fire, bark beetles, human development, and climate change

Treesearch

Edward E. Berg

2000-01-01

Wilderness areas comprise 65% of the 1.92 million acre Kenai National Wildlife Refuge, Alaska. Fire history studies indicate that fire frequency increased substantially in both white and black spruce forests after European settlement. Dendrochronolgy studies indicate that regional-scale spruce bark beetle outbreaks occurred in the 1820s, 1880s, and 1970s. None of these...

Research to support analysis and management of carrying capacity at Lake Umbagog National Wildlife Refuge, New Hampshire and Maine

Treesearch

William Valliere; Manning Robert

2009-01-01

Lake Umbagog National Wildlife Refuge (New Hampshire and Maine) contains significant natural and recreational resources. The area accommodates an estimated 50,000 visits per year, with accompanying resource and social impacts. A 2-year study of the area was conducted beginning in summer 2006. The first year of the study focused on identifying indicators of quality for...

Evaluating potential effects of widening US 64 on the black bear population of Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge, Dare County, North Carolina.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2011-12-21

This report summarizes research conducted along US Highway 64 (US 64) and US Highway 264 (US 264) in Alligator : River National Wildlife Refuge (ARNWR), Dare County, NC regarding the proposed expansion of US 64. The study site : included the areas ad...

Fate of Airborne Contaminants in Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge

USGS Publications Warehouse

Winger, P.V.; Lasier, P.J.

1997-01-01

Designation of Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge as a Class I Air Quality Area (given the highest level of protection possible from air pollutants under the Clean Air Act Amendments of 1977) affords mandatory protection of the Refuge's airshed through the permit-review process for planned developments. Rainfall is the major source of water to the swamp, and potential impacts from developments to the airshed are high. To meet management needs for baseline information, chemical contributions from atmospheric deposition and partitioning of anions and cations, with emphasis on mercury and lead, in the various matrices of the Swamp were determined between July 1993 and April 1995. Chemistry of rainfall was determined on an event basis from one site located at Refuge Headquarters. Field samples of surface water, pore water, floc and sediment were collected from four locations on the Refuge: Chesser Prairie, Chase Prairie, Durden Prairie, and the Narrows. A sediment core sample was collected from the Refuge interior at Bluff Lake for aging of mercury deposition. Rainfall was acidic (pH 4.8) with sulfate concentrations averaging 1.2 mg/L and nitrate averaging 0.8 mg/L. Lead in rainfall averaged 1 ?g/L and total and methylmercury concentrations were 11.7 ng/L and 0.025 ng/L, respectively. The drought of 1993 followed by heavy rains during the fall and winter caused a temporary alteration in the cycling and availability of trace-elements within the different matrices of the Swamp. Surface water was acidic (pH 3.8 to 4.1), dilute (specific conductance 35-60 ?S/cm), and highly organic (DOC 35-50 mg/L). Sediment and floc were also highly organic (>90%). Total mercury averaged 3.6 ng/L in surface water, 9.0 ng/L in pore water and about 170 ng/g in floc and sediments. Mercury bioaccumulated in the biota of the Refuge: fish fillets (Centrarchus macropterus, Esox niger, Lepomus gulosus and Amia calva) had >2 ?g/g dry weight, alligators (Alligator mississippiensis) >4 ?g/g dry

Benefits of the fire mitigation ecosystem service in the Great Dismal Swamp National Wildlife Refuge, Virginia, USA

USGS Publications Warehouse

Parthum, Bryan M.; Pindilli, Emily J.; Hogan, Dianna

2017-01-01

 The Great Dismal Swamp (GDS) National Wildlife Refuge delivers multiple ecosystem services, including air quality and human health via fire mitigation. Our analysis estimates benefits of this service through its potential to reduce catastrophic wildfire related impacts on the health of nearby human populations. We used a combination of high-frequency satellite data, ground sensors, and air quality indices to determine periods of public exposure to dense emissions from a wildfire within the GDS. We examined emergency department (ED) visitation in seven Virginia counties during these periods, applied measures of cumulative Relative Risk to derive the effects of wildfire smoke exposure on ED visitation rates, and estimated economic losses using regional Cost of Illness values established within the US Environmental Protection Agency BenMAP framework. Our results estimated the value of one avoided catastrophic wildfire in the refuge to be \\$3.69 million (2015 USD), or \\$306 per hectare of burn. Reducing the frequency or severity of extensive, deep burning peatland wildfire events has additional benefits not included in this estimate, including avoided costs related to fire suppression during a burn, carbon dioxide emissions, impacts to wildlife, and negative outcomes associated with recreation and regional tourism. We suggest the societal value of the public health benefits alone provides a significant incentive for refuge mangers to implement strategies that will reduce the severity of catastrophic wildfires.

Benefits of the fire mitigation ecosystem service in The Great Dismal Swamp National Wildlife Refuge, Virginia, USA.

PubMed

Parthum, Bryan; Pindilli, Emily; Hogan, Dianna

2017-12-01

The Great Dismal Swamp (GDS) National Wildlife Refuge delivers multiple ecosystem services, including air quality and human health via fire mitigation. Our analysis estimates benefits of this service through its potential to reduce catastrophic wildfire related impacts on the health of nearby human populations. We used a combination of high-frequency satellite data, ground sensors, and air quality indices to determine periods of public exposure to dense emissions from a wildfire within the GDS. We examined emergency department (ED) visitation in seven Virginia counties during these periods, applied measures of cumulative Relative Risk to derive the effects of wildfire smoke exposure on ED visitation rates, and estimated economic losses using regional Cost of Illness values established within the US Environmental Protection Agency BenMAP framework. Our results estimated the value of one avoided catastrophic wildfire in the refuge to be $3.69 million (2015 USD), or $306 per hectare of burn. Reducing the frequency or severity of extensive, deep burning peatland wildfire events has additional benefits not included in this estimate, including avoided costs related to fire suppression during a burn, carbon dioxide emissions, impacts to wildlife, and negative outcomes associated with recreation and regional tourism. We suggest the societal value of the public health benefits alone provides a significant incentive for refuge mangers to implement strategies that will reduce the severity of catastrophic wildfires. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

76 FR 33777 - Stewart B. McKinney National Wildlife Refuge, Middlesex County, CT; Comprehensive Conservation...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-06-09

... DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR Fish and Wildlife Service [FWS-R5-R-2011-N043; BAC-4311-K9-S3] Stewart... comments. SUMMARY: We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) intend to prepare a comprehensive... the message. Fax: Attention: Bill Perry, 413-253-8468. U.S. Mail: Bill Perry, Refuge Planner, U.S...

76 FR 45600 - Columbia National Wildlife Refuge, Adams and Grant Counties, WA; Draft Comprehensive Conservation...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-07-29

... Washington ground squirrel, is limited. The Refuge's annual Sandhill Crane Festival attracts hundreds of... wildlife observation, photography, and interpretation. The Sandhill Crane Festival would remain a priority... 45602

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service refuges and other nearby reserves in Southwestern Puerto Rico

Treesearch

Peter L. Weaver; Joseph J. Schwagerl

2009-01-01

The main purpose of this paper is to summarize information about the Cabo Rojo and Laguna Cartagena National Wildlife Refuges in southwestern Puerto Rico. The Cabo Rojo (Headquarters and Salinas tracts) and Laguna Cartagena (Lagoon and Tinaja tracts) occupy 1174 ha and are part of the 10 231-ha Caribbean system of nine refuges. Their major geologic and physiographic...

Reconstructing vegetation response to altered hydrology and its use for restoration, Arthur R. Marshall Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge, Florida

USGS Publications Warehouse

Bernhardt, Christopher E.; Brandt, Laura A.; Landacre, Bryan D.; Marot, Marci E.; Willard, Debra A.

2013-01-01

We present reconstructed hydrologic and vegetation trends of the last three centuries across the Arthur R. Marshall Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge, Florida in order to understand the effects of 20th century water management. We analyzed pollen assemblages from cores at marsh sites along three transects to document vegetation and infer hydroperiod and water depth both before and after human alteration of Everglades hydrology. In the northern and central part of the Refuge, late Holocene water levels were higher and hydroperiods longer than the last 100 years. Post-1950 was a time of several different water management strategies. Pollen assemblages indicate drier conditions post-1950 in the northern and central parts of the Refuge, whereas sites in the southern Refuge are wetter and vegetation turnover is higher. Throughout the Refuge, Sagittaria pollen declines with the onset of water management, and may indicate a loss of greater variation in hydroperiods across years and water depths between seasons. Paleoecological evidence provides clear estimates of the vegetation response to hydrologic change under specific hydrologic regimes.

Sedimentation rates in the marshes of Sand Lake National Wildlife Refuge

USGS Publications Warehouse

Gleason, R.A.; Euliss, N.H.; Holmes, C.W.

2003-01-01

Impoundments located within river systems in the Northern Great Plains are vulnerable to sediment inputs because intensive agriculture in watersheds has increased soil erosion and sediments in rivers. At the request of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), we evaluated the vertical accretion of sediment in the Mud Lake impoundment of Sand Lake National Wildlife Refuge (NWR), Brown County, South Dakota. The Mud Lake impoundment was created in 1936 by constructing a low-head dam across the James River. We collected sediment cores from the Mud Lake impoundment during August 2000 for determination of vertical accretion rates. Accretion rates were estimated using cesium-13 7 and lead-210 isotopic dating techniques to estimate sediment accretion over the past 100 years. Accretion rates were greatest near the dam (1.3 cm yr-1) with less accretion (0.2 cm yr-1) occurring in the upper reaches of Mud Lake. As expected, accretion was highest near the dam where water velocities and greater water depth facilitates sediment deposition. Higher rates of sedimentation (accretion> 2.0 cm year-1) occurred during the 1990s when river flows were especially high. Since 1959, sediment accretion has reduced maximum pool depth of Mud Lake near the dam by 55 cm. Assuming that sediment accretion rates remain the same in the future, we project Mud Lake will have a maximum pool depth of 77 and 51 cm by 2020 and 2040, respectively. Over this same time frame, water depths in the upper reaches of Mud Lake would be reduced to< 2 cm. Projected future loss of water depth will severely limit the ability of managers to manipulate pool levels in Mud Lake to cycle vegetation and create interspersion of cover and water to meet current wildlife habitat management objectives. As predicted for major dams constructed on rivers throughout the world, Mud Lake will have a finite life span. Our data suggests that the functional life span of Mud Lake since construction will be < 100 years. We anticipate that

Spring migratory pathways and migration chronology of Canada geese (Branta canadensis interior) wintering at the Santee National Wildlife Refuge, South Carolina

USGS Publications Warehouse

Giles, Molly M.; Jodice, Patrick G.R.; Baldwin, Robert F.; Stanton, John D.; Epstein, Marc

2013-01-01

We assessed the migratory pathways, migration chronology, and breeding ground affiliation of Canada Geese (Branta canadensis interior) that winter in and adjacent to the Santee National Wildlife Refuge in Summerton, South Carolina, United States. Satellite transmitters were fitted to eight Canada Geese at Santee National Wildlife Refuge during the winter of 2009–2010. Canada Geese departed Santee National Wildlife Refuge between 5 and 7 March 2010. Six Canada Geese followed a route that included stopovers in northeastern North Carolina and western New York, with three of those birds completing spring migration to breeding grounds associated with the Atlantic Population (AP). The mean distance between stopover sites along this route was 417 km, the mean total migration distance was 2838 km, and the Canada Geese arrived on AP breeding grounds on the eastern shore of Hudson Bay between 20 and 24 May 2010. Two Canada Geese followed a different route from that described above, with stopovers in northeastern Ohio, prior to arriving on the breeding grounds on 9 June 2010. Mean distance between stopover sites was 402 and 365 km for these two birds, and total migration distance was 4020 and 3650 km. These data represent the first efforts to track migratory Canada Geese from the southernmost extent of their current wintering range in the Atlantic Flyway. We did not track any Canada Geese to breeding grounds associated with the Southern James Bay Population. Caution should be used in the interpretation of this finding, however, because of the small sample size. We demonstrated that migratory Canada Geese wintering in South Carolina use at least two migratory pathways and that an affiliation with the Atlantic Population breeding ground exists.

Soil data for a collapse-scar bog chronosequence in Koyukuk Flats National Wildlife Refuge, Alaska, 2008

USGS Publications Warehouse

O’Donnell, Jonathan A.; Harden, Jennifer W.; Manies, Kristen L.; Jorgenson, M. Torre

2012-01-01

Peatlands in the northern permafrost region store large amounts of organic carbon, most of which is currently stored in frozen peat deposits. Recent warming at high-latitudes has accelerated permafrost thaw in peatlands, which will likely result in the loss of soil organic carbon from previously frozen peat deposits to the atmosphere. Here, we report soil organic carbon inventories, soil physical data, and field descriptions from a collapse-scar bog chronosequence located in a peatland ecosystem at Koyukuk Flats National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska.

Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, 1002 area, petroleum assessment, 1998, including economic analysis

USGS Publications Warehouse

Bird, K.J.; Houseknecht, D.W.

2001-01-01

The Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act (1980) established the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR). In section 1002 of that act, Congress deferred a decision regarding future management of the 1.5-million-acre coastal plain ("1002 area") in recognition of the area’s potentially enormous oil and gas resources and its importance as wildlife habitat. A report on the resources (including petroleum) of the 1002 area was submitted in 1987 to Congress by the Department of the Interior (DOI). Since completion of that report, numerous wells have been drilled and oil fields discovered near ANWR, new geologic and geophysical data have become available, seismic processing and interpretation capabilities have improved, and the economics of North Slope oil development have changed significantly.The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) commonly is asked to provide the Federal Government with timely scientific information in support of decisions regarding land management, environmental quality, and economic and strategic policy. To do so, the USGS must anticipate issues most likely to be the focus of policymakers in the future. Anticipating the need for scientific information and considering the decade-old perspective of the petroleum resource estimates included in the 1987 Report to Congress, the USGS has reexamined the geology of the ANWR 1002 area and has prepared a new petroleum resource assessment.

Influence of atmospheric deposition on Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge

USGS Publications Warehouse

Winger, P.V.; Lasier, P.J.; Jackson, B.P.

1995-01-01

Designation of Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge (Georgia) as a Class I Air Quality Area affords mandatory protection of the airshed through permit-review processes for planned developments. Rainfall is the major source of water to the swamp, and potential impacts from developments in the airshed are high. To meet management needs for baseline information, chemical contributions from atmospheric deposition and partitioning of anions and cations in various matrices of the swamp, with emphasis on mercury and lead, were determined during this study. Chemistry of rainfall was measured on an event basis from one site and quarterly on surface water, pore water, floc, and sediment from four locations. A sediment core collected from the Refuge interior was sectioned, aged, and analyzed for mercury. Rainfall was acidic (pH 4.7-4.9), with average total and methyl mercury concentrations of 9 ng/L and 0.1 ng/L, respectively. Surface waters were acidic (pH 3.8-4.1), dilute (specific conductance 35-60 pS), and highly organic (dissolved organic carbon 35-50 mg/L). Total mercury was 1-3.5 ng/L in surface and pore water, and methyl mercury was 0.02-0.20 ng/L. Total mercury in sediments and floc was 100-200 ng/g dry weight, and methyl mercury was 4-16 ng/g. Lead was 0-1.7 pg/L in rainfall, not detectable in surface water, 3.4-5.4 pg/L in pore water, and 3.9-4.9 mg/kg in floc and sediment. Historical patterns of mercury deposition showed an increase in total mercury from pre-1800 concentrations of 250 ng/g to 500 ng/g in 1950, with concentrations declining thereafter to present.

Preplanting Treatments and Natural Invasion of Tree Species Onto Former Agricultural Fields at the Tensas River National Wildlife Refuge, Louisiana

Treesearch

John W. McCoy; Bobby D. Keeland; Brian Roy Lockhart; Thomas Dean

2002-01-01

As part of a study of oak planting techniques for bottomland hardwood afforestation we examined the natural invasion of woody species onto former agricultural fields at Tensas River National Wildlife Refuge. Three replications of 14 treatments were established as 0.4 hectare (1 acre) plots in a complete randomized block design. Combinations of these treatments were...

Population trends of forest birds at Hakalau Forest National Wildlife Refuge, Hawai'i

USGS Publications Warehouse

Camp, Richard J.; Pratt, Thane K.; Gorresen, P. Marcos; Jeffrey, John J.; Woodworth, Bethany L.

2010-01-01

The Hakalau Forest National Wildlife Refuge was established to protect native Hawaiian forest birds, particularly endangered species. Management for forest restoration on the refuge has consisted mainly of removing feral ungulates, controlling invasive alien plants, and reforesting former pastures. To assess effects of this habitat improvement for forest birds, we estimated density annually by distance sampling and examined population trends for native and alien passerines over the 21 years since the refuge was established. We examined long-term trends and recent short-term trajectories in three study areas: (1) reforested pastureland, (2) heavily grazed open forest that was recovering, and (3) lightly grazed closed forest that was relatively intact. Three species of native birds and two species of alien birds had colonized the reforested pasture and were increasing. In the open forest, densities of all eight native species were either stable or increasing. Long-term trends for alien birds were also generally stable or increasing. Worryingly, however, during the most recent 9 years, in the open forest trajectories of native species were decreasing or inconclusive, but in the reforested pasture they generally increased. The closed forest was surveyed in only the most recent 9 years, and trajectories of native species there were mixed. Overall, long-term population trends in Hakalau are stable or increasing, contrasting with declines in most other areas of Hawai'i over the same period. However, more recent mixed results may indicate emergent problems for this important bird area.

Alternative transportation study : Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2010-08-01

This report provides an assessment of historic and current visitation, infrastructure, and transportation conditions at the Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge and surrounding areas in southwest Oklahoma. The study defines transportation-related goals ...

75 FR 76611 - 50th Anniversary of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-12-09

... of the United States of America A Proclamation Our public lands represent the American spirit and... the resources of the Refuge sustain these populations and protect their indigenous traditions and way... these wild lands. Our Nation's great outdoors, whether our stunning national parks and refuges or...

Multi-Tracer Investigation of Groundwater Residence Time in a Karstic Aquifer: Bitter Lakes National Wildlife Refuge, New Mexico, USA

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Land, L. A.; Huff, R.

2009-12-01

Several natural and anthropogenic tracers are used to evaluate groundwater residence time within the karstic limestone aquifer of the Roswell Artesian Basin, southeastern New Mexico, USA. Natural groundwater discharge occurs in the lower Pecos Valley from a region of karst springs, wetlands and sinkhole lakes at Bitter Lakes National Wildlife Refuge. The springs and sinkholes are formed in gypsum bedrock that serves as a leaky confining unit for an artesian aquifer in the underlying San Andres limestone. Because wetlands on the Refuge provide habitat for a number of threatened and endangered species, Refuge managers have expressed concern about the potential for contamination by anthropogenic activity in the aquifer recharge area. Estimates of the time required for groundwater to travel through the artesian aquifer vary widely because of uncertainties regarding the role of karst conduit flow. A better understanding of groundwater residence time is thus required to make informed decisions about management of water resources and wildlife habitat at Bitter Lakes. Results of tracer investigations indicate that the artesian aquifer contains a significant component of water recharged within the last 10 to 50 years, combined with pre-modern groundwater originating from deeper underlying aquifers, some of which may be indirectly sourced from the high Sacramento Mountains to the west.

Planning for people? An evaluation of objectives for managing visitors at wildlife refuges in the United States

Treesearch

Jeffrey J. Brooks; Robert Massengale

2011-01-01

This study evaluates the quality of planning objectives for visitor services as written in Comprehensive Conservation Plans for the National Wildlife Refuge System of the United States. Planners in the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service are predominantly writing public use objectives that address wildlife recreation and education. Results indicate that planners are writing...

Contaminants evaluation of Marais des Cygnes National Wildlife Refuge in Kansas and Missouri, USA

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Allen, George T.; Nash, Tom J.; Janes, David E.

1995-05-01

At the new Marais des Cygnes National Wildlife Refuge in Linn County, Kansas, and Bates County, Missouri, USA, we evaluated long-lived contaminants before acquisition of the land for the refuge. We sampled sediments at 16 locations and fish at seven locations. The samples were analyzed for metals and for chlorinated hydrocarbon compounds. Selected sediment samples also were analyzed for aliphatic hydrocarbons. Arsenic concentrations in sediment samples from six locations were elevated compared to US norms, but arsenic was not detected in any fish composite. Mercury concentrations in largemouth bass from two locations were comparable to the 85th percentile concentrations in nationwide fish collections. Most sediment concentrations of other metals were unlikely to have detrimental effects on biota. No chlorinated hydrocarbons were detected in any sediment sample. Chlordane compound concentrations in fish composites from two sites at the eastern end of the sampling area were 0.127 and 0.228 μg/g wet weight, respectively, which are high enough to cause concern. Most aliphatic hydrocarbons detected were found at low concentrations and probably were natural in origin. We concluded that there are no serious contaminants concerns within the project area, but past use of arsenical pesticides may mean a legacy of elevated soil arsenic levels in parts of the area and some use of banned pesticides such as chlordane and DDT likely is still occurring near the refuge.

75 FR 6872 - Aransas National Wildlife Refuge Complex, Aransas, Calhoun, and Refugio Counties, TX

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-02-12

... and freshwater marshes. Management efforts focus on protecting, enhancing, and restoring Refuge habitats and water management for the benefit of important fish and wildlife resources. Aransas NWRC was... the system is ``for use as an inviolate sanctuary, or any other management purpose, for migratory...

Selecting habitat management strategies on refuges

USGS Publications Warehouse

Schroeder, Richard L.; King, Wayne J.; Cornely, John E.

1998-01-01

This report is a joint effort of the Biological Resources Division, U.S. Geological Survey and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) to provide National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) managers guidance on the selection and evaluation of habitat management strategies to meet stated objectives. The FWS recently completed a handbook on writing refuge management goals and objectives (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service 1996a). the National Wildlife Refuge System Improvement Act of 1997 requires that National Wildlife Refuge System (NWRS) lands be managed according to approved Comprehensive Conservation Plans to guide management decisions and devise strategies for achieving refuge unit purposes and meeting the NWRS mission. It is expected that over the next several years most refuges will develop new or revised refuge goals and objectives for directing their habitat management strategies. This paper outlines the steps we recommend in selecting and evaluating habitat management strategies to meet specific refuge habitat objectives. We selected two examples to illustrate the process. Although each refuge is unique and will require specific information and solutions, these two examples can be used as guidance when selecting and evaluating habitat management strategies for other refuge resources: Example 1. Management of floodplain woods habitat for forest interior birds. The biological recourse of concern is the quality and quantity of floodplain woods habitat for eastern forest interior birds in the Cypress Creek NWR (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service 1996b). Example 2. Management of habitat for biodiversity: Historical landscape proportions. The biological resource of concern is the change in diversity associated with man-induced changes in the distribution and abundance of habitat types at the Minnesota Valley NWR (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service 1996c).

Mercury and other element exposure to tree swallows (Tachycineta bicolor) nesting on Lostwood National Wildlife Refuge, North Dakota

USGS Publications Warehouse

Custer, T.W.; Custer, Christine M.; Johnson, K.M.; Hoffman, D.J.

2008-01-01

Elevated mercury concentrations in water were reported in the prairie wetlands at Lostwood National Wildlife Refuge, ND. In order to determine whether wildlife associated with these wetlands was exposed to and then accumulated higher mercury concentrations than wildlife living near more permanent wetlands (e.g. lakes), tree swallow (Tachycineta bicolor) eggs and nestlings were collected from nests near seasonal wetlands, semi-permanent wetlands, and lakes. Mercury concentrations in eggs collected near seasonal wetlands were higher than those collected near semi-permanent wetlands or lakes. In contrast, mercury concentrations in nestling livers did not differ among wetland types. Mercury and other element concentrations in tree swallow eggs and nestlings collected from all wetlands were low. As suspected from these low concentrations, mercury concentrations in sample eggs were not a significant factor explaining the hatching success of the remaining eggs in each clutch.

Habitat Evaluation Procedures (HEP) Report : Oleson Tracts of the Tualatin River National Wildlife Refuge, 2001-2002 Technical Report.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Allard, Donna; Smith, maureen; Schmidt, Peter

Located in the northern Willamette River basin, Tualatin River National Wildlife Refuge (Refuge) was established in 1992 with an approved acquisition boundary to accommodate willing sellers with potentially restorable holdings within the Tualatin River floodplain. The Refuge's floodplain of seasonal and emergent wetlands, Oregon ash riparian hardwood, riparian shrub, coniferous forest, and Garry oak communities are representative of remnant plant communities historically common in the Willamette River valley and offer an opportunity to compensate for wildlife habitat losses associated with the Willamette River basin federal hydroelectric projects. The purchase of the Oleson Units as additions to the Refuge using Bonnevillemore » Power Administration (BPA) funds will partially mitigate for wildlife habitat and target species losses incurred as a result of construction and inundation activities at Dexter and Detroit Dams. Lands acquired for mitigation of Federal Columbia River Power System (FCRPS) impacts to wildlife are evaluated using the Habitat Evaluation Procedures (HEP) methodology, which quantifies how many Habitat Units (HUs) are to be credited to BPA. HUs or credits gained lessen BPA's debt, which was formally tabulated in the FCRPS Loss Assessments and adopted as part of the Northwest Power and Conservation Council's Fish and Wildlife Program as a BPA obligation (NWPCC, 1994 and 2000). There are two basic management scenarios to consider for this evaluation: (1) Habitats can be managed without restoration activities to benefit wildlife populations, or (2) Habitats can be restored using a number of techniques to improve habitat values more quickly. Without restoration, upland and wetland areas may be periodically mowed and disced to prevent invasion of exotic vegetation, volunteer trees and shrubs may grow to expand forested areas, and cooperative farming may be employed to provide forage for migrating and wintering waterfowl. Abandoned cropland would

Subspecific affinity of black bears in the White River National Wildlife Refuge

USGS Publications Warehouse

Warrillow, J.; Culver, M.; Hallerman, E.; Vaughan, M.

2001-01-01

The black bear population of the White River National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) is adjacent to populations of black bear in Louisiana (Urusus americanus luteolus) which are listed as threatened under the U.S. Endangered Species Act. Wildlife management plans can pose restrictions on bear harvests and timber extraction; therefore the management plan for the White River NWR is sensitive to subspecific classification of its bear population. The objective of this study was to analyze genetic variation in the White River NWR and seven adjacent populations of black bears to assess the subspecific affinity of the White River NWR population. Here we report the variation at seven microsatellite DNA loci among eight black bear populations. The patterns of genetic variation gave strong support for distinguishing a southern group of black bears comprised of the White River, Arkansas; Tensas River, Louisiana; Upper Atchafalaya, Louisiana; Lower Atchafalaya, Louisiana; and Alabama/Mississippi populations. Phylogenetic analysis of individual variation suggested that historical black bear introductions into Arkansas and Louisiana affected gene pools of certain southern receiving populations, but did not significantly change interpopulation relatedness. Phylogenetic inferences at both the population and individual levels support the hypothesis that the White River NWR population of black bears belongs to the U. a. luteolus subspecies.

Subspecific affinity of black bears in the White River National Wildlife Refuge.

PubMed

Warrillow, J; Culver, M; Hallerman, E; Vaughan, M

2001-01-01

The black bear population of the White River National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) is adjacent to populations of black bear in Louisiana (Urusus americanus luteolus) which are listed as threatened under the U.S. Endangered Species Act. Wildlife management plans can pose restrictions on bear harvests and timber extraction; therefore the management plan for the White River NWR is sensitive to subspecific classification of its bear population. The objective of this study was to analyze genetic variation in the White River NWR and seven adjacent populations of black bears to assess the subspecific affinity of the White River NWR population. Here we report the variation at seven microsatellite DNA loci among eight black bear populations. The patterns of genetic variation gave strong support for distinguishing a southern group of black bears comprised of the White River, Arkansas; Tensas River, Louisiana; Upper Atchafalaya, Louisiana; Lower Atchafalaya, Louisiana; and Alabama/Mississippi populations. Phylogenetic analysis of individual variation suggested that historical black bear introductions into Arkansas and Louisiana affected gene pools of certain southern receiving populations, but did not significantly change interpopulation relatedness. Phylogenetic inferences at both the population and individual levels support the hypothesis that the White River NWR population of black bears belongs to the U. a. luteolus subspecies.

77 FR 76510 - Prime Hook National Wildlife Refuge, Sussex County, DE; Final Comprehensive Conservation Plan and...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-12-28

... included climate change, sea level rise, refuge marshes, habitat and wildlife species management, mosquito... adulticides for mosquito control when there is a documented human disease threat, instead of only when a...

75 FR 7289 - Boyer Chute National Wildlife Refuge, NE; Hamden Slough National Wildlife Refuge, MN; and Iowa...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-02-18

.... SUMMARY: We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) intends to gather information necessary to... intentions, and to obtain suggestions and information on the scope of issues to be considered in the planning... with the National Historic Preservation Act. In addition, special mailings, newspaper articles...

77 FR 19309 - Benton Lake National Wildlife Refuge Complex, Great Falls, MT; Comprehensive Conservation Plan...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-03-30

... protection, climate change, wetland health, water quality, hunting, wildlife observation, and environmental... Planning, 134 Union Boulevard, Suite 300, Lakewood, Colorado 80228; or by download from http://mountain... would not be expanded or changed. Habitat management within the refuge complex has been focused on...

Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge - Comprehensive Alternative Transportation Plan

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2014-05-01

The Comprehensive Alternative Transportation Plan for Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge in southwestern Oklahoma analyzes a range of transportation and resource management challenges and documents a holistic set of alternative transportation strategi...

Topography and Sedimentation Characteristics of the Squaw Creek National Wildlife Refuge, Holt County, Missouri, 1937-2002

USGS Publications Warehouse

Heimann, David C.; Richards, Joseph M.

2003-01-01

The Squaw Creek National Wildlife Refuge (hereafter referred to as the Refuge), located on the Missouri River floodplain in northwest Missouri, was established in 1935 to provide habitat for migratory birds and wildlife. Results of 1937 and 1964 topographic surveys indicate that sedimenta-tion, primarily from Squaw Creek and Davis Creek inflows, had substantially reduced Refuge pool volumes and depths. A study was undertaken by the U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, to quantify and spatially analyze historic rates of sedimentation in the Refuge and determine the surface elevations, depths, and pool capacities for selected managed pools from a 2002 survey.The 1937 to 1964 mean total sediment depo-sition, in the area corresponding to the 2002 sur-veyed pool area (about 4,900 acres), was 1.26 ft (feet), or 0.047 ft/yr (foot per year). Mean annual rates of deposition, by pool, from 1937 to 1964 varied from 0.016 to 0.083 ft/yr. From 1964 to 2002, the mean total sediment deposition in the 2002 surveyed pools was 0.753 ft, or 0.020 ft/yr. Therefore, the mean rate of sediment-depth accu-mulation from 1964 to 2002 was about 42 percent of the mean 1937 to 1964 rate, or a 58 percent reduction. Mean annual rates of deposition by pool from 1964 to 2002 varied from 0.010 to 0.049 ft/yr. Despite a substantial reduction in the average sediment accumulation rate for the Refuge, 5 of the 15 separate pools for which annual rates were calculated for both periods showed a small increase in the deposition rates of up to 0.008 ft/yr. Sediment deposits have resulted in a sub-stantial cumulative loss of volume in the Refuge pools since 1937. The 1937 to 2002 total sediment volume deposited in the 2002 surveyed pool area was about 9,900 acre-ft (acre-feet), or 152 acre-ft/yr (acre-feet per year). The volume of sediment deposited from 1937 to 1964 for these pools was about 6,200 acre-ft, or 230 acre-ft/yr. The volume deposited from 1964 to 2002

Transportation Observations, Considerations, and Recommendations for Monomoy National Wildlife Refuge Provided by the Interagency Transportation Assistance Group (TAG)/Alternative Transportation in Parks and Public Lands (ATPPL) Program Chatham, MA July 1

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2007-07-17

A field investigation of the current transportation infrastructure and issues at Monomoy National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) by the interagency Transportation Assistance Group (TAG) was conducted July 17-19, 2007, on behalf of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife S...

Survey of invasive ants at Hakalau Forest National Wildlife Refuge

USGS Publications Warehouse

Peck, Robert W.; Banko, Paul C.

2011-01-01

We conducted a survey for invasive ants at Hakalau Forest National Wildlife Refuge, Hawai‘i Island, during 2009–2010 to evaluate potential threats to native arthropod communities and food webs. The focal area of the survey was the upper portion of the Hakalau Unit of the refuge, where native forest was being restored in abandoned cattle pastures. This area, between 1575 and 1940 m elevations, contained much alien kikuyu grass (Pennisetum clandestinum), but koa (Acacia koa) trees and other native species that were planted in the past 20 years were rapidly filling in the pasture. We surveyed for ants at predetermined points along roads, fences, and corridors of planted koa. Sampling methods primarily consisted of hand searching and pitfall traps, but bait cards were used additionally in some instances. Our results indicated that a single species, Cardiocondyla kagutsuchi, was widespread across the upper portion of the refuge. Cardiocondyla kagutsuchi seemed absent, or at least rare, in areas of tall, dense grass. Due to the undulating topography of the area, however, the dense grass cover was interspersed with outcroppings of exposed, gravelly soil. Presumably due to warming by the sun, many of the outcropped habitats supported colonies of C. kagutsuchi. We did not detect ants in the old-growth forest below the abandoned pastures, presumably because microhabitat conditions under the forest canopy were unsuitable. Although ecological impacts of C. kagutsuchi have not been reported, they may be limited by the small size of the ant, the relatively small size of colonies, and the apparent preference of the ant for disturbed areas that are dominated by alien species. Notably, our survey of Keanakolu-Mana Road between the Observatory Road (John A. Burns Way) and the town of Waimea detected a population of Argentine ants (Linepithema humile) approximately 5.1 km north of the Maulua Section of the refuge. We also surveyed for ants on the Kona Forest Unit of the refuge

77 FR 64538 - Tualatin River National Wildlife Refuge, Washington and Yamhill Counties, OR, Draft Comprehensive...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-10-22

... bordered by uplands. Habitats include rivers and streams, seasonal, scrub-shrub, and riparian forests; and... grasses, forbs, shrubs, and trees; and controlling weeds. The Refuge's high quality wildlife observation... (Preferred Alternative) The Tualatin River and Rock Creek Units' riparian forest, scrub- shrub wetland, and...

Vascular flora of Izembek National Wildlife Refuge, westernmost Alaska Peninsula, Alaska

USGS Publications Warehouse

Talbot, S. S.; Talbot, S.L.; Schofield, W.B.

2006-01-01

The vascular flora of Izembek National Wildlife Refuge (NWR), where few previous collections had been reported, was collected and recorded at sites selected to represent the totality of environmental variation. A total of 349 species (339 native and 10 introduced) was identified. To provide a comparative phytogeographic framework, we analyzed data from published reports that categorized vascular plant distribution patterns from a circumpolar, North American, and Alaskan perspective. The native flora of the Izembek NWR primarily includes species of circumpolar (38%), eastern Asian (23%), Eurasian (18%), and North American (13%) distribution. The most important longitudinal distributional classes in North America consist of transcontinental (62%) and extreme western species (31%). The annotated list of species in Izembek NWR expands the range of many species, filling a distributional gap in Hulte??n's Western Pacific Coast district. Forty notable range extensions are reported. The flora of Izembek NWR is primarily made up of boreal species and lacks many of the species considered to be Arctic. Comparison with the Raunkiaer life-form spectrum similarly points to the boreal.

Effectiveness of Chain Link Turtle Fence and Culverts in Reducing Turtle Mortality and Providing Connectivity along U.S. Hwy 83, Valentine National Wildlife Refuge, Nebraska, USA

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2017-12-01

We evaluated the effectiveness of existing turtle fences through collecting and analyzing turtle mortality data along U.S. Hwy 83, in and around Valentine National Wildlife Refuge, Nebraska, USA. We also investigated the level of connectivity for tur...

Hydrologic and landscape database for the Cache and White River National Wildlife Refuges and contributing watersheds in Arkansas, Missouri, and Oklahoma

USGS Publications Warehouse

Buell, Gary R.; Wehmeyer, Loren L.; Calhoun, Daniel L.

2012-01-01

A hydrologic and landscape database was developed by the U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, for the Cache River and White River National Wildlife Refuges and their contributing watersheds in Arkansas, Missouri, and Oklahoma. The database is composed of a set of ASCII files, Microsoft Access® files, Microsoft Excel® files, an Environmental Systems Research Institute (ESRI) ArcGIS® geodatabase, ESRI ArcGRID® raster datasets, and an ESRI ArcReader® published map. The database was developed as an assessment and evaluation tool to use in examining refuge-specific hydrologic patterns and trends as related to water availability for refuge ecosystems, habitats, and target species; and includes hydrologic time-series data, statistics, and hydroecological metrics that can be used to assess refuge hydrologic conditions and the availability of aquatic and riparian habitat. Landscape data that describe the refuge physiographic setting and the locations of hydrologic-data collection stations are also included in the database. Categories of landscape data include land cover, soil hydrologic characteristics, physiographic features, geographic and hydrographic boundaries, hydrographic features, regional runoff estimates, and gaging-station locations. The database geographic extent covers three hydrologic subregions—the Lower Mississippi–St Francis (0802), the Upper White (1101), and the Lower Arkansas (1111)—within which human activities, climatic variation, and hydrologic processes can potentially affect the hydrologic regime of the refuges and adjacent areas. Database construction has been automated to facilitate periodic updates with new data. The database report (1) serves as a user guide for the database, (2) describes the data-collection, data-reduction, and data-analysis methods used to construct the database, (3) provides a statistical and graphical description of the database, and (4) provides detailed information on

76 FR 41286 - Conboy Lake and Toppenish National Wildlife Refuges, WA; Comprehensive Conservation Plan and...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-07-13

... management; plant species management (e.g., invasive and nonnative plants, rare plants); animal species... that will ensure the best possible approach to wildlife, plant, and habitat conservation, while... threatened species * * * or (B) plants'' (16 U.S.C. 1534, Endangered Species Act of 1973). The refuge also...

77 FR 60135 - St. Johns National Wildlife Refuge, FL; Final Comprehensive Conservation Plan and Finding of No...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-10-02

... possible to benefit refuge wildlife. Under Alternative C, we will expand management of wood storks and..., hiking, and bicycling. Bicycling that does not support appropriate and compatible uses, such as mountain...

76 FR 10621 - Palmyra Atoll National Wildlife Refuge, U.S. Pacific Island Territory; Nonnative Rat Eradication...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-02-25

... to manage, conserve, protect, and restore fish, wildlife, and plant resources and their habitats for... mission is to preserve plants, animals and natural communities that represent the biological diversity of.... The Refuge is closed to commercial fishing. [[Page 10622

50 CFR 25.41 - Who issues refuge permits?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... 50 Wildlife and Fisheries 6 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Who issues refuge permits? 25.41 Section... (CONTINUED) THE NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE SYSTEM ADMINISTRATIVE PROVISIONS Permits § 25.41 Who issues refuge permits? We authorize the refuge manager of the facility where an activity is to take place to issue...

50 CFR 36.32 - Taking of fish and wildlife.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... 50 Wildlife and Fisheries 6 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Taking of fish and wildlife. 36.32 Section 36.32 Wildlife and Fisheries UNITED STATES FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR (CONTINUED) THE NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE SYSTEM ALASKA NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGES Other Refuge Uses § 36.32...

50 CFR 36.32 - Taking of fish and wildlife.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... 50 Wildlife and Fisheries 8 2011-10-01 2011-10-01 false Taking of fish and wildlife. 36.32 Section 36.32 Wildlife and Fisheries UNITED STATES FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR (CONTINUED) THE NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE SYSTEM ALASKA NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGES Other Refuge Uses § 36.32...

50 CFR 36.32 - Taking of fish and wildlife.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... 50 Wildlife and Fisheries 9 2014-10-01 2014-10-01 false Taking of fish and wildlife. 36.32 Section 36.32 Wildlife and Fisheries UNITED STATES FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR (CONTINUED) THE NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE SYSTEM ALASKA NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGES Other Refuge Uses § 36.32...

50 CFR 36.32 - Taking of fish and wildlife.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... 50 Wildlife and Fisheries 9 2013-10-01 2013-10-01 false Taking of fish and wildlife. 36.32 Section 36.32 Wildlife and Fisheries UNITED STATES FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR (CONTINUED) THE NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE SYSTEM ALASKA NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGES Other Refuge Uses § 36.32...

50 CFR 36.32 - Taking of fish and wildlife.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

... 50 Wildlife and Fisheries 9 2012-10-01 2012-10-01 false Taking of fish and wildlife. 36.32 Section 36.32 Wildlife and Fisheries UNITED STATES FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR (CONTINUED) THE NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE SYSTEM ALASKA NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGES Other Refuge Uses § 36.32...

Intermediate-scale vegetation mapping of Innoko National Wildlife Refuge, Alaska using Landsat MSS digital data

USGS Publications Warehouse

Talbot, Stephen S.; Markon, Carl J.

1988-01-01

A Landsat-derived vegetation map was prepared for lnnoko National Wildlife Refuge. The refuge lies within the northern boreal subzone of northwestern central Alaska. Six major vegetation classes and 21 subclasses were recognized: forest (closed needleleaf, open needleleaf, needleleaf woodland, mixed, and broadleaf); broadleaf scrub (lowland, upland burn regeneration, subalpine); dwarf scrub (prostrate dwarf shrub tundra, erect dwarf shrub heath, dwarf shrub-graminoid peatland, dwarf shrub-graminoid tussock peatland, dwarf shrub raised bog with scattered trees, dwarf shrub-graminoid marsh); herbaceous (graminoid bog, graminoid marsh, graminoid tussock-dwarf shrub peatland); scarcely vegetated areas (scarcely vegetated scree and floodplain); and water (clear, sedimented). The methodology employed a cluster-block technique. Sample areas were described based on a combination of helicopter-ground survey, aerial photo-interpretation, and digital Landsat data. Major steps in the Landsat analysis involved preprocessing (geometric correction), derivation of statistical parameters for spectral classes, spectral class labeling of sample areas, preliminary classification of the entire study area using a maximum-likelihood algorithm, and final classification utilizing ancillary information such as digital elevation data. The final product is 1:250,000-scale vegetation map representative of distinctive regional patterns and suitable for use in comprehensive conservation planning.

Waterfowl harvest at Tule Lake National Wildlife Refuge, 1936-41

USGS Publications Warehouse

Gilmer, D.S.; Hicks, J.M.; Bartonek, J.C.; McCollum, E.H.

1986-01-01

Waterfowl harvest at Tule Lake National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) for the 6-yr period 1936-41 is described and compared with a recent (1978-83) period. During the early period 46,987 geese and 76,143 ducks were bagged during 48,610 hunter-visits. Hunting seasons were 30 to 60 d in length. Greater White-fronted Geese Anser albifrons, followed by Northern Pintails Anas acuta, and Cackling Canada Geese Branta canadensis minima were the most important birds in the harvest. Average harvest was 1.0 goose and 1.6 ducks per hunter-visit. A short (30-d) and late hunting season drastically curtailed harvest in 1937. Reduced hunting activity in 1941 was attributed to military mobilization. During the 1978-83 period 34,416 geese and 63,458 ducks were bagged during 69,170 hunter-visits. Hunting seasons during this period were mostly 93 d in length. The most important bird in the harvest was the Mallard A. platyrhynchos, followed by White-fronted Goose and Northern Pintail. Average harvest was 0.5 goose and 0.9 duck per hunter-visit. In general dabbling ducks increased in overall importance while diving ducks decreased between the two periods. Harvest decreased 20.5% while hunter-visits increased 42.3%.

75 FR 74073 - Laguna Atascosa National Wildlife Refuge, Cameron and Willacy Counties, TX; Final Comprehensive...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-11-30

... benefit of important fish and wildlife resources. The Refuge is a premiere bird watching destination with... of 1956 (16 U.S.C. 742(a)(4), as amended); and ``for the benefit of the United States Fish and... miles of hike/bike positions (Outdoor facility expansions trails; one auto tour Recreation Planner and...

Twelve Months of Air Quality Monitoring at Ash Meadows National Wildlife Refuge, Southwestern Rural Nevada, U.S.A (EMSI April 2007)

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Engelbrecht, Johann P; Shafer, David S; Campbell, Dave

The one year of air quality monitoring data collected at the Ash Meadows National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) was the final part of the air quality "Scoping Studies" for the Environmental Monitoring Systems Initiative (EMSI) in southern and central Nevada. The objective of monitoring at Ash Meadows was to examine aerosol and meteorological data, seasonal trends in aerosol and meteorological parameters as well as to examine evidence for long distance transport of some constituents. The 9,307 hectare refuge supports more than 50 springs and 24 endemic species, including the only population of the federally listed endangered Devil’s Hole pupfish (Cyprinodon diabolis)more » (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 1990). Ash Meadows NWR is located in a Class II air quality area, and the aerosol measurements collected with this study are compared to those of Interagency Monitoring of Protected Visual Environments (IMPROVE) sites. Measurements taken at Ash Meadows NWR over a period of 12 months provide new baseline air quality and meteorological information for rural southwestern Nevada, specifically Nye County and the Amargosa Valley.« less

Ground-water contamination from lead shot at Prime Hook National Wildlife Refuge, Sussex County, Delaware

USGS Publications Warehouse

Soeder, Daniel J.; Miller, Cherie V.

2003-01-01

Prime Hook National Wildlife Refuge is located in southeastern Delaware in coastal lowlands along the margin of Delaware Bay. For 37 years, the Broadkiln Sportsman?s Club adjacent to the refuge operated a trap-shooting range, with the clay-target launchers oriented so that the expended lead shot from the range dropped into forested wetland areas on the refuge property. Investigators have estimated that up to 58,000 shotgun pellets per square foot are present in locations on the refuge where the lead shot fell to the ground. As part of the environmental risk assessment for the site, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) investigated the potential for lead contamination in ground water. Results from two sampling rounds in 19 shallow wells indicate that elevated levels of dissolved lead are present in ground water at the site. The lead and associated metals, such as antimony and arsenic (common shotgun pellet alloys), are being transported along shallow ground-water flowpaths toward an open-water slough in the forested wetland adjacent to the downrange target area. Water samples from wells located along the bank of the slough contained dissolved lead concentrations higher than 400 micrograms per liter, and as high as 1 milligram per liter. In contrast, a natural background concentration of lead from ground water in a well upgradient from the site is about 1 microgram per liter. Two water samples collected several months apart from the slough directly downgradient of the shooting range contained 24 and 212 micrograms per liter of lead, respectively. The data indicate that lead from a concentrated deposit of shotgun pellets on the refuge has been mobilized through a combination of acidic water conditions and a very sandy, shallow, unconfined aquifer, and is moving along ground-water flowpaths toward the surface-water drainage. Data from this study will be used to help delineate the lead plume, and determine the fate and transport of lead from the source area.

Seroprevalence of West Nile Virus in feral horses on Sheldon National Wildlife Refuge, Nevada, United States

USGS Publications Warehouse

Franson, J. Christian; Hofmeister, Erik K.; Collins, Gail H.; Dusek, Robert J.

2011-01-01

We screened 1,397 feral horses (Equus caballus) on Sheldon National Wildlife Refuge, Nevada, United States, for IgM and IgG against flavivirus during 2004–2006, 2008, and 2009. Positive serum samples were tested for neutralizing antibodies to West Nile virus (WNV) and St. Louis encephalitis virus (SLEV). One animal was positive for antibody against WNV in 2004, but all others tested in 2004–2006 were negative. In 2008 and 2009, we found evidence of increasing seropositive horses with age, whereas seroprevalence of WNV decreased from 19% in 2008 to 7.2% in 2009. No horses were positive for antibody against SLEV. Being unvaccinated, feral horses can be useful for WNV surveillance.

Vegetation map for the Hakalau Forest Unit of the Big Island National Wildlife Refuge Complex on the island of Hawai‘i

USGS Publications Warehouse

Jacobi, James D.

2017-01-01

This vegetation map was produced to serve as an updated habitat base for management of natural resources of the Hakalau Forest Unit (HFU) of the Big Island National Wildlife Refuge Complex (Refuge) on the island of Hawai‘i. The map is based on a vegetation map originally produced as part of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Hawai‘i Forest Bird Survey to depict the distribution, structure, and composition of plant communities on the island of Hawai‘i as they existed in 1977. The current map has been updated to represent current conditions of plant communities in the HFU, based on WorldView 2 imagery taken in 2012 and very-high-resolution imagery collected by Pictometry International from 2010 to 2014. Thirty-one detailed plant communities are identified on this map, and fourteen of these units are found within the boundaries of HFU. Additionally, the mapped units can be displayed as five tree canopy cover units, three moisture zones units, eight dominant tree species units, and four habitat status units by choosing the various fields to group the units from the map attribute table. This updated map will provide a foundation for the refinement and tracking of management actions on the Refuge for the near future, particularly as the habitats in this area are subject to projected climate change.

Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, Alaska, Coastal Plain Resource Assessment: Report and recommendation to the Congress of the United States and final legislative environmental impact statement

USGS Publications Warehouse

,

1987-01-01

The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, in the northeastern corner of Alaska, was first established as the Arctic National Wildlife Range by Public Land Order 2214 in 1960, for the purpose of preserving unique wildlife, wilderness, and recreational values. The original 8.9-millionacre Range was withdrawn from all forms of appropriation under the public land laws, including mining laws but not including mineral leasing laws. This order culminated extensive efforts begun more than a decade earlier to preserve this unique part of Alaska. The following report analyzes the potential environmental consequences of five management alternatives for the coastal plain, ranging from opening for lease of the entire area for oil and gas development, to wilderness designation. A legislative environmental impact statement has been integrated into the report.

Multi-tracer investigation of groundwater residence time in a karstic aquifer: Bitter Lakes National Wildlife Refuge, New Mexico, USA

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Land, Lewis; Huff, G. F.

2010-03-01

Several natural and anthropogenic tracers have been used to evaluate groundwater residence time within a karstic limestone aquifer in southeastern New Mexico, USA. Natural groundwater discharge occurs in the lower Pecos Valley from a region of karst springs, wetlands and sinkhole lakes at Bitter Lakes National Wildlife Refuge, on the northeast margin of the Roswell Artesian Basin. The springs and sinkholes are formed in gypsum bedrock that serves as a leaky confining unit for an artesian aquifer in the underlying San Andres limestone. Because wetlands on the Refuge provide habitat for threatened and endangered species, there is concern about the potential for contamination by anthropogenic activity in the aquifer recharge area. Estimates of the time required for groundwater to travel through the artesian aquifer vary widely because of uncertainties regarding karst conduit flow. A better understanding of groundwater residence time is required to make informed decisions about management of water resources and wildlife habitat at Bitter Lakes. Results indicate that the artesian aquifer contains a significant component of water recharged within the last 10-50 years, combined with pre-modern groundwater originating from deeper underlying aquifers, some of which may be indirectly sourced from the high Sacramento Mountains to the west.

78 FR 25092 - Prime Hook National Wildlife Refuge, Sussex County, DE; Record of Decision for Final...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-04-29

... consistent with sound principles of fish and wildlife management, conservation, legal mandates, and our policies, as well as respond to key issues and public concerns. In addition to outlining broad management... B, as described in the final CCP, will guide our management and administration of the refuge over...

78 FR 35640 - Establishment of the Valle de Oro National Wildlife Refuge, Bernalillo County, New Mexico

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-06-13

... Wildlife Refuge on September 21, 2012, with a purchase of 389 acres in Bernalillo County, New Mexico. This... . SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On September 21, 2012, the Service purchased 389 acres of former farm land in... 389 acres in Bernalillo County, New Mexico. Dated: December 3, 2012. Benjamin N. Tuggle, Regional...

The impact of station location on water quality characterization in the Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge.

PubMed

Entry, James A

2013-09-01

Water quality was monitored in the Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge based on the Consent Decree (CDN), the Enhanced Refuge (ERN), the four-part Test impacted (FPTIN), and the four-part test unimpacted (FPTUN) networks. Alkalinity, dissolved organic carbon, total organic carbon, dissolved oxygen, total dissolved solids, total suspended solids, turbidity, pH, specific conductivity, calcium, chloride, silicon, sulfate, and total phosphorus (TP) were measured from 2005 through 2009. When the ERN was used, the 10 μg TP L(-1) Consent Decree limit would have been exceeded and would have ranged from a low of 2 months in 2009 to a high of 9 months in 2005. Based on the CDN, the limit exceeded only for 1 month in each year from 2006 through 2008. Based on the FPTIN, the 10 μg TP L(-1) limit would have been exceeded and would have ranged from a low of 1 month in 2007 to a high of 7 months in 2005 and 2008. Based on the CDN, the limit only exceeded for 1 month in each year from 2006 through 2008. Since TP is rapidly removed from canal water intruded into the Refuge marsh, one cannot expect a water quality sampling station located 2 km from the source to reliably detect violations. This may be the primary reason why there have been very few months when TP concentration has exceeded the limit since 1992 or part four of the four-part test annual 15 μg L(-1) limit since 2006.

A multivariate assessment of changes in wetland habitat for waterbirds at Moosehorn National Wildlife Refuge, Maine, USA

USGS Publications Warehouse

Hierl, L.A.; Loftin, C.S.; Longcore, J.R.; McAuley, D.G.; Urban, D.L.

2007-01-01

We assessed changes in vegetative structure of 49 impoundments at Moosehorn National Wildlife Refuge (MNWR), Maine, USA, between the periods 1984-1985 to 2002 with a multivariate, adaptive approach that may be useful in a variety of wetland and other habitat management situations. We used Mahalanobis Distance (MD) analysis to classify the refuge?s wetlands as poor or good waterbird habitat based on five variables: percent emergent vegetation, percent shrub, percent open water, relative richness of vegetative types, and an interspersion juxtaposition index that measures adjacency of vegetation patches. Mahalanobis Distance is a multivariate statistic that examines whether a particular data point is an outlier or a member of a data cluster while accounting for correlations among inputs. For each wetland, we used MD analysis to quantify a distance from a reference condition defined a priori by habitat conditions measured in MNWR wetlands used by waterbirds. Twenty-five wetlands declined in quality between the two periods, whereas 23 wetlands improved. We identified specific wetland characteristics that may be modified to improve habitat conditions for waterbirds. The MD analysis seems ideal for instituting an adaptive wetland management approach because metrics can be easily added or removed, ranges of target habitat conditions can be defined by field-collected data, and the analysis can identify priorities for single or multiple management objectives.

76 FR 18577 - Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge, Volusia and Brevard Counties, FL; Collection of Entrance...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-04-04

... Cove, Beacon 42, and Bio Lab). Fees are not required to enter any other portion of the refuge. DATES..., Beacon 42, and Bio Lab; Black Point Wildlife Drive; public access roads; parking lots; overlooks; and... the boat ramps at Bairs Cove, Beacon 42, and Bio Lab. If public comments were to provide substantive...

Geological Assessment of Cores from the Great Bay National Wildlife Refuge, New Hampshire

USGS Publications Warehouse

Foley, Nora K.; Ayuso, Robert A.; Ayotte, Joseph D.; Montgomery, Denise L.; Robinson, Gilpin R.

2007-01-01

Geological sources of metals (especially arsenic and zinc) in aquifer bedrock were evaluated for their potential to contribute elevated values of metals to ground and surface waters in and around Rockingham County, New Hampshire. Ayotte and others (1999, 2003) had proposed that arsenic concentrations in ground water flowing through bedrock aquifers in eastern New England were elevated as a result of interaction with rocks. Specifically in southeastern New Hampshire, Montgomery and others (2003) established that nearly one-fifth of private bedrock wells had arsenic concentrations that exceed the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) maximum contamination level for public water supplies. Two wells drilled in coastal New Hampshire were sited to intersect metasedimentary and metavolcanic rocks in the Great Bay National Wildlife Refuge. Bulk chemistry, mineralogy, and mineral chemistry data were obtained on representative samples of cores extracted from the two boreholes in the Kittery and Eliot Formations. The results of this study have established that the primary geologic source of arsenic in ground waters sampled from the two well sites was iron-sulfide minerals, predominantly arsenic-bearing pyrite and lesser amounts of base-metal-sulfide and sulfosalt minerals that contain appreciable arsenic, including arsenopyrite, tetrahedrite, and cobaltite. Secondary minerals containing arsenic are apparently limited to iron-oxyhydroxide minerals. The geologic source of zinc was sphalerite, typically cadmium-bearing, which occurs with pyrite in core samples. Zinc also occurred as a secondary mineral in carbonate form. Oxidation of sulfides leading to the liberation of acid, iron, arsenic, zinc, and other metals was most prevalent in open fractures and vuggy zones in core intervals containing zones of high transmissivity in the two units. The presence of significant calcite and lesser amounts of other acid-neutralizing carbonate and silicate minerals, acting as a natural

Canada thistle biological control agents on two South Dakota wildlife refuges

USGS Publications Warehouse

Reed, C.C.; Larson, D.L.; Larson, J.L.

2006-01-01

We monitored populations of Canada thistle biocontrol agents Cassida rubiginosa, Ceutorhynchus litura, Larinus (= Hadroplantus) planus, Urophora cardui, Orellia (= Terellia) ruficauda, and Rhinocyllus conicus on Canada thistle (Cirsium arvense) at two national wildlife refuges in South Dakota from 1999 through 2003. C. litura, U. cardui, O. ruficauda, and R. conicus were present on both refuges. Agent populations were low except for C. litura, which was present in up to 90% of stems in some plots. C. litura infestation did not reduce thistle flowering, stem length, or over-winter survival. There was no change in thistle stem numbers over the study period and no difference in stem numbers in areas of high C. litura populations compared to areas of low C. litura populations. Our results suggest that insect biological control agents are inadequate for reduction of Canada thistle in southern South Dakota.

Tetlin National Wildlife Refuge land cover mapping project users guide

USGS Publications Warehouse

Markon, Carl J.

1987-01-01

The U. S. Fish & Wildlife Service (USFWS) has the responsibility for collecting the resource information to address the research, management, development and planning requirements identified in Section 304. Because of the brief period provided by the Act for data collection, habitat mapping, and habitat assessment, the USFWS in cooperation with the U.S. Geological Survey's EROS Field Office, used digital Landsat multispectral scanner data (MSS) and digital terrain data to produce land cover and terrain maps. A computer assisted digital analysis of Landsat MSS data was used because coverage by aerial photographs was incomplete for much of the refuge and because the level of detail, obtained from the analysis of Landsat data, is adequate to meet most USFWS research, management and planning needs. Relative cost and time requirements were also factors in the decision to use the digital analysis approach.

Selawik National Wildlife Refuge land cover mapping project users guide

USGS Publications Warehouse

Markon, Carl J.

1988-01-01

The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service (USFWS) has the responsibility for collecting the resource information to address the research, management, development and planning requirements identified in Section 304. Because of the brief period provided by the Act for data collection, habitat mapping, and habitat assessment, the USFWS in cooperation with the U.S. Geological Survey's EROS Field Office, used digital Landsat multispectral scanner (MSS) data and digital terrain data to produce land cover and terrain maps. A computer assisted digital analysis of Landsat MSS data was used because coverage by aerial photographs was incomplete for the refuge and because the level of detail obtained from Landsat data was adequate to meet most USFWS research, management and planning needs. Relative cost and time requirements were also factors in the decision to use the digital analysis approach.

Summary of bird-survey and banding results at W.L. Finley National Wildlife Refuge, 1998-2008

USGS Publications Warehouse

Hagar, Joan

2012-01-01

With some of the best remaining examples of oak habitats in the Willamette Valley, the Willamette Valley National Wildlife Refuge Complex (WVNWRC) has been implementing restoration efforts to reverse the successional trend towards Douglas-fir and maple that is threatening existing oak woodlands. The restoration work has been considered a model for other public and private efforts within the Willamette Valley, and has been showcased through the Oregon Oak Communities Working Group (http://www.oregonoaks.org). Although many oak restoration projects have been initiated over the last several years, and grant recipients typically identify wildlife species that are likely to benefit from their project, measures of success have not included the actual response of wildlife, such as a change in the probability of species occurrence or abundance. Monitoring in the WVNWRC has so far been limited to vegetative and structural changes within the plant community. Hagar and Stern (2001) identified bird species occurring in Willamette Valley oak woodlands that might be expected to benefit from such restoration efforts, including an endemic subspecies of the White-breasted Nuthatch (see Appendix 1 for scientific names of bird and plant species listed in this document), and the Acorn Woodpecker, both of which are species of concern in Oregon. However, empirical data documenting responses of bird assemblages to restoration actions are needed. The goal of this study was to document the effects of a restoration project in an Oregon White Oak woodland on Pigeon Butte in the W.L. Finley National Wildlife Refuge. Restoration treatments on Pigeon Butte include the removal of shade-tolerant tree species (primarily big-leaf maple and Douglas-fir) to reduce competition with oak trees and to return the stand to a more open structure. The objectives of this ongoing study are to compare abundance, survival, and productivity of diurnal songbird species before and after application of these

76 FR 33339 - Grays Harbor National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) and Black River Unit of Nisqually NWR; Comprehensive...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-06-08

... effects will climate change and sea level rise have on Refuge habitats and species? Invasive species control. Invasive species degrade habitat for shorebirds, migratory birds, and many other fish and wildlife. How can we reduce the incidence and spread of invasive species? Visitor experiences and education...

76 FR 59304 - 2011-2012 Refuge-Specific Hunting and Sport Fishing Regulations; Correction

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-09-26

...-0038; 93270-1265-0000-4A] RIN 1018-AX54 2011-2012 Refuge-Specific Hunting and Sport Fishing Regulations... our regulations concerning hunting and sport fishing programs at national wildlife refuges... part 32 concerning hunting and sport fishing programs at national wildlife refuges. The final rule...

Bat use of a high-plains urban wildlife refuge

USGS Publications Warehouse

Everette, A.L.; O'Shea, T.J.; Ellison, L.E.; Stone, L.A.; McCance, J.L.

2001-01-01

Bats are significant components of mammalian diversity and in many areas are of management concern. However, little attention has been given to bats in urban or prairie landscapes. In 1997 and 1998, we determined species richness, relative abundance, roosting habits, and echolocation activity of bats at Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge (RMA), the largest urban unit in the United States refuge system, located on the high plains near Denver, Colorado. An inventory using mist nets revealed 3 species foraging at this site: big brown bats (Eptesicus fuscus), hoary bats (Lasiurus cinereus), and silver-haired bats (Lasionycteris noctivagans). Big brown bats comprised 86% of captures (n=176). This pattern was consistent with continental-scale predictions of bat species richness and evenness based on availability of potential roosts. Relative abundance based on captures was similar to that revealed by echolocation detector surveys, except that the latter revealed the likely presence of at least 2 additional species (Myotis spp. and red bats [Lasiurus borealis]). Echolocation activity was significantly greater (P=0.009) in areas with tree or water habitat edges than in open prairie, suggesting that maintaining such features is important for bats. Big brown bats commuted greater distances (9.2-18.8 km) from roosts in urban core areas to foraging sites on the refuge than typically reported for this species elsewhere, emphasizing the value of the site to these bats. Urban refuges can provide habitat of importance to bat populations, but may be characterized by abundant bats that roost in buildings if a variety of other kinds of roosting habitats are unavailable.

Muskrat investigations on the Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge, Maryland, 1941-1945

USGS Publications Warehouse

Dozier, H.L.; Markely, M.H.; Llewellyn, L.M.

1948-01-01

1. Approximately 5,233 acres of tidal marsh on the Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge in Maryland were trapped by Fish and Wildlife Service personnel from 1941-1945, with the closely controlled operations yielding 23,539 muskrats; 13,421 (57 per cent) were males and 10,090 (43 per cent) were females, a sex ratio of 133: 100. This preponderance of males was consistently maintained throughout the entire trapping period each season and is regarded as significant. ...2. In the race discussed, Ondatra z. macrodon, two distinct color phases occur. Of the total catch for the five-year period, 52 per cent were of the black-and-tan phase and 48 per cent brown....3. Males were heavier than females, averaging 2 pounds 4 ounces (1,030 g.) and 2 pounds 2 ounces (962 g.) respectively, or a difference of 2.4 ounces (68 g.). Maximum individual weights were: male-4 pounds (1,814 g.) ; and female 3 pounds 12 ounces (1,701 g.).....4. Carcasses consistently showed a rather small amount of fat, including those coming from luxuriant stands of Scirpus olneyi...5. Average weights of the total catch varied little from year to year....6. Weights increased progressively from January 1 to February 15, followed by a rapid decline....7. Summarization of the catch into bi-weekly and monthly periods showed January to be the most productive month (53 per cent); January 16-31, the most productive bi-weekly period (27 per cent); and February 16-28, the least productive period with only 12 per cent of the average annual catch....8. The best prime condition was generally reached during the last half of February but this period, unfortunately, yielded the smallest number of pelts....9.A brief discussion of pertinent management principles is given.

DEVELOPMENT OF LAND COVER AND TERRAIN DATA BASES FOR THE INNOKO NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE, ALASKA, USING LANDSAT AND DIGITAL TERRAIN DATA.

USGS Publications Warehouse

Markon, Carl J.; Talbot, Stephen

1986-01-01

Landsat-derived land cover maps and associated elevation, slope, and aspect class maps were produced for the Innoko National Wildlife Refuge (3,850,000 acres; 1,555,095 hectares) in northwestern Alaska. These maps and associated digital data products are being used by the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service for wildlife management, research, and comprehensive conservation planning. Portions of two Landsat Multispectral Scanner (MSS) scenes and digital terrain data were used to produce 1:250,000 scale land cover and terrain maps. Prints of summer and winter Landsat MSS scenes were used to manually interpret broad physiographic strata. These strata were transferred to U. S. Geological Survey 1:250,000-scale topographic maps and digitized. Seven major land cover classes and 23 subclasses were identified. The major land cover classes include: forest, scrub, dwarf scrub and related types, herbaceous, scarcely vegetated areas, water, and shadow.

Polar bear maternal den habitat in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, Alaska

USGS Publications Warehouse

Durner, George M.; Amstrup, Steven C.; Ambrosius, Ken J.

2006-01-01

Polar bears (Ursus maritimus) give birth during mid-winter in dens of ice and snow. Denning polar bears subjected to human disturbances may abandon dens before their altricial young can survive the rigors of the Arctic winter. Because the Arctic coastal plain of Alaska is an area of high petroleum potential and contains existing and planned oil field developments, the distribution of polar bear dens on the plain is of interest to land managers. Therefore, as part of a study of denning habitats along the entire Arctic coast of Alaska, we examined high-resolution aerial photographs (n = 1655) of the 7994 km2 coastal plain included in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) and mapped 3621 km of bank habitat suitable for denning by polar bears. Such habitats were distributed uniformly and comprised 0.29% (23.2 km2) of the coastal plain between the Canning River and the Canadian border. Ground-truth sampling suggested that we had correctly identified 91.5% of bank denning habitats on the ANWR coastal plain. Knowledge of the distribution of these habitats will help facilitate informed management of human activities and minimize disruption of polar bears in maternal dens.

Conceptual ecological models to support detection of ecological change on Alaska National Wildlife Refuges

USGS Publications Warehouse

Woodward, Andrea; Beever, Erik A.

2011-01-01

More than 31 million hectares of land are protected and managed in 16 refuges by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) in Alaska. The vastness and isolation of Alaskan refuges give rise to relatively intact and complete ecosystems. The potential for these lands to provide habitat for trust species is likely to be altered, however, due to global climate change, which is having dramatic effects at high latitudes. The ability of USFWS to effectively manage these lands in the future will be enhanced by a regional inventory and monitoring program that integrates and supplements monitoring currently being implemented by individual refuges. Conceptual models inform monitoring programs in a number of ways, including summarizing important ecosystem components and processes as well as facilitating communication, discussion and debate about the nature of the system and important management issues. This process can lead to hypotheses regarding future changes, likely results of alternative management actions, identification of monitoring indicators, and ultimately, interpretation of monitoring results. As a first step towards developing a monitoring program, the 16 refuges in Alaska each created a conceptual model of their refuge and the landscape context. Models include prominent ecosystem components, drivers, and processes by which components are linked or altered. The Alaska refuge system also recognizes that designing and implementing monitoring at regional and ecoregional extents has numerous scientific, fiscal, logistical, and political advantages over monitoring conducted exclusively at refuge-specific scales. Broad-scale monitoring is particularly advantageous for examining phenomena such as climate change because effects are best interpreted at broader spatial extents. To enable an ecoregional perspective, a rationale was developed for deriving ecoregional boundaries for four ecoregions (Polar, Interior Alaska, Bering Coast, and North Pacific Coast) from the

A condensed middle Cenomanian succession in the Dakota Sandstone (Upper Cretaceous), Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge, Socorro County, New Mexico

USGS Publications Warehouse

Hook, Stephen C.; Cobban, William A.

2007-01-01

The upper part of the Dakota Sandstone exposed on the Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge, northern Socorro County, New Mexico, is a condensed, Upper Cretaceous, marine succession spanning the first five middle Cenomanian ammonite zones of the U.S. Western Interior. Farther north in New Mexico these five ammonite zones occur over a stratigraphic interval more than an order of magnitude thicker. The basal part of this marine sequence was deposited in Seboyeta Bay, an elongate east-west embayment into New Mexico that marked the initial transgression of the western shoreline of the Late Cretaceous seaway into New Mexico. The primary mechanism for condensing this section was nearshore, submarine erosion, although nondeposition played a minor role. The ammonite fossils from each zone are generally fragments of internal molds that are corroded on one side, indicating submarine burial, erosion of the prefossilized steinkern, and corrosion on the sea floor. In addition, the base of the condensed succession is marked by a thin bed that contains abundant, white-weathering, spherical to cylindrical phosphate nodules, many of which contain a cylindrical axial cavity of unknown origin. The nodules lie on the bedding surface of the highly burrowed, ridge-forming sandstone near the top of the Dakota and occur in the overlying breccia. The breccia consists of rip-up clasts of sandstone and eroded internal molds of the ammonite Conlinoceras tarrantense, the zonal index for the basal middle Cenomanian. The nodules below the breccia imply a time of erosion followed by nondeposition or sediment bypass during which the phosphatization occurred. The breccia implies a time of submarine erosion, probably storm-related. Remarkably, this condensed succession and the basal part of the overlying Mancos Shale tongue contain one of the most complete middle Cenomanian ammonite sequences in the U.S. Western Interior. Five of the six ammonite zones that characterize the middle Cenomanian of the

Hydrology of C-3 watershed, Seney National Wildlife Refuge, Michigan

USGS Publications Warehouse

Sweat, Michael J.

2001-01-01

Proposed changes to watershed management practices near C-3 Pool at Seney National Wildlife Refuge will affect surface-water flow patterns, ground-water levels, and possibly local plant communities. Data were collected between fall 1998 and spring 2000 to document existing conditions and to assess potential changes in hydrology that might occur as a consequence of modifications to water management practices in C-3 watershed.Minimum and maximum measured inflows and outflows for the study period are presented in light of proposed management changes to C-3 watershed. Streamflows ranged from 0 to 8.61 cubic meters per second. Low or zero flow was generally measured in late summer and early fall, and highest flows were measured during spring runoff and winter rain events. Ground-water levels varied by about a half meter, with levels closest to or above the land surface during spring runoff into the early summer, and with levels generally below land surface during late fall into early winter.A series of optional management practices that could conserve and restore habitat of the C-3 watershed is described. Modifications to the existing system of a drainage ditch and control structures are examined, as are the possibilities of reconnecting streams to their historical channels and the construction of additional or larger control structures to further manage the distribution of water in the watershed. The options considered could reduce erosion, restore presettlement streamflow conditions, and modify the ground-water gradient.

Shorebird abundance and distribution on the coastal plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge

USGS Publications Warehouse

Brown, S.; Bart, J.; Lanctot, Richard B.; Johnson, J.A.; Kendall, S.; Payer, D.; Johnson, J.

2007-01-01

The coastal plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge hosts seven species of migratory shorebirds listed as highly imperiled or high priority by the U.S. Shorebird Conservation Plan and five species listed as Birds of Conservation Concern by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. During the first comprehensive shorebird survey of the 674 000 ha "1002 Area" on the coastal plain, we recorded 14 species of breeding shorebirds at 197 rapidly surveyed plots during June 2002 and 2004. We also estimated detection ratios with a double counting technique, using data collected at 37 intensively studied plots located on the North Slope of Alaska and northern Canada. We stratified the study area by major habitat types, including wetlands, moist areas, uplands, and riparian areas, using previously classified Landsat imagery. We developed population estimates with confidence limits by species, and estimated the total number of shorebirds in the study area to be 230 000 (95% CI: 104 000-363 000), which exceeds the biological criterion for classification as both a Western Hemisphere Shorebird Reserve Network Site of International Importance (100 000 birds) and a Ramsar Wetland of International Importance (20 000 birds), even when conservatively estimated. Species richness and the density of many species were highest in wetland or riparian habitats, which are clustered along the coast. ?? The Cooper Ornithological Society 2007.

Summary of wildlife-related research on the coastal plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, Alaska, 2002–17

USGS Publications Warehouse

Pearce, John M.; Flint, Paul L.; Atwood, Todd C.; Douglas, David C.; Adams, Layne G.; Johnson, Heather E.; Arthur, Stephen M.; Latty, Christopher J.

2018-01-23

We summarize recent (2002–17) publicly available information from studies within the 1002 Area of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge as well as terrestrial and coastal ecosystems elsewhere on the Arctic Coastal Plain that are relevant to the 1002 Area. This report provides an update on earlier research summaries on caribou (Rangifer tarandus), forage quality and quantity, polar bears (Ursus maritimus), muskoxen (Ovibos moschatus), and snow geese (Chen caerulescens). We also provide information on new research related to climate, migratory birds, permafrost, coastal erosion, coastal lagoons, fish, water resources, and potential effects of industrial disturbance on wildlife. From this literature review, we noted evidence for change in the status of some wildlife and their habitats, and the lack of change for others. In the 1002 Area, muskox numbers have decreased and the Porcupine Caribou Herd has exhibited variation in use of the area during the calving season. Polar bears are now more common on shore in summer and fall because of declines in sea ice in the Beaufort Sea. In a study spanning 25 years, there were no significant changes in vegetation quality and quantity, soil conditions, or permafrost thaw in the coastal plain of the 1002 Area. Based on studies from the central Arctic Coastal Plain, there are persistent and emerging uncertainties about the long-term effects of energy development for caribou. In contrast, recent studies that examined direct and indirect effects of industrial activities and infrastructure on birds in the central Arctic Coastal Plain found little effect for the species and disturbances examined, except for the possibility of increased predator activity near human developments.

Prevalence of the amphibian chytrid fungus (Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis) at Buenos Aires National Wildlife Refuge, Arizona, USA

USGS Publications Warehouse

Sigafus, Brent H.; Hossack, Blake R.; Muths, Erin L.; Schwalbe, Cecil R.

2014-01-01

Information on disease presence can be of use to natural resource managers, especially in areas supporting threatened and endangered species that occur coincidentally with species that are suspected vectors for disease. Ad hoc reports may be of limited utility (Muths et al. 2009), but a general sense of pathogen presence (or absence) can inform management directed at T&E species, especially in regions where disease is suspected to have caused population declines (Bradley et al. 2002). The Chiricahua Leopard Frog (Lithobates chiricahuensis), a species susceptible to infection by the amphibian chytrid fungus (Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis, Bd) (Bradley et al. 2002), and the non-native, invasive American Bullfrog (L. catesbeianus), a suspected vector for chytridiomycosis (Schloegel et al. 2012, Gervasi et al. 2013), both occur at Buenos Aires National Wildlife Refuge (BANWR) and surrounding lands in southern Arizona. Efforts to eradicate the bullfrog from BANWR began in 1997 (Suhre, 2010). Eradication from the southern portion of BANWR was successful by 2008 but the bullfrog remains present at the Arivaca Cienega and in areas immediately adjacent to the refuge (Fig. 1). Curtailing the re-invasion of the bullfrog into BANWR will require vigilance as to ensure the health of Chiricahua Leopard Frog populations.

Modeling potential impacts of the Garrison Diversion Unit project on Sand Lake and Arrowwood National Wildlife Refuges: a feasibility analysis

USGS Publications Warehouse

Hamilton, David B.; Auble, Gregor T.; Farmer, Adrian H.; Roelle, James E.

1987-01-01

The Garrison Diversion Unit (GDU) of the Pick-Sloan Missouri Basin program was authorized in 1965, with the purpose of diverting Missouri River water to the James River for irrigation, municipal and industrial water supply, fish and wildlife habitat, recreation, and flood control. The project was reauthorized in 1986, with the specification that comprehensive studies be conducted to address a variety of issues. One of these ongoing studies addresses potential impacts of GDU construction and operation on lands of the National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) system, including Arrowwood and Sand Lake Refuges (the Refuges) on the James River. A number of concerns at these Refuges have been identified; the primary concerns addressed in this report include increased winter return flows, which would limit control of rough fish; increased turbidity during project construction, which would decrease production of sago pondweed; and increased water level fluctuations in the late spring and early summer, which would destroy the nests of some over-water nesting birds. The facilitated workshop described in this report was conducted February 18-20, 1987, under the joint sponsorship of the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and the North Dakota Game and Fish Department. The primary objectives of the workshop were to evaluate the feasibility of using simulation modeling techniques to estimate GDU impacts on Arrowwood and Sand Lake Refuges and to suggest enhancements to the James River Refuge monitoring program. The workshop was structured around the formulation of four submodels: a Hydrology and Water Quality submodel to simulate changes in Refuge pool elevations, turnover rates, and water quality parameters (e.g., total dissolved solids, turbidity, dissolved oxygen, nutrients, water temperature, pesticides) due to GDU construction and operation; a Vegetation submodel to simulate concomitant changes in wetland communities (e.g., sago pondweed, wet meadows, deep

Wildlife Photography - Bunnies

NASA Image and Video Library

2017-05-04

A rabbit sits in the underbrush at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The center shares a border with the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge. More than 330 native and migratory bird species, 25 mammals, 117 fishes and 65 amphibians and reptiles call Kennedy and the wildlife refuge home.

Wildlife Photography - Turtles

NASA Image and Video Library

2017-05-04

A turtle moves through a waterway at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The center shares a border with the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge. More than 330 native and migratory bird species, 25 mammals, 117 fishes and 65 amphibians and reptiles call Kennedy and the wildlife refuge home.

Sediment PAHs and tumors in brown bullhead (Ameiurus nebulosus) at Featherstone National Wildlife Refuge, Virginia

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Pinkney, A.E.; Sutherland, D.W.; Foley, R.E.

1995-12-31

Featherstone National Wildlife Refuge is located in Virginia along the Potomac River, about 35.4 kilometers southwest of Washington, DC. The study objective was to verify past observations of gross lesions in several fish species, previously collected from Potomac River tributaries for contaminant analysis. Thirty brown bullhead (Ameiurus nebulosus) were collected from Neabsco Creek, which borders the refuge, 29 were collected from Farm Creek, which bisects the refuge, and 30 were collected from Marumsco Creek, 1.75 km upstream. Sediment concentrations of polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHS) were measured because elevated levels have been associated with skin and liver tumors in this species.more » The average concentration of total carcinogenic PAHs in sediments was: Farm Creek (0.34 ppm) < Marumsco Creek (0.63 ppm) < Neabsco Creek (1.37 ppm). The prevalence of skin neoplasms (squamous carcinomas and papillomas) was 3.4% in Farm Creek, 16.6% in Marumsco Creek, and 33.3% in Neabsco Creek. This ranking and the rankings of the total number of fish with tumors, invasive tumors, or non-parasitic lesions all followed the trend in sediment carcinogenic PAHs (p < 0.003; Jongheere-Terpstra test). The prevalence of liver carcinomas (O% at Farm Creek, 3.3% at Marumsco Creek, and 10% at Neabsco Creek) was of borderline significance (p = 0.06). The highest sediment concentrations of total (25.5 ppm) and carcinogenic (2.70 ppm) PAHs were found in Neabsco Creek near a complex of three marinas. Further sampling should be conducted in Neabsco Creek to determine the sources and extent of PAH contamination. Laboratory exposures are recommended for establishing a cause-effect linkage between sediment and tumor incidence. Additional sediment chemistry is needed to determine if other carcinogens are present.« less

Accuracy assessment, using stratified plurality sampling, of portions of a LANDSAT classification of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge Coastal Plain

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Card, Don H.; Strong, Laurence L.

1989-01-01

An application of a classification accuracy assessment procedure is described for a vegetation and land cover map prepared by digital image processing of LANDSAT multispectral scanner data. A statistical sampling procedure called Stratified Plurality Sampling was used to assess the accuracy of portions of a map of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge coastal plain. Results are tabulated as percent correct classification overall as well as per category with associated confidence intervals. Although values of percent correct were disappointingly low for most categories, the study was useful in highlighting sources of classification error and demonstrating shortcomings of the plurality sampling method.

Wildlife Photography - Birds

NASA Image and Video Library

2017-05-04

Common gallinules search for food in a waterway at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The center shares a border with the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge. More than 330 native and migratory bird species, 25 mammals, 117 fishes and 65 amphibians and reptiles call Kennedy and the wildlife refuge home.

Wildlife Photography - Alligators

NASA Image and Video Library

2017-05-04

Baby alligators gather in a shallow waterway at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The center shares a border with the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge. More than 330 native and migratory bird species, 25 mammals, 117 fishes and 65 amphibians and reptiles call Kennedy and the wildlife refuge home.

Wildlife Photography - Birds

NASA Image and Video Library

2017-05-04

Three glossy ibises walk through a marshy area at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The center shares a border with the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge. More than 330 native and migratory bird species, 25 mammals, 117 fishes and 65 amphibians and reptiles call Kennedy and the wildlife refuge home.

Wildlife Photography - Alligators

NASA Image and Video Library

2017-05-08

An alligator moves through a brackish waterway at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The center shares a border with the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge. More than 330 native and migratory bird species, 25 mammals, 117 fishes and 65 amphibians and reptiles call Kennedy and the wildlife refuge home.

Wildlife Photography - Eagles

NASA Image and Video Library

2017-05-04

A juvenile bald eagle sits in the grass at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The center shares a border with the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge. More than 330 native and migratory bird species, 25 mammals, 117 fishes and 65 amphibians and reptiles call Kennedy and the wildlife refuge home.

Wildlife Photography - Birds

NASA Image and Video Library

2017-05-04

A juvenile white ibis stands in a waterway at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The center shares a border with the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge. More than 330 native and migratory bird species, 25 mammals, 117 fishes and 65 amphibians and reptiles call Kennedy and the wildlife refuge home.

Wildlife Photography - Alligators

NASA Image and Video Library

2017-05-08

An alligator lurks in a brackish waterway at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The center shares a border with the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge. More than 330 native and migratory bird species, 25 mammals, 117 fishes and 65 amphibians and reptiles call Kennedy and the wildlife refuge home.

Wildlife Photography - Alligators

NASA Image and Video Library

2017-05-04

An alligator swims in a brackish waterway at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The center shares a border with the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge. More than 330 native and migratory bird species, 25 mammals, 117 fishes and 65 amphibians and reptiles call Kennedy and the wildlife refuge home.

Wildlife Photography - Birds

NASA Image and Video Library

2017-05-04

A juvenile heron wades in a waterway at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The center shares a border with the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge. More than 330 native and migratory bird species, 25 mammals, 117 fishes and 65 amphibians and reptiles call Kennedy and the wildlife refuge home.

Wildlife Photography - Birds

NASA Image and Video Library

2017-05-04

Common gallinules swim in a shallow waterway at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The center shares a border with the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge. More than 330 native and migratory bird species, 25 mammals, 117 fishes and 65 amphibians and reptiles call Kennedy and the wildlife refuge home.

Hydrogeology of, simulation of groundwater flow in, and potential effects of sea-level rise on the Kirkwood-Cohansey aquifer system in the vicinity of Edwin B. Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge, New Jersey

USGS Publications Warehouse

Fiore, Alex R.; Voronin, Lois M.; Wieben, Christine M.

2018-03-19

The Edwin B. Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge encompasses more than 47,000 acres of New Jersey coastal habitats, including salt marshes, freshwater wetlands, tidal wetlands, barrier beaches, woodlands, and swamps. The refuge is along the Atlantic Flyway and provides breeding habitat for fish, migratory birds, and other wildlife species. The refuge area may be threatened by global climate change, including sea-level rise (SLR).The Kirkwood-Cohansey aquifer system underlies the Edwin B. Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge. Groundwater is an important source of freshwater flow into the refuge, but information about the interaction of surface water and groundwater in the refuge area and the potential effects of SLR on the underlying aquifer system is limited. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), in cooperation with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), conducted a hydrologic assessment of the refuge in New Jersey and developed a groundwater flow model to improve understanding of the geohydrology of the refuge area and to serve as a tool to evaluate changes in groundwater-level altitudes that may result from a rise in sea level.Groundwater flow simulations completed for this study include a calibrated baseline simulation that represents 2005–15 hydraulic conditions and three SLR scenarios―20, 40, and 60 centimeters (cm) (0.656, 1.312, and 1.968 feet, respectively). Results of the three SLR simulations indicate that the water table in the unconfined Kirkwood-Cohansey aquifer system in the refuge area will rise, resulting in increased discharge of fresh groundwater to freshwater wetlands and streams. As sea level rises, simulated groundwater discharge to the salt marsh, bay, and ocean is projected to decrease. Flow from the salt marsh, bay, and ocean to the overlying surface water is projected to increase as sea level rises.The simulated movement of the freshwater-seawater interface as sea level rises depends on the hydraulic-head gradient. In the center of the

Wildlife Photography - Eagles

NASA Image and Video Library

2017-05-04

A juvenile bald eagle watches for prey in the grass at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The center shares a border with the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge. More than 330 native and migratory bird species, 25 mammals, 117 fishes and 65 amphibians and reptiles call Kennedy and the wildlife refuge home.

Wildlife Photography - Birds

NASA Image and Video Library

2017-05-04

A glossy ibis searches for food in a marshy area at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The center shares a border with the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge. More than 330 native and migratory bird species, 25 mammals, 117 fishes and 65 amphibians and reptiles call Kennedy and the wildlife refuge home.

Wildlife Photography - Birds

NASA Image and Video Library

2017-05-04

A red-winged blackbird perches on a fire hydrant at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The center shares a border with the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge. More than 330 native and migratory bird species, 25 mammals, 117 fishes and 65 amphibians and reptiles call Kennedy and the wildlife refuge home.

A model for evaluating effects of climate, water availability, and water management on wetland impoundments--a case study on Bowdoin, Long Lake, and Sand Lake National Wildlife Refuges

USGS Publications Warehouse

Tangen, Brian A.; Gleason, Robert A.; Stamm, John F.

2013-01-01

Many wetland impoundments managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) National Wildlife Refuge System throughout the northern Great Plains rely on rivers as a primary water source. A large number of these impoundments currently are being stressed from changes in water supplies and quality, and these problems are forecast to worsen because of projected changes to climate and land use. For example, many managed wetlands in arid regions have become degraded owing to the long-term accumulation of salts and increased salinity associated with evapotranspiration. A primary goal of the USFWS is to provide aquatic habitats for a diversity of waterbirds; thus, wetland managers would benefit from a tool that facilitates evaluation of wetland habitat quality in response to current and anticipated impacts of altered hydrology and salt balances caused by factors such as climate change, water availability, and management actions. A spreadsheet model that simulates the overall water and salinity balance (WSB model) of managed wetland impoundments is presented. The WSB model depicts various habitat metrics, such as water depth, salinity, and surface areas (inundated, dry), which can be used to evaluate alternative management actions under various water-availability and climate scenarios. The WSB model uses widely available spreadsheet software, is relatively simple to use, relies on widely available inputs, and is readily adaptable to specific locations. The WSB model was validated using data from three National Wildlife Refuges with direct and indirect connections to water resources associated with rivers, and common data limitations are highlighted. The WSB model also was used to conduct simulations based on hypothetical climate and management scenarios to demonstrate the utility of the model for evaluating alternative management strategies and climate futures. The WSB model worked well across a range of National Wildlife Refuges and could be a valuable tool for USFWS

Yukon Flats National Wildlife Refuge land cover mapping project users guide

USGS Publications Warehouse

Markon, Carl J.

1987-01-01

The U. S. Fish & Wildlife Service (USFWS) has the responsibility for collecting the resource information to address the research, management, development and planning requirements identified in Section 304. Because of the brief period provided by the Act for data collection, habitat mapping, and habitat assessment, the USFWS in cooperation with the U.S. Geological Survey's EROS Field Office, used digital Landsat multispectral scanner (MSS) data and digital terrain data to produce land cover and terrain maps. A computer assisted digital analysis of Landsat MSS data was used because coverage by aerial photographs was incomplete for much of the refuge and because the level of detail obtained from Landsat data was adequate to meet most USFWS research, management and planning needs. Relative cost and time requirements were also factors in the decision to use the digital analysis approach.

Pilot testing and protocol development of giant applesnail suppression at Mandalay National Wildlife Refuge, Louisiana—July–October 2017

USGS Publications Warehouse

Carter, Jacoby; Merino, Sergio

2018-03-19

This report provides an overview of the pilot study and description of the techniques developed for a future mitigation study of Pomacea maculata (giant applesnail) at the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Mandalay National Wildlife Refuge, Louisiana (MNWR). Egg mass suppression is a potential strategy for the mitigation of the invasive giant applesnail. In previous studies at Langan Municipal Park in Mobile, Alabama (LMP), and National Park Service Jean Lafitte National Park-Barataria Unit, Louisiana (JLNP), we determined that spraying food-grade oil (coconut oil or Pam™ spray) on egg masses significantly reduced egg hatching. At JLNP we also developed methods to estimate snail population size. The purpose of this pilot study was to adapt techniques developed for previous studies to the circumstances of MNWR in preparation for a larger experiment whereby we will test the effectiveness of egg mass suppression as an applesnail mitigation tool. We selected four canals that will be used as treatment and control sites for the experiment (two each). We established that an efficient way to destroy egg masses is to knock them down with a high-velocity stream of water pumped directly from the canal. The traps used at JLNP had to be modified to accommodate the greater range of water-level fluctuation at MNWR. One of the three marking methods used at JLNP was selected for use at MNWR.

Summary of oceanographic and water-quality measurements near the Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge, Maryland, 2011

USGS Publications Warehouse

Ganju, Neil K.; Dickhudt, Patrick J.; Montgomery, Ellyn T.; Brennand, Patrick; Derby, R. Kyle; Brooks, Thomas W.; Guntenspergen, Glenn R.; Martini, Marinna A.; Borden, Jonathan; Baldwin, Sandra M.

2012-01-01

Suspended-sediment transport is a critical element governing the geomorphology of tidal marshes. Marshes rely on both organic material and inorganic sediment deposition to maintain their elevation relative to sea level. In wetlands near the Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge, Maryland, portions of the salt marsh have been subsiding relative to sea level since the early 20th century. Other portions of the marsh have been successful at maintaining elevation. The U.S. Geological Survey performed observational deployments to measure suspended-sediment concentration in the tidal channels in order to understand the magnitude of suspended-sediment concentrations, the sediment-transport mechanisms, and differences between two marsh areas, one that subsided and one that maintained elevation. We deployed optical turbidity sensors and acoustic velocity meters at multiple sites over two periods in 2011. This report presents the time-series of oceanographic data collected during those field studies, including velocity, depth, turbidity, salinity, water temperature, and pH.

Wildlife Photography - Eagles

NASA Image and Video Library

2017-05-04

An American bald eagle eats its prey on a wooden dock at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The center shares a border with the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge. More than 330 native and migratory bird species, 25 mammals, 117 fishes and 65 amphibians and reptiles call Kennedy and the wildlife refuge home.

Wildlife Photography - Hawks

NASA Image and Video Library

2018-02-07

A Red-shouldered hawk soars in clear skies above NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The center shares a border with the 140,000-acre Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge. More than 330 native and migratory bird species, 25 mammals, 117 fishes and 65 amphibians and reptiles call Kennedy and the wildlife refuge home.

Estimates of evapotranspiration from the Ruby Lake National Wildlife Refuge area, Ruby Valley, northeastern Nevada, May 1999-October 2000

USGS Publications Warehouse

Berger, David L.; Johnson, Michael J.; Tumbusch, Mary L.; Mackay, Jeffrey

2001-01-01

The Ruby Lake National Wildlife Refuge in Ruby Valley, Nevada, contains the largest area of perennial wetlands in northeastern Nevada and provides habitat to a large number of migratory and nesting waterfowl. The long-term preservation of the refuge depends on the availability of sufficient water to maintain optimal habitat conditions. In the Ruby Valley water budget, evapotranspiration (ET) from the refuge is one of the largest components of natural outflow. To help determine the amount of inflow needed to maintain wetland habitat, estimates of ET for May 1999 through October 2000 were made at major habitats throughout the refuge. The Bowen-ratio method was used to estimate daily ET at four sites: over open water, in a moderate-to-dense cover of bulrush marsh, in a moderate cover of mixed phreatophytic shrubs, and in a desert-shrub upland. The eddy-correlation method was used to estimate daily ET for periods of 2 to 12 weeks at a meadow site and at four sites in a sparse-to-moderate cover of phreatophytic shrubs. Daily ET rates ranged from less than 0.010 inch per day at all of the sites to a maximum of 0.464 inch per day at the open-water site. Average daily ET rates estimated for open water and a bulrush marsh were about four to five times greater than in areas of mixed phreatophytic shrubs, where the depth to ground water is less than 5 feet. Based on the seasonal distribution of major habitats in the refuge and on winter and summer ET rates, an estimated total of about 89,000 acre-feet of water was consumed by ET during October 1999-September 2000 (2000 water year). Of this total, about 49,800 acre-feet was consumed by ET in areas of open water and bulrush marsh.

Seed rain under native and non-native tree species in the Cabo Rojo National Wildlife Refuge, Puerto Rico.

PubMed

Arias Garcia, Andrea; Chinea, J Danilo

2014-09-01

Seed dispersal is a fundamental process in plant ecology and is of critical importance for the restoration of tropical communities. The lands of the Cabo Rojo National Wildlife Refuge (CRNWR), formerly under agriculture, were abandoned in the 1970s and colonized mainly by non-native tree species of degraded pastures. Here we described the seed rain under the most common native and non-native trees in the refuge in an attempt to determine if focal tree geographic origin (native versus non-native) influences seed dispersal. For this, seed rain was sampled for one year under the canopies of four native and four non-native tree species common in this refuge using 40 seed traps. No significant differences were found for the abundance of seeds, or their diversity, dispersing under native versus non-native focal tree species, nor under the different tree species. A significantly different seed species composition was observed reaching native versus non-native focal species. However, this last result could be more easily explained as a function of distance of the closest adults of the two most abundantly dispersed plant species to the seed traps than as a function of the geographic origin of the focal species. We suggest to continue the practice of planting native tree species, not only as a way to restore the community to a condition similar to the original one, but also to reduce the distances needed for effective dispersal.

50 CFR 36.16 - Closure to subsistence uses of fish and wildlife.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... 50 Wildlife and Fisheries 9 2014-10-01 2014-10-01 false Closure to subsistence uses of fish and wildlife. 36.16 Section 36.16 Wildlife and Fisheries UNITED STATES FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR (CONTINUED) THE NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE SYSTEM ALASKA NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGES...

50 CFR 36.16 - Closure to subsistence uses of fish and wildlife.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

... 50 Wildlife and Fisheries 9 2012-10-01 2012-10-01 false Closure to subsistence uses of fish and wildlife. 36.16 Section 36.16 Wildlife and Fisheries UNITED STATES FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR (CONTINUED) THE NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE SYSTEM ALASKA NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGES...

50 CFR 36.16 - Closure to subsistence uses of fish and wildlife.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... 50 Wildlife and Fisheries 9 2013-10-01 2013-10-01 false Closure to subsistence uses of fish and wildlife. 36.16 Section 36.16 Wildlife and Fisheries UNITED STATES FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR (CONTINUED) THE NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE SYSTEM ALASKA NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGES...

50 CFR 36.16 - Closure to subsistence uses of fish and wildlife.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... 50 Wildlife and Fisheries 6 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Closure to subsistence uses of fish and wildlife. 36.16 Section 36.16 Wildlife and Fisheries UNITED STATES FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR (CONTINUED) THE NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE SYSTEM ALASKA NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGES...

50 CFR 36.16 - Closure to subsistence uses of fish and wildlife.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... 50 Wildlife and Fisheries 8 2011-10-01 2011-10-01 false Closure to subsistence uses of fish and wildlife. 36.16 Section 36.16 Wildlife and Fisheries UNITED STATES FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR (CONTINUED) THE NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE SYSTEM ALASKA NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGES...

Evidence of estrogenic endocrine disruption in smallmouth and largemouth bass inhabiting Northeast U.S. national wildlife refuge waters: A reconnaissance study.

PubMed

Iwanowicz, L R; Blazer, V S; Pinkney, A E; Guy, C P; Major, A M; Munney, K; Mierzykowski, S; Lingenfelser, S; Secord, A; Patnode, K; Kubiak, T J; Stern, C; Hahn, C M; Iwanowicz, D D; Walsh, H L; Sperry, A

2016-02-01

Intersex as the manifestation of testicular oocytes (TO) in male gonochoristic fishes has been used as an indicator of estrogenic exposure. Here we evaluated largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides) or smallmouth bass (Micropterus dolomieu) form 19 National Wildlife Refuges (NWRs) in the Northeast U.S. inhabiting waters on or near NWR lands for evidence of estrogenic endocrine disruption. Waterbodies sampled included rivers, lakes, impoundments, ponds, and reservoirs. Here we focus on evidence of endocrine disruption in male bass evidenced by gonad histopathology including intersex or abnormal plasma vitellogenin (Vtg) concentrations. During the fall seasons of 2008-2010, we collected male smallmouth bass (n=118) from 12 sites and largemouth bass (n=173) from 27 sites. Intersex in male smallmouth bass was observed at all sites and ranged from 60% to 100%; in male largemouth bass the range was 0-100%. Estrogenicity, as measured using a bioluminescent yeast reporter, was detected above the probable no effects concentration (0.73ng/L) in ambient water samples from 79% of the NWR sites. Additionally, the presence of androgen receptor and glucocorticoid receptor ligands were noted as measured via novel nuclear receptor translocation assays. Mean plasma Vtg was elevated (>0.2mg/ml) in male smallmouth bass at four sites and in male largemouth bass at one site. This is the first reconnaissance survey of this scope conducted on US National Wildlife Refuges. The baseline data collected here provide a necessary benchmark for future monitoring and justify more comprehensive NWR-specific studies. Published by Elsevier Inc.

Evidence of estrogenic endocrine disruption in smallmouth and largemouth bass inhabiting Northeast U.S. National Wildlife Refuge waters: A reconnaissance study

USGS Publications Warehouse

Iwanowicz, Luke R.; Blazer, Vicki S.; Pinkney, A.E.; Guy, C.P.; Major, A.M.; Munney, K.; Mierzykowski, S.; Lingenfelser, S.; Secord, A.; Patnode, K.; Kubiak, T.J.; Stern, C.; Hahn, Cassidy M.; Iwanowicz, Deborah; Walsh, Heather L.; Sperry, Adam J.

2016-01-01

Intersex as the manifestation of testicular oocytes (TO) in male gonochoristic fishes has been used as an indicator of estrogenic exposure. Here we evaluated largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides) or smallmouth bass (Micropterus dolomieu) form 19 National Wildlife Refuges (NWRs) in the Northeast U.S. inhabiting waters on or near NWR lands for evidence of estrogenic endocrine disruption. Waterbodies sampled included rivers, lakes, impoundments, ponds, and reservoirs. Here we focus on evidence of endocrine disruption in male bass evidenced by gonad histopathology including intersex or abnormal plasma vitellogenin (Vtg) concentrations. During the fall seasons of 2008–2010, we collected male smallmouth bass (n=118) from 12 sites and largemouth bass (n=173) from 27 sites. Intersex in male smallmouth bass was observed at all sites and ranged from 60% to 100%; in male largemouth bass the range was 0–100%. Estrogenicity, as measured using a bioluminescent yeast reporter, was detected above the probable no effects concentration (0.73 ng/L) in ambient water samples from 79% of the NWR sites. Additionally, the presence of androgen receptor and glucocorticoid receptor ligands were noted as measured via novel nuclear receptor translocation assays. Mean plasma Vtg was elevated (>0.2 mg/ml) in male smallmouth bass at four sites and in male largemouth bass at one site. This is the first reconnaissance survey of this scope conducted on US National Wildlife Refuges. The baseline data collected here provide a necessary benchmark for future monitoring and justify more comprehensive NWR-specific studies.

50 CFR 36.33 - What do I need to know about using cabins and related structures on Alaska National Wildlife...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... 50 Wildlife and Fisheries 6 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false What do I need to know about using cabins and related structures on Alaska National Wildlife Refuges? 36.33 Section 36.33 Wildlife and Fisheries UNITED STATES FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR (CONTINUED) THE NATIONAL WILDLIFE...

50 CFR 36.33 - What do I need to know about using cabins and related structures on Alaska National Wildlife...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... 50 Wildlife and Fisheries 9 2013-10-01 2013-10-01 false What do I need to know about using cabins and related structures on Alaska National Wildlife Refuges? 36.33 Section 36.33 Wildlife and Fisheries UNITED STATES FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR (CONTINUED) THE NATIONAL WILDLIFE...

50 CFR 36.33 - What do I need to know about using cabins and related structures on Alaska National Wildlife...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

... 50 Wildlife and Fisheries 9 2012-10-01 2012-10-01 false What do I need to know about using cabins and related structures on Alaska National Wildlife Refuges? 36.33 Section 36.33 Wildlife and Fisheries UNITED STATES FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR (CONTINUED) THE NATIONAL WILDLIFE...

50 CFR 36.33 - What do I need to know about using cabins and related structures on Alaska National Wildlife...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... 50 Wildlife and Fisheries 9 2014-10-01 2014-10-01 false What do I need to know about using cabins and related structures on Alaska National Wildlife Refuges? 36.33 Section 36.33 Wildlife and Fisheries UNITED STATES FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR (CONTINUED) THE NATIONAL WILDLIFE...