Silvio O. Conte NFWR Comprehensive Conservation Planning Scoping Sessions
Dear Birders and other Interested Parties:
Please see the below notice for upcoming public scoping meetings for the Silvio O. Conte National Fish and Wildlife Refuge. There are two meetings scheduled for Connecticut:
Tuesday, Oct. 24 Eleanor Buck Wolf Nature Center; Wethersfield, CT, 7-9 pm
Thursday, Oct. 26 East Hampton Library Community Room East Hampton, CT 7-9 pm
This is a great opportunity to weigh in on behalf of ecologically important sites along the Connecticut River Watershed, including: Station 43 and associated floodplain, the Wethersfield/Glastonbury/Rocky Hill Great Meadows, Dead Mans Swamp, Portland/Wangunk Meadows, the freshwater tidal wetlands of the CT River
(many), Lord's Cove, Great Island and others, and even key forest blocks such as Meshomasic State Forest and the surrounding forest block and the 'Tidelands" forest blocks.
Please help to spread the word to anyone who might be interested in preserving the Connecticut River Watershed.
Below is the forwarded announcement:
Sincerely,
Patrick M. Comins
Silvio O. Conte
National Fish and Wildlife Refuge
Developing a Conservation Plan for the Future
The Silvio O. Conte National Fish and Wildlife Refuge is unique because it is the only watershed project in
the National Wildlife Refuge System. It was established in 1997 to protect populations of migratory fish and birds, threatened and endangered plants and animals, and other native species throughout the Connecticut River watershed. It is a formidable challenge to protect these resources within the 7.2 million acre watershed, located in four New England states, where more than two million people live and work.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, which manages national wildlife refuges, works in partnership with
States, conservation organizations, business and industry, and concerned citizens to cooperatively protect these resources. The Service has acquired land for the refuge at specific locations in the four watershed states - Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Vermont - that are of the highest value to wildlife.
A Conservation Plan for the Future
The Service has begun developing a comprehensive conservation plan (CCP) for the refuge. The CCP will
establish management goals and objectives for the refuge's wildlife management, habitat protection, and public use programs for the next 15 years.
The CCP process provides an opportunity for States, conservation and local organizations, communities,
and concerned citizens to participate in the development of this far-reaching plan. As the first step in the
planning process, refuge staff and Service planners will host open houses at locations throughout the
watershed. Participants will have the opportunity at these meetings to learn about existing refuge
programs, help the planning team identify key issues, share ideas and concerns, and make
recommendations on how the refuge should be managed in the future.
Information from the open houses, and through other public involvement opportunities, will guide the
planning team as it develops proposed management alternatives. These proposed alternatives will be
included in a draft CCP, which the Service expects to release for public review in December 2007.
For more specific information about the location of the open houses and for up to date information on the planning process, go to the refuge's planning web page at: http://www.fws.gov/northeast/planning/Conte/ccphome.html
Planning Schedule:
December 2006-November 2007: Develop draft CCP/EIS
December 2007: Release public draft CCP/EIS
January/February 2008: Hold public comment meetings on CCP/EIS
September 2008: Release Final CCP
Purposes for which the refuge was established
(1) to conserve, protect, and enhance the Connecticut River valley populations of Atlantic Salmon,
American shad, river herring, shortnosed sturgeon, bald eagles, peregrine falcons, osprey, black ducks,
and other native species of plants, fish and wildlife;
(2) to conserve, protect, and enhance the natural diversity and abundance of plant, fish and wildlife species and the ecosystems upon which these species depend within the refuge;
(3) to protect species listed as endangered or threatened, or identified as candidates for listing, pursuant to the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (16 U.S. C 1531 et seq.);
(4) to restore and maintain the chemical, physical, and biological integrity of wetlands and other waters
within the refuge;
(5) to fulfill the international treaty obligations of the United States relating to fish and wildlife and wetlands; and
(6) to provide opportunities for scientific research, environmental education, and fish and wildlife oriented recreation and access to the extent compatible with the other purposes stated in this section.
Refuge Profile
Established: 1997
Current staff: 11.8
FY 2005 budget:
Ops./maintenance* $1,178,596
Other** $1,670,376
Established: 1997
Current total acres: 32,179
Connecticut 31
Massachusetts 238
New Hampshire 5,336
Vermont 26,534
2005 visitation: 200,706
2005 volunteer hours: 4,602
*Includes annual maintenance, utilities, contracts
**Includes deferred maintenance, construction, equipment, and biological
projects
Refuge Lands and Education Centers in Connecticut
Connecticut: Deadman's Swamp Unit, Middlesex County
For more information:
Andrew French, Project Leader
Silvio O. Conte
National Fish and Wildlife Refuge
52 Avenue A
Turners Falls, MA 01376
Phone: 413/863 0209 ext. 8
E-mail: Andrew_French@fws.gov
Website: http://www.fws.gov/r5soc/
**As of November 30, 2006, refuge headquarters will be relocated from Turners Falls, MA to E. Plumtree
Road in Sunderland, MA. The new phone number is not available yet.
Federal Relay Service for the deaf or hard-of-hearing: 1 800/877 8339
U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service
http://www.fws.gov
September 2006
