Assabet River NWR Final CCP - U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Assabet River NWR Final CCP - U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Assabet River NWR Final CCP - U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles
YUMPU automatically turns print PDFs into web optimized ePapers that Google loves.
Eastern Massachusetts National <strong>Wildlife</strong> Refuge Complex Draft <strong>CCP</strong>/EA November 26, 2003<br />
the valley dem<strong>and</strong>s a common vision <strong>and</strong> a systems <strong>and</strong> team approach. If all the l<strong>and</strong>owners<br />
will work together in supporting <strong>and</strong> adding to the enormous environmental, natural resource<br />
<strong>and</strong> knowledge base that has already been put in place by past generations, the resulting<br />
synergy will produce a ‘refuge’ of far greater proportions <strong>and</strong> impact than could ever occur if<br />
each property owner goes off on his/her own.” This sentiment is reflected over <strong>and</strong> over in<br />
comments. Often, people state, “our town” or “our organization” already has wildlife survey<br />
data, or “our town/community” wishes to exp<strong>and</strong> its knowledge of natural resources in the<br />
area. These respondents encourage FWS to utilize existing data <strong>and</strong> established management<br />
practices when making decisions for the refuge, <strong>and</strong> frequently urge FWS to “coordinate,”<br />
“consult,” <strong>and</strong> “share information.”<br />
A related theme touched on by many respondents is the quality of wildlife species data<br />
provided in the <strong>CCP</strong>. Respondents request consistently high-quality data, <strong>and</strong> some<br />
respondents request that FWS provide the most up-to-date species information possible.<br />
Some respondents argue that the agency is drifting away from what they perceive to be its<br />
central mission: providing “refuge” for wildlife. A number of people assert that in a wildlife<br />
refuge, wildlife needs should take precedence over human needs. Echoing this view, many<br />
people request that FWS conduct thorough wildlife assessments to determine what kinds of<br />
human activities (if any) might be appropriate on the refuge. A number of respondents<br />
believe that hunting <strong>and</strong> trapping for wildlife population control are not appropriate. Some<br />
people encourage non-lethal—or at least humane—population control methods.<br />
All respondents who comment on wildlife monitoring support Alternative B; however, these<br />
people encourage FWS to provide more detail regarding how, when, <strong>and</strong> where monitoring<br />
will occur.<br />
Summary of Comments 10
Change language