Assabet River NWR Final CCP - U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

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Chapter 4: Management Direction
with a valid hunt permit will not have to pay an entrance fee while
scouting or hunting.
• There may be a need to limit hunting during certain seasons to ensure a
safe, high-quality hunt. Details of these restrictions and any application
requirements will be outlined in the Hunting Management Plan. Based
upon these restrictions, purchase of a permit does not guarantee the
ability to hunt all seasons on all refuges. No additional fee would be
required for hunting applications for restricted seasons.
• At the time of purchase of the annual hunting permit, the individual
may choose to purchase an annual entrance pass for an additional $5.
The combined permit/pass must be purchased jointly.
• Individuals that do not purchase the combination permit/pass will be
subject to entrance fees on the refuge during times when they are not
hunting or scouting.
We realize that the new fee program will require an adjustment period.
Our plan for instituting the fee includes: an educational period, a warning
period, and finally a transition to full enforcement.
We may adjust fees over the 15 year period addressed in this plan to reflect
changes in administrative costs or management goals.
Accessibility
Each refuge will operate its programs or activities so that when viewed in
its entirety, it is accessible and usable by disabled persons. The
Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended, requires that programs and
facilities be, to the highest degree feasible, readily accessible to, and usable
by, all persons who have a disability.
Fire Management
U. S. Department of the Interior and Service policy state that Refuge
System lands with vegetation capable of sustaining fire will develop a Fire
Management Plan (FMP) (620 DM 1.4B; 621 FW 1.1.1). The Complex
FMP, which includes Assabet River NWR, provides direction and
continuity in establishing operational procedures to guide all fire
management objectives as identified in the plan. This plan was finalized in
March 2003. The FMP includes descriptions of the refuges and addresses
wildland and prescribed fire events. The FMP also defines levels of
protection needed to ensure safety, protect facilities and resources, and
restore and perpetuate natural processes, given current understanding of
the complex relationships in natural ecosystems.
The associated EA was prepared in compliance with NEPA and the Council
on Environmental Quality (CEQ) Regulations (40 CFR Parts1500 -1508).
It provides a description of the purpose and need for the project, a brief
background, the features of each alternative, the affected environment, and
Assabet River NWR