Montezuma Natl. Wildlife Refuge -- Draft Comprehensive Conservation Plan

7/31/2019 Montezuma Natl. Wildlife Refuge -- Draft Comprehensive Conservation Plan

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Montezuma RefugeDraft Goals

Goal 1: Provide, enhance,and restore where possible,reshwater emergent marsh,open water wetland, and mudfathabitats to benet nativewildlie and plant communities,

particularly migrating waterowland shorebirds and breedingmarshbirds.

Goal 2: Restore and maintainorested wetlands, riparianorests along the Seneca andClyde Rivers, and upland oreststo benet priority native species,including songbirds, bats, andimportant plant communities.

Goal 3: Manage grassland andshrubland habitats primarilyto benet bird species oconservation concern.

Goal 4: Ensure visitors o allabilities and varied interestsparticipate in and enjoy thereuges opportunities or wildlieobservation, interpretation,photography and environmentaleducation. Motivate them tovalue, support, and contribute tothe reuge, Montezuma WetlandsComplex, and National WildlieReuge System. Increase their

understanding o wetlands andwetland unctions, and help thembecome better environmentalstewards.

Goal 5: Provide opportunity orhunters and anglers to enjoyand support hunting and shingon the reuge and increase theirunderstanding o the regionalenvironmental importance othe reuge and o the greaterMontezuma Wetlands Complex.

Goal 6: Increase awarenessand cooperation among stateand ederal agencies, localcommunities, environmentalorganizations, universities andother partners. Help themunderstand the role o the reugeand the Montezuma WetlandsComplex in the community,and encourage participationin achieving the vision o thecomplex.

On Montezuma Reuge, habitatmanagement or plant and wildliecommunities would remain ourhighest priority. We would continueto oer our current level o high-quality, wildlie-dependent recreationopportunities, including wildlieobservation and photography,environmental interpretation, andhunting. Partnerships with Federal,

State, and local agencies wouldcontinue to emphasize the role o thereuge in the community.

Alternative B - Service-preferredAlternativeThis is the Service-preerredalternative because it combines theactions we believe would best achievethe reuges purposes, vision, andgoals.

Under this alternative we wouldexpand wetland restoration eorts

to benet priority species. We wouldexpand public use opportunities onthe reuge, including expanding thereuges trail system and developingdiscovery areas. Alternative B alsoproposes collocating reuge sta andthe Services New York EcologicalService oce.

Alternative C - Less Active HabitatManagementAlternative C would convert mucho the emergent marsh habitat onthe reuge to bottomland foodplain

orest. We would also expand huntingopportunities to include a spring andall turkey hunt.

How to Obtain a Draft PlanYou may view and download the dratCCP/EA online at:http://www.fws.gov/northeast/planning/Montezuma/ccphome.html

You may request a paper copy orCD-ROM o the drat plan rom theMontezuma Reuge headquarters.Phone: 315/568-5987

Email:[email protected]

How to Provide CommentsWe invite you to share your com-ments about the drat plan eitherin writing or in person at our publicmeetings (see below). We will acceptletters, axes, phone calls, and emails.To be considered, all comments mustbe emailed or postmarked by June21, 2012.

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Please put Montezuma ReugeCCP in the subject line o youremail.

Email: [email protected]: Lia McLaughlin

U.S. Fish and WildlieService300 Westgate Center DriveHadley, MA 01035

Phone: 413/253-8575Fax: 413/253-8468

Public MeetingsYou may also participate in publicmeetings at the reuge on June 4,2012. We will have both an aternoonand evening session. At each session,there will be a short presentationon the drat plan, ollowed by anopen house with reuge and planningsta. We will record any commentsand suggestions you would like toprovide.

Date and LocationJune 4, 2012Aternoon Session: 2-4 p.m.Evening Session: 6-8 p.m.

Montezuma National Wildlie Reuge3395 US Route 20 EastSeneca Falls, NY 13148

For directions, please visit the reugeWeb site.

People with disabilities who needspecial assistance to participate in

this meeting, please contact reugesta at 315/568-5987 or the FederalRelay Service at 1-866-377-8642.Requests or accommodations shouldbe made at least 5 business days inadvance.

U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service

http://www.fws.gov

May 2012

A White Trillium on the refuge.


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Montezuma National Wildlife Refuge: Comparison of Alternatives

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Freshwater Emergent Marsh and Wetland Habitat Management

Continue to:

Enhance up to 22 acres o dry marsh.

Restore up to 188 acres o emergentmarsh, open water wetland, and

mudfat habitat.

Annually provide a minimum o

1,500 acres o habitat or breeding

marshbirds and migrating waterowl.

In addition to alternative A:

Annually provide a minimum o

2,000 acres o habitat or breedingmarshbirds and migrating

waterowl.

Restore 132 additional acres o

emergent marsh, open water

wetland, and mudfat habitats.

Map the bathymetry o previously

unmapped impoundments.

Annually provide a minimum o 800 acres

o habitat or breeding marshbirds and

waterowl habitat.

Where possible, establish connectivity

to the New York State Canal System bybreaching or removing dikes.

Forested Wetland, Riparian and Upland Forest Habitat

Continue to:

Promote reorestation by planting

native tree species.

Maintain 3,432 acres o mature

orested wetland and riparian orest.

Maintain and restore 3,757 acres

o mature orested wetlands and

riparian orests.

Restore and maintain at least 5,833 acres

o mature orest

Allow reuge impoundments to convert

to orest except the Main Pool, Tschache

Pool, and the Visitor Center Wetland.

Allow most early successional habitat to

convert to orest.

Grassland and Shrubland Migratory Bird Habitat

Continue to:

Provide at least 401 acres oshrubland habitat and 363 acres o

grassland habitat.

Manage grasslands to provide

larger areas o habitat with less

surrounding orest and more

surrounding open habitats.

Same as A, except:

Provide a minimum o 291 acres oshrubland habitat dominated by

native species.

Provide 287 acres o grassland

habitat.

Use mowing, prescribed re, and

herbicides to maintain shrub and

grassland habitats.

Provide 66 acres o shrubland habitat.

Provide 68 acres o grassland habitat inone patch.

Public Use

Continue to:

Provide opportunities or wildlie

observation and photography.

Maintain current visitor acilities,

and wildfower and native plantgardens.

Provide interpretive programs and

materials, and accommodate school

groups.


Expand and add new trails.

Construct new visitor center.

Develop discovery areas.

Extend visitor center hours.

Open Wildlie Drive to other uses.

Within 5 years, develop an

Environmental Education

Program that meets State learning

standards.

Develop new environmental

interpretation programs andmaterials.


Provide additional opportunities or

wildlie observation and photography.

Expand existing visitor center by 25

percent.

Evaluate the need or an amphitheater

or outdoor pavilion to acilitate outdoor

environmental education.

Hunting and Fishing

Continue to:

Provide opportunities or waterowland white-tailed deer hunting, and

shing.

Promote waterowl hunting

opportunities on the reuge via press

releases, the Web site, inormation

boards, email, phone, and personal

communication with the public.


Open a portion o the reuge toresident Canada goose and snow

goose hunting.

Develop one to two universal access

points or waterowl hunters.

Allow access or turkey hunting

during the youth and all hunt

seasons.

Expand deer hunting opportunities.

Open at least 2 new areas to shing.

In addition to Alternative A:

Allow spring and all turkey hunting.

Expand deer hunting.


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U.S.FishandWildlifeService NWRS-RefugePlanning 300WestgateCenterDrive

Hadley,MA01035

Partnerships and Outreach

Continue to:

Work with the New York Department

o Environmental Conservation,

The Nature Conservancy, and other

partners, to promote nature-based,

public use opportunities on thereuge.

Implement volunteer programs.

Share reuge news and management

projects with local media outlets,

partners, Friends, and visitors.


Develop new partnerships and

provide osite programs to a broad

variety o civic organizations.

Work with partners to reinvigorate

the Montezuma Research Institute. Work with the Friends group

and MWC partners to ormvolunteer committees to help meet

management and public use needs.

Increase outreach with local news

media.

Same as alternative B.

Documents

Montezuma Natl. Wildlife Refuge -- Draft Comprehensive Conservation Plan