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For Release:
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
Contact:
Tom Cox, 712-642-4121
Tom_Cox@fws.gov
Location of August 26 Open House at Boyer Chute NWR Changed Due to Area Flood
The location of an August 26 open house for Boyer Chute NWR has been moved to the Fort Calhoun City Hall. The open house was originally scheduled at Boyer Chute NWR's Refuge Office but was moved due to flooding in the area over the past several weeks.
Refuge staff will host the open house to provide the public with an opportunity to share opinions and information about the Refuge in person, and to learn about the comprehensive conservation project (CCP). Everyone is invited to attend the open house, which will be held at the Fort Calhoun City Hall, 110 South 14th Saint (U.S. Hwy. 75), on Thursday, August 26, 2010, from three p.m. to seven p.m. With a wide range of resources and activities on the Refuge, Service staff expect a diversity of ideas, opinions, and interests to be expressed during the public review period in August.
The open house is the 1st step in the 2-year comprehensive conservation planning process. The Refuge is asking neighbors, local communities, and others interested in the Refuge's future for comments on the issues and opportunities the Refuge will encounter over the next 15 years.
Comments and other information the Refuge gains now will be used in developing potential future management alternatives. Upon completion, the CCP will guide long-term management decisions and contain goals, objectives, and strategies that direct Refuge activities over the next 15 years. The project will also ensure that the Refuge contributes to the mission of the U.S.F.W.S. and fulfills its established purposes. Comprehensive conservation projects provide other agencies and the public with a clear understanding of the desired conditions of the Refuge, and how the Service will implement management strategies.
Public involvement is an essential part of the planning process. Everyone interested in the Refuge's future is encouraged to submit written comments on management issues that they feel should be considered in planning. Comments can be submitted to the Refuge in person, through the mail, or via the internet. Address submissions to: Boyer Chute NWR, Attn: CCP Comment, 3720 Rivers Way, Ft. Calhoun, Nebraska 68023, or e-mail submissions to r3planning@fws.gov. Comments should be submitted by the end of the official review period, September 6, 2010, so that they may be considered throughout the planning process.
Boyer Chute NWR was authorized in 1992 in an ongoing effort to recover, restore, and safeguard fish and wildlife habitat along the Missouri River corridor. The Refuge has an approved acquisition boundary of 9,912 acres. Of that, the Service currently owns and manages approximately 4,040 acres. These lands conserve landscape features found only along major rivers systems including backwaters, side channels, and islands; as well as a diversity of associated floodplain habitats ranging from wetlands and tallgrass prairies to riparian woodlands.
The habitats host abundant and diverse resident wildlife, including endangered species, and serve as important stop-over sites for great numbers of migratory birds in the Central Flyway. The Refuge also provides unique opportunities for wildlife-dependent recreation along the Missouri River to the greater Omaha-Council Bluffs metropolitan area, as well as a number of smaller communities.
The mission of the U.S.F.W.S. is working with others to conserve, protect and enhance fish, wildlife, plants and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the American people. We are both a leader and trusted partner in fish and wildlife conservation, known for our scientific excellence, stewardship of lands and natural resources, dedicated professionals and commitment to public service. For more information on our work and the people who make it happen, visit http://www.fws.gov.
--FWS--
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