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Draft Hunt Plan Ozark Plateau National Wildlife Refuge White-tailed Deer, Eastern Gray and Fox Squirrel, and Cottontail Rabbit Hunt Plan May 2019 U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Ozark Plateau National Wildlife Refuge 16602 County Road465 Colcord, Oklahoma 74338-2215 Submitted By: Refuge Manager ______________________________________________ ____________ Signature Date Concurrence: Refuge Supervisor ______________________________________________ ____________ Signature Date Approved: Regional Chief, National Wildlife Refuge System ______________________________________________ ____________ Signature Date i Table of Contents I. Introduction ................................................................................................................................. 1 II. Statement of Objectives ............................................................................................................. 4 III. Description of Hunting Program ............................................................................................... 4 A. Areas to be Opened to Hunting ............................................................................................. 5 B. Species to be Taken, Hunting Periods, Hunting Access ........................................................ 5 C. Hunter Permit Requirements (if applicable) ........................................................................ 12 D. Consultation and Coordination with the State/ Tribes ......................................................... 12 E. Law Enforcement ................................................................................................................. 13 F. Funding and Staffing Requirements ..................................................................................... 13 IV. Conduct of the Hunting Program ............................................................................................ 14 A. Hunter Permit Application, Selection, and/or Registration Procedures .............................. 14 B. Refuge-Specific Hunting Regulations ................................................................................. 14 C. Relevant State Regulations ................................................................................................... 15 D. Other Refuge Rules and Regulations for Hunting .............................................................. 15 V. Public Engagement .................................................................................................................. 16 A. Outreach for Announcing and Publicizing the Hunting Program ....................................... 16 B. Anticipated Public Reaction to the Hunting Program ......................................................... 16 C. How Hunters Will Be Informed of Relevant Rules and Regulations ................................. 16 VI. Compatibility Determination .................................................................................................. 16 References ..................................................................................................................................... 17 List of Figures Figure 1. Sally Bull Hollow Unit Hunt Map ................................................................................ 11 ii OZARK PLATEAU NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE WHITE-TAILED DEER, EASTERN GRAY SQUIRREL, FOX SQUIRREL, EASTERN COTTONTAIL RABBIT AND FERAL HOG HUNTING PLAN I. Introduction National wildlife refuges are guided by the mission and goals of the National Wildlife Refuge System (NWRS), the purposes of an individual refuge, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) policy, and laws and international treaties. Relevant guidance includes the National Wildlife Refuge System Administration Act of 1966, as amended by the National Wildlife Refuge System Improvement Act of 1997, Refuge Recreation Act of 1962, and selected portions of the Code of Federal Regulations and Fish and Wildlife Service Manual. The refuge was established pursuant to authorities include: • Endangered Species Act of 1973 (16 U.S.C. subsection 1534, as amended) “...to conserve A) fish or wildlife which are listed as endangered species or threatened species...or (B) plants which are listed as endangered species or threatened species...” • Fish and Wildlife Act of 1956, as amended (16 U.S.C. 742(b)(1)) “...for the development, advancement, management, conservation, and protection of fish and wildlife resources …for the benefit of the United States Fish and Wildlife Service, in performing its activities and services. Such acceptance may be subject to the terms of any restrictive or affirmative covenant, or condition of servitude.” • Migratory Bird Conservation Act of 1929, as amended (16 U.S.C. 715d) “…for use as an inviolate sanctuary ...for any other management purposes ...for migratory birds.” • Federal Cave Resources Protection Act of 1988 (Pub. L. 100-691, Sec. 2, Nov. 18, 1988, 102 Stat. 4546.). • Land and Water Conservation Fund Act of 1965, as amended U.S.C. 460l-4 through 11) (land acquisition fund source). The primary purpose of the Ozark Plateau National Wildlife Refuge (NWR/refuge) is to provide long-term habitat protection and management necessary to fulfill the Service’s responsibilities identified under the Endangered Species Act. The Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (Federal Register, Vol. 44, No. 232, Friday, November 30, 1979) gave the Service the responsibility to prevent extinction of federally listed threatened and endangered species and assure their recovery. Five eastern Oklahoma Ozark cave species are listed as federally threatened or endangered. These include: ● Gray bat (Myotis grisescens), listed as endangered on April 28, 1976; ● Ozark big-eared bat (Corynorhinus townsendii ingens), listed as endangered on November 30, 1979; ● Ozark cavefish (Amblyopsis rosae), listed as a threatened on December 3, 1984. 1 ● Indiana bat (Myotis sodalis), originally listed as endangered under the Endangered Species Preservation Act of 1966 and currently listed as endangered under the Endangered Species Act of November 30, 1973; ● Northern long-eared bat (Myotis septentrionalis), listed as threatened on April 2, 2015. The Service has developed recovery plans for four of these species. Each of these recovery plans identifies long-term habitat protection and management through acquisition of land and conservation easements as priority tasks necessary to recover these species. A recovery plan has not yet been developed for the northern long-eared bat. Ozark Plateau NWR was officially established on April 1, 1986 as a satellite refuge of Sequoyah National Wildlife Refuge. Since the Southwest Region (Region 2) of the Service has the lead for recovering the Ozark big-eared bat, whose distribution is mostly in the Ozarks of eastern Oklahoma, establishment of the Ozark Plateau NWR was an important step towards recovery for the species. In addition, the Federal Cave Resources Protection Act was passed in 1988 (Pub. L. 100-691, Sec. 2, Nov. 18, 1988, 102 Stat. 4546.). It indicated that the caves are threatened due to improper use, increased recreational demand, urban spread, and a lack of protection. The Act emphasized the need for partnering on a landscape level because it required the Service to secure, protect, and preserve significant caves and their natural resources and foster increased cooperation and exchange of information for scientific, educational, and recreational purposes. Ozark Plateau National Wildlife Refuge’s establishment was only possible through a joint effort of a number of partners including private individuals and landowners, private conservation and caving organizations, universities, tribes, and municipal, county, state, and federal agencies. These included The Nature Conservancy, National Speleological Society (and their local chapter - Tulsa Regional Oklahoma Grotto), Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation (ODWC), the Cherokee Nation, The Conservation Fund, and a number of private landowners concerned about protecting natural resources in the Ozarks. On February 9, 2005, the Service approved the NEPA compliance documents including an Environmental Assessment, Land Protection Plan, and Conceptual Management Plan to expand the Ozark Plateau NWR. These took into consideration comments from the public on the draft documents, public meetings, and a public hearing. Ozark Plateau NWR was approved to acquire additional land or easements from willing sellers and donors, up to 15,000 acres in Adair, Delaware, Ottawa, Cherokee, Craig, Mayes, and Sequoyah Counties, Oklahoma. These tracts will generally be forested tracts that will protect valuable foraging areas and movement corridors for the federally listed endangered bats, as well as watersheds and groundwater recharge areas important for maintaining surface and ground water quality for the federally listed threatened Ozark cavefish. In addition, sites will take into consideration appropriate geological formations including caves, springs, aquifers, losing and gaining streams, sinkholes, buffs, and talus cracks. Expansion of the refuge has also provided additional opportunities for various outdoor recreational activities, environmental education, interpretation, scientific research, and hunting. As of 2018, Ozark Plateau NWR consists of nine management units in Adair, Cherokee, Delaware, and Ottawa Counties, totaling 3,588.9 acres. Management units of Ozark 2 Plateau NWR are identified, acquired, and/or managed based upon impact to federally listed threatened or endangered
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