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Lake Woodruff National Wildlife Refuge Draft Hunt Plan August 2017 U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Lake Woodruff National Wildlife Refuge 2045 Mud Lake Road DeLeon Springs, FL 32130 Submitted by: Layne Hamilton, Project Leader, Merritt Island NWR Complex: Signature Date Concurrence: Kathleen Burchett, Refuge Supervisor, Area II, Southeast Region: Signature Date Approved: David Viker, Regional Chief, National Wildlife Refuge System, Southeast Region: Signature Date TABLE OF CONTENTS: I. INTRODUCTION ..................................................................................................................................... 1 II. CONFORMANCE WITH STATUTORY AUTHORITY ....................................................................... 5 III. STATEMENT OF OBJECTIVES .......................................................................................................... 8 IV. ASSESSMENT ....................................................................................................................................... 8 A. Are wildlife populations present in numbers sufficient to sustain optimum population levels for priority refuge objectives other than hunting? .......................................................................8 B. Is there competition for habitat between target species and other wildlife? .........................11 C. Are there unacceptable levels of predation by target species on other wildlife? ..................11 V. DESCRIPTION OF HUNTING PROGRAM ........................................................................................ 11 A. Areas of the refuge that support populations of the target species .......................................12 B. Areas to be opened to hunting ...............................................................................................12 C. Species to be taken, hunting periods, and hunting access .....................................................13 D. Justification for the permit, if one is required .......................................................................15 E. Consultation and Coordination with the State .......................................................................15 F. Law Enforcement ..................................................................................................................15 G. Funding and Staffing Requirements .....................................................................................15 VI. MEASURES TAKEN TO AVOID CONFLICTS WITH OTHER MANAGEMENT OBJECTIVES 16 A. Biological Conflicts ..............................................................................................................16 B. Public Use Conflicts ..............................................................................................................16 C. Administrative Conflicts .......................................................................................................16 VII. CONDUCT OF THE HUNTING PROGRAM ................................................................................... 16 A. Refuge-Specific Hunting Regulations ..................................................................................16 B. Anticipated Public Reaction to the Hunting Program ...........................................................18 C. Hunter Application and Registration Procedures ..................................................................18 D. Description of Hunter Selection Process ..............................................................................19 E. Media Selection for Announcing and Publicizing the Hunting Program ..............................19 F. General Requirements ...........................................................................................................19 G. Hunter Requirements ............................................................................................................19 VIII. DRAFT COMPATIBILITY DETERMINATION............................................................................. 20 REFERENCES ........................................................................................................................................... 31 LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1. Location of Lake Woodruff NWR ................................................................................. 2 Figure 2. Wilderness Areas and Research Natural Area of Lake Woodruff NWR ........................ 4 Figure 3. Hunt Areas on Lake Woodruff NWR ............................................................................. 7 APPENDICES Appendix 1. 2017 Hunt Brochure ............................................................................................................. 32 Appendix 2. Environmental Assessment for Lake Woodruff NWR Hunt Plan 2017 ............................... 34 I. INTRODUCTION Located in central Florida north of Orlando and west of Daytona Beach, Lake Woodruff National Wildlife Refuge (NWR, refuge) consists of 21,574 acres along the St. Johns River, Florida’s largest river (Figure 1). The majority of the refuge is within Volusia County, with only a small portion in Lake County. Managed as part of the Merritt Island NWR Complex, the refuge headquarters office is located in DeLeon Springs, Florida, which is 7 miles north of DeLand. The refuge derives its name from Lake Woodruff, a 2,200-acre waterbody of State-owned waters that the refuge encircles. The surrounding landscape includes a mosaic of public lands in north-central Florida. The St. Johns River forms much of the western boundary between the refuge and the 400,000-acre Ocala National Forest. Lake George State Forest is adjacent to the refuge to the north. The eastern boundary of the refuge is the community of DeLeon Springs. The resulting differences in elevation present on the refuge create a variety of habitats, including freshwater marshes, hardwood swamps, and a variety of upland habitats. The refuge is part of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s (Service’s) National Wildlife Refuge System. The mission of the National Wildlife Refuge System, as defined by the National Wildlife Refuge System Improvement Act of 1997 is: “...to administer a national network of lands and waters for the conservation, management, and where appropriate, restoration of the fish, wildlife and plant resources and their habitats within the United States for the benefit of present and future generations of Americans”. Recognizing the high migratory bird benefits served by the lands and waters of the refuge, the Service administratively designated Lake Woodruff NWR in 1963 under the Migratory Bird Conservation Act, outlining a primary purpose of these lands and waters: • "...for use as an inviolate sanctuary, or for any other management purpose, for migratory birds." 16 U.S.C. §715d (Migratory Bird Conservation Act) 1 Figure 1. Location of Lake Woodruff NWR 2 The refuge has several additional purposes, as listed: • “…suitable for (1) incidental fish and wildlife-oriented recreation development, (2) the protection of natural resources, (3) the conservation of endangered species or threatened species…” 16 U.S.C. §460k-1 (Refuge Recreation Act) • “…the Secretary…may accept and use…real…property. Such acceptance may be accomplished under the terms and conditions of restrictive covenants imposed by donors…” 16 U.S.C. §460k-2 (Refuge Recreation Act) • “…wilderness areas…shall be administered for the use and enjoyment of the American people in such manner as will leave them unimpaired for future use and enjoyment as wilderness, and so as to provide for the protection of these areas, the preservation of their wilderness character, and for the gathering and dissemination of information regarding their use and enjoyment as wilderness…” 16 U.S.C. §1131 (Wilderness Act) • “…for the development, advancement, management, conservation, and protection of fish and wildlife resources…” 16 U.S.C. §742f(a)(4) (Fish and Wildlife Act of 1956) • “…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…” 16 U.S.C. §742f(b)(1) (Fish and Wildlife Act of 1956) • “…conservation, management, and restoration of the fish, wildlife, and plant resources and their habitats for the benefit of present and future generations of Americans…” 16 U.S.C. §668dd(a)(2) (National Wildlife Refuge System Administration Act) • “…to conserve (A) fish or wildlife which are listed as endangered species or threatened species…or (B) plants…” 16 U.S.C. §1534 (Endangered Species Act) Lake Woodruff NWR has an estimated 1,066.41 acres of designated Wilderness Area, including Audubon and Bird islands, Dexter Island, and St. Francis Island; the adjacent 7,985-acre Alexander Springs Wilderness Area and the nearby 3,120-acre Billies Bay Wilderness Area are part of Ocala National Forest. The refuge also has 1,140 acres of designated Research Natural Area. Figure 2 identifies the Wilderness Areas and the Research Natural Area. The St. Johns River that flows along the western edge of the refuge is designated as an American Heritage River. 3 Figure 2. Wilderness Areas and Research Natural Area of Lake Woodruff NWR 4 Deer hunting occurred in this area prior to the establishment of the refuge in 1963. Hunting has been conducted on Lake Woodruff NWR since 1972 and currently occurs under the refuge’s 1994 Hunt Plan. The refuge is open to hunting of white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) and feral hog (Sus scrofa).