Glossary abiotic—Pertaining to nonliving things. canopy—A layer of foliage, generally the uppermost accessible—Pertaining to physical access to areas layer, in a vegetative stand; mid-level or under- and activities for people of different abilities, story vegetation in multilayered stands. Canopy especially those with physical impairments. closure (also canopy cover) is an estimate of the adaptive resource management—The rigorous appli­ amount of overhead vegetative cover. cation of management, research, and monitoring CCC—See Civilian Conservation Corps. programs to gain information and experience nec­ CCP—See comprehensive conservation plan. essary to assess and change management activi­ CFR—See Code of Federal Regulations. ties; a process that uses feedback from research, cfs—Cubic feet per second. monitoring programs, and evaluation of manage­ Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC)—Peacetime civilian ment actions to support or change objectives and “army” established by President Franklin D. Roo­ strategies at all planning levels; a process in sevelt to perform conservation activities from which policy decisions are carried out within a 1933–42. Activities included erosion control; fire­ framework of scientifically driven experiments to fighting; tree planting; habitat protection; stream test predictions and assumptions inherent in man­ improvement; and building of fire towers, roads, agement plan. Analysis of results helps managers recreation facilities, and drainage systems. decide whether current management should con­ Code of Federal Regulations (CFR)—The codification of tinue as is or whether it should be modified to the general and permanent rules published in the achieve desired conditions. Federal Register by the executive departments Administration Act—National Wildlife Refuge Sys­ and agencies of the Federal Government. Each tem Administration Act of 1966. volume of the CFR is updated once each calendar alternative—A reasonable way to solve an identified year. problem or satisfy the stated need (40 CFR compatibility determination—See compatible use. 1500.2); one of several different means of accom­ compatible use—A wildlife-dependent recreational plishing refuge purposes and goals and contribut­ use or any other use of a refuge that, in the sound ing to the Refuge System mission (Draft Service professional judgment of the Director of the U.S. Manual 602 FW 1.5). Fish and Wildlife Service, will not materially amphibian—A class of cold-blooded vertebrates interfere with or detract from the fulfillment of including frogs, toads or salamanders. the mission of the Refuge System or the purposes annual—A plant that flowers and dies within 1 year of the refuge (Draft Service Manual 603 FW 3.6). of germination. A compatibility determination supports the choice ATV—All-terrain vehicle. of compatible uses and identified stipulations or baseline—A set of essential observations, data, or limits necessary to make sure that there is information used for comparison or a control. compatibility. biological control—The use of organisms or viruses comprehensive conservation plan (CCP)—A document to control invasive plants or other pests. that describes the desired future conditions of the biological diversity, also biodiversity—The variety of refuge and provides long-range guidance and life and its processes, including the variety of liv­ management direction for the refuge manager to ing organisms, the genetic differences among accomplish the purposes of the refuge, contribute them, and the communities and ecosystems in to the mission of the Refuge System, and to meet which they occur (Service Manual 052 FW 1.12B). other relevant mandates (Draft Service Manual The National Wildlife Refuge System’s focus is on 602 FW 1.5). indigenous species, biotic communities, and eco­ concern—See issue. logical processes. conspecific—An individual belonging to the same biotic—Pertaining to life or living organisms; species as another. caused, produced by, or comprising living cool-season grasses—Grasses that begin growth organisms. earlier in the season and often become dormant in the summer. These grasses will germinate at 196 Draft EA—Quivira National Wildlife Refuge, Kansas lower temperatures. Examples of cool-season fauna—All the vertebrate and invertebrate animals grasses at the refuge are western wheatgrass, of an area. needle and thread, and green needlegrass. Federal trust resource—A trust is something man­ coteau—A hilly upland including the divide between aged by one entity for another who holds the own­ two valleys; a divide; the side of a valley. ership. The Service holds in trust many natural cover, also cover type, canopy cover—Present vegeta­ resources for the people of the United States of tion of an area. America as a result of Federal acts and treaties. cultural resources—The remains of sites, structures, Examples are species listed under the Endan­ or objects used by people in the past. gered Species Act, migratory birds protected by depredation—Destruction or consumption of eggs, international treaties, and native plant or wildlife broods, or individual wildlife because of a preda­ species found on a national wildlife refuge. tory animal; damage inflicted on agricultural Federal trust species—All species where the Federal crops or ornamental plants by wildlife. Government has primary jurisdiction including drawdown—The act of manipulating water levels in federally endangered or threatened species, an impoundment to allow for the natural, cyclical migratory birds, anadromous fish, and certain drying out of a wetland. marine mammals. EA—See environmental assessment. flora—All the plant species of an area. ecosystem—A dynamic and interrelating complex of FMP—fire management plan. plant and animal communities and their associ­ forb—A broad-leaved, herbaceous plant; a seed-pro­ ated nonliving environment; a biological commu­ ducing annual, biennial, or perennial plant that nity, with its environment, functioning as a unit. does not develop persistent woody tissue but dies For administrative purposes, the Service has down at the end of the growing season. designated 53 ecosystems covering the United fragmentation—The alteration of a large block of States and its possessions. These ecosystems gen­ habitat that creates isolated patches of the origi­ erally correspond with watershed boundaries and nal habitat that are interspersed with a variety of their sizes and ecological complexity vary. other habitat types; the process of reducing the EIS—Environmental impact statement. size and connectivity of habitat patches, making emergent—A plant rooted in shallow water and hav­ movement of individuals or genetic information ing most of the vegetative growth above water between parcels difficult or impossible. such as cattail and hardstem bulrush. Friends group—Any formal organization whose mis­ endangered species, Federal—A plant or animal spe­ sion is to support the goals and purposes of its cies listed under the Endangered Species Act of associated refuge and the National Wildlife Ref­ 1973, as amended, that is in danger of extinction uge Association overall; Friends organizations throughout all or a substantial part of its range. and cooperative and interpretive associations. endangered species, State—A plant or animal species General Schedule—Pay rate schedule for certain in danger of becoming extinct or extirpated in a Federal positions. Sometimes “GS.” particular state within the near future if factors geographic information system (GIS)—A computer contributing to its decline continue. Populations of system capable of storing and manipulating spa­ these species are at critically low levels or their tial data; a set of computer hardware and soft­ habitats have been degraded or depleted to a sub­ ware for analyzing and displaying spatially stantial degree. referenced features (such as points, lines and endemic species—Plants or animals that occur natu­ polygons) with nongeographic attributes such as rally in a certain region and whose distribution is species and age. relatively limited to a particular locality. GIS—See geographic information system. environmental assessment (EA)—A concise public goal—Descriptive, open-ended, and often broad document, prepared in compliance with the statement of desired future conditions that con­ National Environmental Policy Act, that briefly veys a purpose but does not define measurable discusses the purpose and need for an action and units (Draft Service Manual 620 FW 1.5). alternatives to such action, and provides sufficient grassland tract—A contiguous area of grassland evidence and analysis of effects to decide whether without fragmentation. to prepare an environmental impact statement or habitat—Suite of existing environmental conditions finding of no significant impact (40 CFR 1508.9). required by an organism for survival and repro­ EPA—Environmental Protection Agency. duction; the place where an organism typically extinction—The complete disappearance of a species lives and grows. from the earth; no longer existing. habitat disturbance—Substantial alteration of habitat extirpation—The extinction of a population; complete structure or composition; may be natural (for eradication of a species within a specified area. Glossary 197 example, wildland fire) or human-caused events migratory birds—Birds that follow a seasonal move­ (for example, timber harvest and disking). ment from their breeding grounds to their winter­ habitat type, also vegetation type, cover type—A land ing grounds. Waterfowl,