Draft Comprehensive Conservation Plan from Monday, August 19Th, 2013 to Tuesday, September 17Th, 2013
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U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service Iowa Wetland Management District Final Comprehensive Conservation Plan U.S. Department of the Interior Fish and Wildlife Service Region 3 (Midwest Region) Division of Conservation Planning; Bloomington, MN The mission of the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service is working with others to conserve, protect, and enhance fish and wildlife and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the American people. The mission of the National Wildlife Refuge System 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. Comprehensive Conservation Plans provide long-term guidance for management decisions; set forth goals, objectives and strategies needed to accomplish refuge purposes; and, identify the Fish and Wildlife Service's best estimate of future needs. These plans detail program planning levels that are sometimes substantially above current budget allocations and, as such, are primarily for Service strategic planning and program prioritization purposes. The plans do not constitute a commitment for staffing increases, operational and maintenance increases, or funding for future land acquisition. Iowa Wetland Management District Final Comprehensive Conservation Plan Approval Iowa Wetland Management District Final Comprehensive Conservation Plan Table of Contents Iowa Wetland Management District Final Comprehensive Conservation Plan Executive Summary .................................................................................................................................. 1 Chapter 1: Introduction ........................................................................................................... 1 The Process and the Plan ...................................................................................................................... 1 The District .............................................................................................................................................. 2 Easements ....................................................................................................................................... 3 Purpose of and Need for the Plan .......................................................................................................... 3 Chapter 2: District Planning Context ...................................................................................... 6 Refuge System Planning Guidance........................................................................................................ 6 The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service .................................................................................................. 6 FWS Mission.............................................................................................................................. 6 The National Wildlife Refuge System .............................................................................................. 6 NWRS Mission........................................................................................................................... 7 NWRS Goals ............................................................................................................................. 7 NWRS Guiding Principles .......................................................................................................... 7 Ecological Integrity ........................................................................................................................... 8 Cooperative Farming ........................................................................................................................ 9 Description of the Farming Program for the Iowa WMD ........................................................... 9 Site-Specific Effects Analysis for the Farming Program in the Iowa WMD ............................. 14 Legal and Policy Compliance ......................................................................................................... 19 Wilderness Review ......................................................................................................................... 19 District Management Guidance ............................................................................................................ 20 Brief History of District Establishment and Acquisition .................................................................. 20 District Purposes ............................................................................................................................ 23 District Vision Statement ................................................................................................................ 26 District Goals .................................................................................................................................. 26 Relationship to Other Conservation Initiatives ..................................................................................... 26 Migratory Bird Conservation Initiatives .......................................................................................... 26 Strategic Habitat Conservation ...................................................................................................... 27 SHC Guiding Principles ........................................................................................................... 29 Plains and Prairie Pothole Landscape Conservation Cooperative ................................................ 29 Region 3 Fish and Wildlife Conservation Priorities ........................................................................ 30 Climate Change Planning .............................................................................................................. 30 U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service ................................................................................................. 30 State of Iowa ............................................................................................................................ 31 Iowa’s State Wildlife Action Plan .................................................................................................... 33 Partners for Fish and Wildlife Program .......................................................................................... 33 Iowa DNR Private Lands Program ................................................................................................. 35 Iowa WMD / Final Comprehensive Conservation Plan i Bird Conservation Areas ................................................................................................................ 35 Important Bird Areas ...................................................................................................................... 35 Wetland Reserve Program ............................................................................................................. 36 Conservation Reserve Program ..................................................................................................... 36 Other Conservation Lands in the Area........................................................................................... 38 The Planning Process .......................................................................................................................... 38 Public Involvement ......................................................................................................................... 38 Planning Issues .............................................................................................................................. 39 Issues that Drive an Alternative ............................................................................................... 39 Wildlife ............................................................................................................................... 39 Habitat ............................................................................................................................... 39 People ............................................................................................................................... 41 Alternative Development ................................................................................................................ 41 Prepare NEPA Document and Draft Plan ...................................................................................... 42 Prepare and Adopt Final Plan ........................................................................................................ 42 Inventory, Monitoring, and Research ............................................................................................. 42 Step-Down Management Plans ..................................................................................................... 43 Plan Review and Revision ............................................................................................................. 43 Chapter 3: District Environment and Current Management .................................................44 Physical Environment ........................................................................................................................... 44 Geographic Setting ........................................................................................................................ 44 Current Management ..............................................................................................................