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Roanoke River National Wildlife Refuge

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Roanoke River National Wildlife Refuge Roanoke River National Wildlife Refuge Comprehensive Conservation Plan U.S. Department of the Interior Fish and Wildlife Service Southeast Region October, 2005 COMPREHENSIVE CONSERVATION PLAN AND FINAL ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT STATEMENT ROANOKE RIVER NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE Bertie County, North Carolina U.S. Department of the Interior Fish and Wildlife Service Southeast Regional Office 1875 Century Boulevard Atlanta, Georgia 30345 October 2005 TABLE OF CONTENTS SECTION A. COMPREHENSIVE CONSERVATION PLAN AND FINAL ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT STATEMENT EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ..............................................................................................................1 I. BACKGROUND ........................................................................................................................3 Introduction..........................................................................................................................3 Purpose and Need for the Plan ...........................................................................................4 Purpose and Need for the Environmental Impact Statement ..............................................5 Decisions to be Made ..........................................................................................................5 Planning Study Area............................................................................................................5 Other Relevant Activities and Plans ....................................................................................6 The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service ......................................................................................6 National Wildlife Refuge System................................................................................7 Relationship to State Wildlife Agency ........................................................................8 South Atlantic Coastal Plain Ecosystem..............................................................................8 Overview ....................................................................................................................8 Conservation Priorities .............................................................................................13 Challenges ...............................................................................................................14 The Refuge........................................................................................................................14 Location....................................................................................................................14 Introduction and History ...........................................................................................14 Administration ..........................................................................................................17 Purposes and Ecosystem Context ...........................................................................17 Refuge Vision Statement .........................................................................................18 Refuge Goals ...........................................................................................................18 Step-down Management Plans ................................................................................18 Legal Policy..............................................................................................................20 The Planning Process .......................................................................................................21 Plan Review and Revision.................................................................................................22 Planning Issues and Concerns..........................................................................................22 Hydrology .................................................................................................................22 Fish and Wildlife Populations ...................................................................................25 Habitats....................................................................................................................26 Public Use................................................................................................................26 General Administration.............................................................................................27 Resource Protection.................................................................................................28 II. AFFECTED ENVIRONMENT ................................................................................................29 Geographic Ecosystem Context ........................................................................................29 Location 29 Physical Environment ........................................................................................................29 Climate .....................................................................................................................29 Geology....................................................................................................................30 Minerals....................................................................................................................31 Archaeological Resources .......................................................................................31 Soils .........................................................................................................................31 Hydrology .................................................................................................................32 Table of Contents i Fluvial Geomorphology............................................................................................ 35 Water Quality ........................................................................................................... 35 Air Quality ................................................................................................................ 36 Visual Resources..................................................................................................... 36 Biological Environment...................................................................................................... 37 Vegetative Communities.......................................................................................... 37 Fire in Bottomland Hardwoods................................................................................. 39 Wildlife ..................................................................................................................... 40 Insects and Diseases............................................................................................... 42 Exotic Organisms..................................................................................................... 43 Threatened and Endangered Species ..................................................................... 43 Socioeconomic Conditions and Land Use ............................................................... 43 Demographics.......................................................................................................... 44 Land Use ................................................................................................................. 45 Forestry.................................................................................................................... 45 Employment............................................................................................................. 45 Outdoor Recreation ................................................................................................. 45 Outdoor Recreation Economics............................................................................... 49 Tourism.................................................................................................................... 50 Transportation.......................................................................................................... 51 Cultural Environment ............................................................................................... 51 Recreational Uses of the Refuge ...................................................................................... 51 Hunting .................................................................................................................... 51 Fishing ..................................................................................................................... 51 Environmental Education......................................................................................... 52 Interpretation............................................................................................................ 52 Wildlife Observation................................................................................................. 52 Wildlife Photography................................................................................................ 52 Other Recreational Activities.................................................................................... 52 Refuge Infrastructure......................................................................................................... 52 Roads and Trails...................................................................................................... 52 Utility Corridors and Distribution .............................................................................
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