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Cahaba River National Wildlife Refuge Cahaba River National Wildlife Refuge DRAFT COMPREHENSIVE CONSERVATION PLAN AND ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT Photo credit: Paul L. Freeman DRAFT COMPREHENSIVE CONSERVATION PLAN AND ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT FOR CAHABA RIVER NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE Bibb County, Alabama U.S. Department of the Interior Fish and Wildlife Service Southeast Region Atlanta, Georgia May 2015 TABLE OF CONTENTS SECTION A. DRAFT COMPREHENSIVE CONSERVATION PLAN I. BACKGROUND .............................................................................................................................. 1 Introduction ................................................................................................................................ 1 Purpose And Need For The Plan ............................................................................................... 1 Fish and Wildlife Service ............................................................................................................ 2 National Wildlife Refuge System ................................................................................................ 3 Legal and Policy Context ........................................................................................................... 6 Legal Mandates, Administrative and Policy Guidelines, and Other Special Considerations .................................................................................... 6 National and International Conservation Plans and Initiatives .................................................. 10 Strategic Habitat Conservation ....................................................................................... 10 North American Bird Conservation Initiative. ................................................................... 10 North American Waterfowl Management Plan ................................................................ 11 Partners-in-Flight Bird Conservation Plan ....................................................................... 11 U.S. Shorebird Conservation Plan .................................................................................. 12 Partners for Amphibians and Reptiles Conservation ....................................................... 12 Northern American Waterbird Conservation Plan ........................................................... 12 America’s great Outdoors: A Promise to Future Generations ......................................... 13 Strategic Plan for Responding to Accelerating Climate Change ...................................... 13 State and Regional Conservation Plans and Initiatives ............................................................ 13 Landscape Conservation Cooperatives .......................................................................... 13 Alabama Comprehensive Wildlife Conservation Strategy ............................................... 16 Range-Wide Conservation Plan for Longleaf Pine .......................................................... 17 Cahaba River Basin Management Plan .......................................................................... 18 Southeast Aquatic Habitat Plan ...................................................................................... 18 Conserving the Future: Wildlife Refuges and the Next Generation ................................. 18 Recovery Plans .............................................................................................................. 19 II. REFUGE OVERVIEW .................................................................................................................. 21 Introduction .............................................................................................................................. 21 Refuge History and Purpose .................................................................................................... 21 Special Designations ............................................................................................................... 21 Critical Habitat ................................................................................................................ 21 Significant Landscape for Longleaf Pine Restoration and Management ......................... 23 Ecosystem Context .................................................................................................................. 23 Cahaba River Basin ........................................................................................................ 23 Ecological Threats and Problems ............................................................................................ 26 Alterations to Hydrology and Degradation of Aquatic Ecosystems .................................. 26 Habitat Loss and Fragmentation ..................................................................................... 27 Proliferation of NonNative and Invasive Species ............................................................ 28 Climate Change .............................................................................................................. 28 Physical Resources ................................................................................................................. 28 Climate ........................................................................................................................... 28 Climate Change .............................................................................................................. 30 Hydrology and water quantity ......................................................................................... 31 Geology and Topography ............................................................................................... 34 Soils ............................................................................................................................... 35 Table of Contents i Air Quality .......................................................................................................................39 Water Quality ..................................................................................................................39 Noise...............................................................................................................................40 Biological Resources ................................................................................................................40 Habitat ............................................................................................................................40 Wildlife ............................................................................................................................46 Rare, Threatened, and Endangered Species ..................................................................50 NonNative and Invasive Plants and Animals ...................................................................63 Cultural Resources ...................................................................................................................66 Socioeconomic Environment ....................................................................................................67 Local and Regional Economic Setting .............................................................................67 Population .......................................................................................................................67 Employment and Income.................................................................................................69 Land Use Patterns ..........................................................................................................72 Recreation and Tourism ..................................................................................................76 Wildlife-Dependent Recreation In Alabama .....................................................................78 Hunting ...........................................................................................................................78 Fishing ............................................................................................................................81 Wildlife Viewing ...............................................................................................................81 Refuge Administration and Management ..................................................................................81 Land Protection and Conservation ..................................................................................81 Mining Reclamation .........................................................................................................82 Visitor Services ...............................................................................................................82 Personnel, Facilities, Operations, and Maintenance ........................................................83 Budget ............................................................................................................................85 III. PLAN DEVELOPMENT ................................................................................................................87 Overview ..................................................................................................................................87 Public Involvement and The Planning Process .........................................................................87 Summary of Issues, Concerns, and Opportunities ....................................................................87 Fish and Wildlife Population
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