McNary National Wildlife Refuge U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service McNary National Wildlife Refuge Comprehensive Conservation Plan / Comprehensive Conservation Plan Management Direction Management Direction Mid-Columbia National Wildlife Refuge Complex 64 Maple Street Burbank, WA 99323 Phone 509/546 8300 Refuge Information 1 800/344 WILD December 2008 The mission of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is working with others to conserve, protect, and enhance fish, wildlife, and plants and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the American people. All photos ©C and G Bartlett Photography Dec. 2008 Vision for the McNary National Wildlife Refuge Stretching along the bend in the middle Columbia River where the waters of the Snake and Walla Walla Rivers join the Columbia, the McNary National Wildlife Refuge links a network of diverse habitats stretching dozens of miles from Richland, Washington, to the Wallula Gap and beyond. The Refuge’s shrub-steppe, basalt cliff, riparian, river islands and aquatic habitats will be managed to fulfill the needs of native fish, wildlife, and plants. By actively restoring habitat, controlling exotic species, and enhancing existing habitats and resources, the Refuge will serve as an anchor for biodiversity and a model for habitat restoration and land management. Just as the Columbia River is an important corridor for the transportation of people and goods, it is also an important natural corridor for migratory birds and fish, including endangered salmon and steelhead stocks. Food, rest and sanctuary will be provided for large concentrations of migratory and wintering waterfowl and shorebirds using the Refuges each year. Extensive corridors of riparian and floodplain habitat will be restored and enhanced for nesting and migrating neo-tropical songbirds. Management and enhancement of the Refuge’s waters, shorelines, channels and bays will contribute to the needs and recovery of endangered salmon and steelhead passing through and rearing in Refuge waters. By reaching out to neighbors and building strategic partnerships, the Refuge will seek new and innovative ways to conserve and protect fish and wildlife resources along the entire stretch of river. Wildlife abundance and well planned and high quality interpretive facilities will attract thousands of visitors to the Refuges. We will work with partners and volunteers to provide a wide range of high quality recreational and environmental education programs, build Refuge support, and attract visitors. Encouraging an understanding of and appreciation for the Refuge and the mid-Columbia River environment will be a focus of the McNary Refuge for generations to come. Disclaimer CCPs provide long term guidance for management decisions and set forth goals, objectives, and strategies needed to accomplish refuge purposes and identify the 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. McNary National Wildlife Refuge Comprehensive Conservation Plan Northern pintail – Dave Menke/USFWS Prepared by: Mid-Columbia River National Wildlife Refuge Complex 64 Maple Street Burbank, Washington 99323 U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Division of Planning, Visitor Services, and Transportation 911 NE 11th Avenue Portland, Oregon 97232 McNary Refuge Comprehensive Conservation Plan Table of Contents Chapter 1. Introduction 1.1 Introduction .................................................................................................................................. 1-1 1.2 Summary of Comprehensive Conservation Plan..................................................................... 1-1 1.3 National Wildlife Refuge System Laws and Directives.......................................................... 1-3 1.4 Establishment History and Purposes of McNary Refuge ..................................................... 1-7 1.5 Future Refuge Plans.................................................................................................................... 1-12 1.6 Issues, Concerns, and Opportunities......................................................................................... 1-12 Chapter 2. Management Direction 2.1 Considerations in Refuge Planning ...........................................................................................2-1 2.2 General Guidelines ....................................................................................................................... 2-2 2.3 Goals, Objectives, and Strategies............................................................................................... 2-4 Goal 1. Manage high quality food and sanctuary to support large concentrations of migratory waterfowl ................................................................................................... 2-6 Goal 2. Provide secure and productive foraging and nesting habitats for a diversity of shorebirds..................................................................................................................... 2-9 Goal 3. Contribute to the recovery of endangered, threatened, and sensitive species by protecting, maintaining, or increasing suitable habitats.................................. 2-12 Goal 4. Provide a diversity of high quality wetland habitats for the benefit of migratory birds and other wetland plants and animals......................................... 2-15 Goal 5. Provide high quality riparian habitats for the benefit of nesting and migrating birds, fish, riparian plants, and other riparian wildlife ....................... 2-18 Goal 6. Protect the integrity of the biological resources of the river islands .................. 2-21 Goal 7. Conserve and restore the plants, animals and shrub-steppe community representative of historic Columbia Basin habitats............................................... 2-23 Goal 8. Protect and maintain the ecological integrity of talus, outcropping, and cliff habitats for natural levels of species diversity........................................................ 2-28 Goal 9. Visitors and local residents enjoy, value, learn about, and support the Refuge 2-30 Goal 10. Hunters appreciate and experience a variety of quality hunting opportunities 2-34 Goal 11. Anglers experience abundant opportunities to catch fish while appreciating the Refuge .................................................................................................................... 2-37 Goal 12. Students and teachers understand and value the Refuge System, and the ecology and management of McNary National Wildlife Refuge.......................... 2-39 Goal 13. Manage cultural resources for their educational, scientific, and cultural values for the benefit of present and future generations of Refuge users and communities ................................................................................................................. 2-41 Appendices Appendix B. Compatibility Determinations ................................................................................... B-1 Maps Map 1 Vicinity Map Map 2 Refuge Boundary and Land Status Map 3 Habitat Management Actions under Final CCP Map 4 Public Use Features under Final CCP Map 5 Overall Hunt Area i McNary Refuge Comprehensive Conservation Plan Map 6 Main Habitats and Ecotypes Map 7 Key Waterfowl Use Areas Tables Table 1-1. McNary Refuge Units – Status and Acreage .............................................................. 1-11 Table 2-1. Summary of CCP Actions ...............................................................................................2-4 Great blue heron / USFWS ii Great blue heron, USFWS CHAPTER 1. Introduction Three American Avocets Landing - © Tim Bush McNary Refuge Comprehensive Conservation Plan 1.1 Introduction When first encountered by Lewis and Clark and early settlers in the Pacific Northwest, the Columbia River was enormous, wild, and seemingly uncontrollable. Yet for all its enormous flows, the river was nearly unusable in its native state as a source of irrigation water. Early settlers found that agriculture was nearly impossible in most of the hot, arid Columbia Plateau (Dietrich 1995). A grassroots effort to provide water for struggling small farmers culminated in the construction of Grand Coulee Dam. When it was completed in 1941, it was–at that time–the largest concrete structure ever built anywhere in the world. Successful construction of it and the other initial Columbia River dams led to increased confidence and enhanced expectations for development of the water and hydroelectric resources in the basin. Within a few decades, more than 400 dams had been constructed, including 11 run-of-the-river dams on the mainstem, and hundreds of major and modest structures on tributaries. These dams tapped into a large portion—21 million kilowatts—of the Columbia's generating capacity. The Columbia River is now considered the most hydroelectrically developed river system in the world (Dietrich 1995). McNary National Wildlife Refuge (Refuge) was established subsequent to the authorization of McNary Lock and Dam on the mainstem of the middle Columbia River, as part of the Federal Columbia River Power System. McNary Refuge is located upstream of the McNary Lock and Dam, on waters of the impounded Columbia River known