DRAFT COMPREHENSIVE CONSERVATION PLAN AND ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT LOGAN CAVE NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE Benton County, Arkansas U.S. Department of the Interior Fish and Wildlife Service Southeast Region Atlanta, Georgia December 2007 Logan Cave National Wildlife Refuge 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 .............................................................................................................. 1 National Wildlife Refuge System .................................................................................................. 2 Legal and Policy Context .............................................................................................................. 3 National and International Conservation Plans and Initiatives ..................................................... 3 Relationship To State Wildlife Agency ..........................................................................................4 II. REFUGE OVERVIEW ........................................................................................................................ 5 Introduction and Purposes ............................................................................................................5 Ecosystem Context .......................................................................................................................5 Ecological Threats and Problems ................................................................................................. 9 Physical Resources .................................................................................................................... 11 Climate .............................................................................................................................. 11 Geology and Topography ................................................................................................11 Soils .................................................................................................................................. 12 Hydrology .......................................................................................................................... 12 Air Quality ..........................................................................................................................13 Water Quality and Quanity ................................................................................................13 Biological Resources .................................................................................................................. 13 Habitat ............................................................................................................................... 13 Wildlife ............................................................................................................................... 14 Cultural Resources ..................................................................................................................... 15 Socioeconomic Environment ...................................................................................................... 15 Refuge Administration and Management ...................................................................................16 Land Protection and Conservation ....................................................................................16 Visitor Services ................................................................................................................. 16 Personnel, Operations, and Maintenance .........................................................................16 III. PLAN DEVELOPMENT .................................................................................................................. 17 Overview ..................................................................................................................................... 17 Public Involvement and the Planning Process ...........................................................................17 Summary of Issues, Concerns and Opportunities ..................................................................17 Fish and Wildlife Population Management .................................................................................18 Threatened and Endangered Species ..............................................................................18 Karst Dependent Species .................................................................................................18 Neotropical Migratory Birds ...............................................................................................19 Habitat Management .................................................................................................................. 19 Logan Cave ....................................................................................................................... 19 Logan Stream ....................................................................................................................19 Surface Habitat ................................................................................................................. 20 Land Protection .......................................................................................................................... 20 Recharge zone .................................................................................................................. 20 Land Protection .......................................................................................................................... 20 Table of Contents i Recharge zone ................................................................................................................. 20 Bat Foraging Area ............................................................................................................. 20 Visitor Services ................................................................................................................. 21 Scientific Monitoring and Research .................................................................................. 21 Refuge Administration ................................................................................................................ 21 Funding and Staffing ......................................................................................................... 21 Cultural Resources ........................................................................................................... 21 Fences/Gates/Boundary Signs ......................................................................................... 21 Wilderness Review ..................................................................................................................... 23 IV. MANAGEMENT DIRECTION ......................................................................................................... 25 Introduction ................................................................................................................................ 25 Vision ......................................................................................................................................... 25 Goals, Objectives, and Strategies .............................................................................................. 25 Goal 4. Education and Visitor Services ........................................................................ 31 Goal 5. Refuge Administration ..................................................................................... 32 V. PLAN IMPLEMENTATION ............................................................................................................. 35 Introduction ................................................................................................................................ 35 Proposed Projects ...................................................................................................................... 35 Fish And Wildlife Population Management ....................................................................... 35 Habitat Management......................................................................................................... 37 Resource Protection ......................................................................................................... 38 Visitor Services ................................................................................................................. 38 Refuge Administration ...................................................................................................... 39 Funding and Personnel .............................................................................................................. 39 Partnership/Volunteers Opportunities ........................................................................................ 39 Step-Down Management Plans .................................................................................................. 39 Monitoring and Adaptive Management ......................................................................................