Chapter 1. Introduction Champion Lake Sunrise. USFWS 1. Introduction The 25,000-acre Trinity River National Wildlife Refuge (refuge, Trinity River NWR) is remnant of what was once a much larger, frequently flooded, bottomland hardwood forest. The primary purpose of the refuge is to protect a remnant of the bottomland hardwood forest ecosystem along the Trinity River. It is one of only 14 priority one bottomland sites identified for protection in the Texas Bottomland Hardwood Preservation Program (USFWS 1985b). Although not fully surveyed, the refuge contains more than 635 plant species and another 350 vertebrate species, including more than 200 birds, 60 fish, 40 mammals, and 50 reptiles and amphibians. The refuge still consists of a broad, flat floodplain, numerous sloughs, oxbows, artesian wells, and tributaries. This document is the Comprehensive Conservation Plan (CCP) designed to guide management of the refuge for the next 15 years. The CCP provides a description of the desired future conditions and long-range guidance to accomplish the purposes for which the refuge was established. The CCP and accompanying Environmental Assessment (EA) address U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) legal mandates, policies, goals, and National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) compliance. The EA (Appendix C) presents a range of alternatives for habitat and wildlife management, visitor services, and facilities management that consider issues and opportunities on the refuge. It also identifies, describes, and Trinity River NWR Comprehensive Conservation Plan and Environmental Assessment 1-1 Chapter 1. Introduction compares the consequences (or impacts) of implementing three management alternatives (including current management) on the physical, biological, and human environments described in the CCP. The final CCP will be developed through modifications made after the public review process and will replace current management direction when it is finalized. The CCP is divided into five chapters. Chapter 1, Introduction, provides information about why the Service is developing this CCP, and an overview of the refuge, including the history of establishment and management, authorizing legislation, description of its purposes, and information on the National Wildlife Refuge System (Refuge System) and the laws, policies, and guidance that set the stage for management direction. Chapter 2, The Planning Process, explains the process used to develop the CCP consistent with planning requirements. Chapter 3, Refuge Resources and Current Management, explains the landscape setting; physical, biological, and socio-economic environment; and the current management programs on the refuge. Chapter 4, Management Direction, describes the goals, objectives, and strategies for the Service’s preferred alternative (Alternative C). Finally, Chapter 5, Plan Implementation and Monitoring, describes the various tools the refuge will use to implement the management direction presented in this CCP. 1.1 Purpose and Need for the CCP The purpose of comprehensive conservation planning is to provide long-range guidance for the management of national wildlife refuges, as mandated by the National Wildlife Refuge System Improvement Act of 1997 (Improvement Act). This CCP provides a vision for the refuge and offers management direction for conducting scientific research, habitat restoration, maintenance, and management of compatible public uses of refuge resources for the next 15 years. The CCP will enhance the management of the refuge by: . Providing a clear statement of direction for the future management of the refuge. Providing long-term continuity in refuge management throughout the refuge. Communicating the Service’s management priorities for the refuge to their partners, neighbors, visitors, and the general public. Providing an opportunity for the public to help shape the future management of the refuge. Ensuring that management programs on the refuge are consistent with the mandates of the Refuge System and the purposes for which the refuge was established. Ensuring that the management of the refuge is consistent with Federal, State, and local plans. Providing a basis for budget requests to support the refuge’s needs for staffing, operations, maintenance, and capital improvements. The CCP is needed to provide guidance and rationale for management actions and will be used by the Refuge Manager and refuge staff as a reference document when developing work plans and step-down plans, and making management decisions. Through the development of goals, objectives, and strategies, this CCP describes how the refuge contributes to the overall mission of the Refuge System, fulfills the purposes designated for the refuge, and uses the best available science for adaptive management. 1-2 Trinity River NWR Comprehensive Conservation Plan and Environmental Assessment U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service Trinity River National Wildlife Refuge Refuge Location Liberty County, Texas Fields Bayou Beef Head Creek Trinity River Davis Bayou «¬ 146 Houston St Davis Hill «¬105 State Park Gaylor Creek Tanner Bayou River «¬321 Trinity North Main St Missouri Pacific Railroad Gillen Bayou Long John Creek Dayton French Creek Linney Creek Creek Abbott Main St Cleveland St Southern Pacific Railroad Liberty Main St ¤£90 Trinity River £¤90 Big Caney «¬146 Old River Beaumont Hwy Legend Creek Picketts Bayou Trinity Acquired River Acquisition Boundary Old River-Winfree El Paso Fort Worth !(!(Dallas !( PRODUCED IN THE DIVISION OF REFUGE PLANNING ALBUQUERQUE, NEW MEXICO 0 1.5 3 6 Austin Trinity River !( LAND STATUS CURRENT TO: 5/31/09 Miles !( NWR !( Houston^_ MAP DATE: November, 2010 Kilometers San Antonio BASEMAP: N/A 0 1.5 3 6 MERIDIAN: N/A UTM ZONE 15 FILE: trn_general_11.3.10_shl NAD 83 Chapter 1. Introduction The goals established for the refuge include the following: To contribute to conservation efforts and to foster the ecological integrity of the Gulf Coast Prairies and Marshes, West Gulf Coastal Plain and Upper West Gulf Coastal Plain ecoregions: . Through proven and innovative management practices across the refuge. To conserve, restore, enhance, and protect refuge habitats by implementing appropriate management programs to benefit native flora and fauna, including threatened and endangered species and other species of concern. To protect, maintain, and enhance populations of migratory birds and resident fish and wildlife, including Federal and State threatened and endangered species. To develop and implement quality wildlife- dependent recreation programs that are compatible with the refuge’s purposes and foster enjoyment and understanding of the refuge’s unique wildlife and plant communities. To provide high quality, safe, environmentally responsible facilities needed to support refuge operations and enhance visitor experiences. By preparing this CCP, documenting our goals and objectives, and involving our partners and the public in the process, we can gain a better understanding of the issues. Sustaining the nation’s fish and wildlife resources is a task that can be accomplished only through the combined efforts of governments, partners, and private citizens. This CCP will help explain how the refuge fits into the larger Cypress tree in refuge with landscape and our role in protecting our natural resources Manager Stuart Marcus. USFWS for present and future generations. 1.2 Refuge Overview: History of Establishment, Acquisition, and Management The Trinity River NWR is located in the floodplain of the lower Trinity River in Liberty County, Texas, consisting of over 51 tracts. It continues to emphasize acquisition opportunities throughout the floodplain of the Trinity River. The refuge is approximately 50 miles northeast of Houston and 40 miles west of Beaumont in southeast Texas (Map 1-1. Refuge Location). Although located in a rural setting, it is within 65 miles of over 5,000,000 people. The refuge was established to protect bottomland hardwood forest habitat in southeastern Texas. The Service’s intent of developing a refuge was to protect a remnant of the threatened bottomland hardwood forest ecosystem of Texas where wetland loss has been well documented since the 1950s. Wetland habitat in eastern Texas was ranked by type, and rates of loss were determined in the mid 1950s and continued through the mid 1970s. The bottomland hardwood forests were considered palustrine forested wetlands and were shown to experience the greatest loss of all wetland types during the 20-year period; this was identified as the highest priority for protection under the Emergency Wetlands Resources Act of 1986. Trinity River NWR Comprehensive Conservation Plan and Environmental Assessment 1-5 Chapter 1. Introduction Efforts to preserve bottomland hardwood forests began with the initiation of the Texas Unique Ecosystem Program in 1978. A meeting was held in Nacogdoches, Texas, to solicit public comments and to seek recommendations for important wildlife sites. The Wildlife Ecosystem Concept Plan (USFWS 1979) was established by the Service in response to the Texas Unique Ecosystem Program. Further interagency coordination resulted in the Land Protection Plan: Bottomland Hardwoods Category 3 for Texas and Oklahoma (USFWS 1985a). The plan for Texas bottomland hardwoods was outlined in more detail in the Texas Bottomland Hardwood Preservation Program Category 3 (USFWS 1985b). This plan identified areas (that are currently part of the refuge) as two of 14 priority one bottomland hardwood sites identified for protection.