Iroquois National Wildlife Refuge needs input

Iroquois National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) is seeking public input in improving its public use programs. Three days have been set aside for people to come into the refuge office and officer comments and suggestions on enhancing the quality of the refuge's public use programs. They are: March 29, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.; March 30, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. and April 1, 8 a.m. to noon.

There have been inquiries from the public on changing NWR's public use programs, Refuge Manager Thomas Roster said.

In 1997, a National Wildlife Refuge System Improvement Act (Refuge Improvement Act) was signed. One of the four guiding principles of the Act is to give the public full and open opportunity to participate in decisions regarding acquisition and management of the National Wildlife Refuge.

The Refuge Act also identified six wildlife dependent public use priority uses which are determined to be compatible with the mission of the Refuge System and the purposes of the Refuge: environmental education, interpretation, wildlife observation, wildlife photography, hunting and fishing.

The NWR is seeking comments which focus on these activities to provide direction for the public use program for the next several years until the refuge completes its Comprehensive Conservation Plan (CCP) process.

Comments can be mailed to: Iroquois National Wildlife Refuge, 1101 Casey Road, Basom, NY 14013 or by email: Iroquois@fws.gov. by April 8, 2006. For information call 585-948-5445.

March 12, 2006