Malheur National Wildlife Refuge
by Tim Bodeen, Refuge Manager, Malheur National Wildlife Refuge
- Buena Vista Pond - Malheur - Don Baccus
With great anticipation, we are embarking upon a comprehensive planning process for the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge. We welcome you to be part of this process. The Refuge’s Comprehensive Conservation Plan (CCP) will create a roadmap for us to better accomplish the wildlife purposes for which the Refuge was originally established and to contribute to the National Wildlife Refuge System’s mission and goals.
As part of local and national communities, we have opted to use a collaborative process for our CCP, which will provide many opportunities for public participation. Through this planning process, we will have the opportunity to analyze the Refuge’s management programs. We’ll take a look at how we provide habitat and protect biological integrity. We’ll look at invasive species control, wildlife-dependent recreational opportunities, and cultural resources protection.
The Refuge staff and I invite you to share your fresh perspectives, ideas, and concerns with us. We have some big problems to tackle, such as controlling the carp infestation within our waters, improving Blitzen River water quality, increasing our energy efficiency, and adapting to climate change impacts. Our goal, with your help, is to develop innovative and sustainable strategies to address these challenges.
During our planning process, Refuge staff will continue to conduct management operations and ongoing projects, such as fish passage improvement, invasive species control, and stream restoration. I strongly encourage you to share your ideas, questions, and comments on issues that we should address in the CCP. We will need your feedback by October 31, 2009.
Comments may be sent to FW1PlanningComments@fws.gov or Malheur National Wildlife Refuge, 36391 Sodhouse Lane, Princeton, OR 97221.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) is committed to conducting the planning process at
Malheur Refuge in a collaborative manner. This means:
• Our process will be open and transparent. Information that we use in our planning process
will be posted at http://www.fws.gov/malheur/.
• We are focused on building relationships with key partners. We have invited scientists, other agencies, the conservation community, recreation groups, Harney County residents, Refuge visitors, and elected officials to be part of our process. Through meetings, presentations, listening posts, planning updates, our website, and press releases we will strive for two-way passage of information.
• We will base our decisions on the best available science.
• We will solicit your input not only at the beginning and end of the planning process, but also at key intervals throughout the process. As needed, we will organize workshops to more thoroughly investigate key issues. A collaborative CCP process that results in a broad base
of support for our management direction will allow us to move forward effectively when implementing actions defined in the Refuge’s CCP.
Preliminary Issues We Will Address in the CCP
We identified the following preliminary public use issues for consideration during the planning process:
• The adequacy of access and facilities for all of the
wildlife-dependent recreation uses;
• Opportunities to expand wildlife-dependent
recreation programs;
• The impacts of public use programs on natural
and cultural resources and Refuge visitors;
• Management of commercial outfitters or guides;
• Management of other non-wildlife-dependent
uses.
• Potential for wilderness designation
We identified the following preliminary wildlife
and habitat issues for consideration during the
planning process:
• Decreased populations of colonial nesting
waterbirds and waterfowl compared to
historic levels;
• Carp infestation in the lakes, wetlands, and
rivers adversely affecting habitat for colonial
nesting waterbirds, waterfowl, native fish, and
invertebrates;
• Degraded water quality and quantity in the
Blitzen River;
• Channeling the Blitzen River and the loss of
floodplain dynamics and connectivity;
• Degraded riparian conditions along the
Blitzen River and tributaries;
• The presence and spread of aggressive
noxious weeds, such as perennial pepperweed
and reed canary grass;
• The ability to effectively use the water
system and other habitat management tools
to achieve desired plant composition and
structure in meadow habitats for target
wildlife species;
• Maintaining redband trout and other native
fishes; and
• The potential effects of climate change on
Refuge habitats and species.
