Hi folks,

Thought I'd share a letter I received from the US Fish & Wildlife =
Service today regarding the meeting they held last month. The meeting =
was initially about the potential to restore some of the area behind =
(south of) the dike to tidal flow, and to avoid some of the obvious =
consequences (flood impacts and huge repair costs every 15-20 years, etc =
etc) of maintaining the dike in its present form. The meeting attracted =
a number of folks with a wide diversity of viewpoints, and the following =
note appears to be the result of that initial meeting.

Looks like we got something started that has gone 'way beyond the =
discourse on the dike or on restoring intertidal flow. A Comprehensive =
Management Plan is the blueprint for the operations of a National =
Wildlife Refuge. For USF&WS to undertake such a planning effort is =
going to be costly, and is (no doubt in my mind) going to result in some =
major operational changes at Nisqually Refuge. =20

I hope that the birding community avails itself of the opportunity to =
participate in the planning process and provide the USF&WS with some =
guidance relative to *our* needs and desires (which I would hope reflect =
the needs of the wildlife at the Refuge), as the Refuge that results =
from this process is what we'll have to deal with for the next 20 to 30 =
years at a minimum....

Following is the text of the letter I received:

Jon. Anderson
Olympia, Washington
festuca at olywa.net

Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge
Planning Update #1
August 1996

The staff of Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge appreciates your =
interest in the planning for the future of the Refuge. In light of the =
recent flood damages, and growing management challenges within the diked =
area, Refuge staff initiated a planning effort to reevaluate habitat =
management, including consideration of some form and amount of tidal =
restoration.

Special thanks to those of you who participated in our preliminary =
scoping meeting held July 25, 1996 at Lacey City Hall from 7:00 to 9:00 =
p.m. More than 30 people attended and we have received some written =
comments as well.

The objectives of the scoping meeting were:

- To inform and to encourage public participation early in the =
planning process regarding habitat management within the diked area of =
Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge.

- To identify key issues of concern and identify information needs =
that should be addressed in the planning process

- To build a mailing list of interested parties.

- To strengthen ties with the public and potential partners.

Refuge staff reviewed background information relating to: the February =
1996 flood, funding, administrative site planning (that is concurrently =
being conducted), habitat management planning, and refuge system's =
objectives.

Public comments were taken on two main topics: those relating to public =
use issues and those relating to biological/natural resource issues. =
Many comments were received on both topics. Most public use comments =
focused on areas involving outreach, education, public use impacts, =
accessibility, zoning, diversity, and relationships to other programs or =
aspects of planning. A range of biological comments included topics =
such as exotic vegetation, anadromous fish, salt marsh restoration, =
flood impacts, habitat/ecosystem impacts, species impacts, historical =
information, agency cooperation, habitat diversity, and new wetland =
acquisitions. All comments were recorded in detail on flipcharts and =
have been transcribed for use in the planning process.

Since our July meeting, Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge has been =
chosen by the Regional Office in Portland to undergo "Comprehensive =
Management Planning". This means we will be evaluating the =
biological/habitat and public use programs for all of the Refuge's land, =
not just the land within the dike. Public comments and ideas received =
at previous meetings will be incorporated into the Comprehensive =
Management Planning (CMP) process. Although this will significantly =
increase the scope of our planning process, money has been allocated to =
hire additional staff to complete this project. It is anticipated this =
process may take well over a year. Comprehensive Management Planning is =
a top priority for the Refuge and the staff looks forward to your =
continued participation and support in the planning process.

Regional Office and Refuge staff have been working in-house on =
administrative site planning that focuses on facilities damaged by the =
flood and includes replacement of the office (with visitor facilities), =
maintenance shop, parking lot, and associated trails. Consideration is =
currently being given to reversing the office and shop locations, moving =
the parking lot to the vicinity of the existing shop, and enlarging it =
to hold 80-100 cars.

We will continue to keep you informed as the planning process evolves at =
Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge and notify you of future =
opportunities for input. Please call the Refuge at 360-753-9467 if you =
have further questions regarding the July scoping meeting, =
administrative site planning or the comprehensive management planning. =
Refuge staff are available Monday through Friday from 7:30 a.m. until =
4:00 p.m.