To access the plan, visit http://www.fws.gov/northeast/planning/Lake%20Umbagog/ccphome.html or, for more information, contact refuge manager Paul F. Casey at 603-482-3415, or [email protected] or Lake Umbagog National Wildlife Refuge, P.O. Box 240, Route 16 North, Errol, N.H. 03579.

Umbagog refuge plan set

UPTON – Following public hearings this year in Oxford County and New Hampshire, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has released its final comprehensive conservation plan and environmental impact statement regarding Lake Umbagog National Wildlife Refuge.

Of three refuge management alternatives evaluated for the next 15 years, FWS chose a modified Plan B, which includes a 47,807-acre expansion of the refuge with no significant changes to hunting and fishing regulations.

Alternative A was to do nothing, while Plan C would have let nature take its course after the service expanded the refuge by 76,304 acres.

The refuge spans the border of northern New Hampshire and western Maine, protecting 20,919 acres of wildlife habitat in Coos County, N.H., and Oxford County. It was created in 1992 to provide long-term protection for unique wetlands, threatened and endangered species, and migratory birds of conservation concern.

According to the plan – people have until Monday, Jan. 5 to comment on it – the refuge will remain closed to all-terrain vehicles, but open in designated areas to snowmobiles.

Existing and future designated areas will be open to certain public uses not included in the original proposal. That includes dog sledding, horseback riding and bicycling, and the collection of berries, fiddleheads, mushrooms and shed antlers, according to a FWS report issued this month.

Regarding the 47,807 acres, the service proposing to acquire 56 percent in fee title or full ownership, and 44 percent in conservation easement rather than 65 percent in fee title and 35 percent in easement.

“We believe Alternative B strikes an appropriate balance between resource protection and public use on existing and proposed refuge lands,” the report states.

Decisions regarding furbearer management and trapping and expanding the hunting program to include wild turkey and bobcat seasons will be deferred and considered during separate planning and public involvement periods.

The plan proposes construction of a new refuge headquarters and visitor contact station, enhanced and expanded refuge visitor services and public use and access opportunities, and proposes conservation of significant wildlife habitat with links to other conserved area lands.

It also conserves the integrity of wetland and upland habitats to protect water quality and benefit migratory birds and other species like bald eagles and white-tailed deer.

Once public review process ends, the service’s regional director will make a final decision.

Then a notice will be published in the Federal Register. Once the plan is prepared and signed, implementation will begin.