I apologize for my empty-headed failure to let this list-serve, with its many connections to activities at Montezuma National Wildlife Refuge, know about the following a couple days ago. I only learned about it at the end of last week.
The NYSOA Conservation Committee very recently became aware of a 15-year Comprehensive Conservation Plan for Montezuma NWR. The Plan has some good points including more trails. It would, however, decrease grassland and shrubland habitat management by about 400 acres with a corresponding increase in forest cover area. These changes would decrease habitat for several of the rarer species on the Refuge, which use grassland-shrubland habitat, by 35% while increasing forest cover by about 12%, and greatly expand hunting for Canada Geese and Snow Geese, and allow Sunday deer hunting, and start Wild Turkey hunting. One goal of the CCP goal is to increase the number of waterfowl hunters from 355 last year to 1000, despite a series of years with generally declining number of waterfowl hunters. The Plan hopes that more hunting opportunities will lead to a major decrease in Canada Geese and in Snow Geese in New York. A link to the full proposal is at <http://www.fws.gov/northeast/planning/Montezuma/ccpchapters.html> Much of the proposal is condensed in Chapter 3. Unfortunatley, the deadline for public comment was 21 June, although the reviewers for the US FWS have said that they would keep the reviews open for a "few days" after the deadline. Comments can be submitted via email to northeastplann...@fws.gov <mailto:northeastplann...@fws.gov> (please put "Montezuma NWR" in the subject line) John Confer -- Cayugabirds-L List Info: http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsWELCOME http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsRULES http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsSubscribeConfigurationLeave.htm ARCHIVES: 1) http://www.mail-archive.com/cayugabirds-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html 2) http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/Cayugabirds 3) http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/CAYU.html Please submit your observations to eBird: http://ebird.org/content/ebird/ --
<<attachment: confer.vcf>>
