Assabet River NWR Final CCP - U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

“To administer a national
network of lands and waters
for the conservation,
management, and where
appropriate, restoration of
the fish, wildlife, and plant
resources and their habitats
within the United States for
the benefit of present and
future generations of
Americans.” (Refuge
Improvement Act; Public
Law 105-57)–Mission of the
Refuge System.
Winter at Assabet River NWR: Staff
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Chapter 1: Introduction and Background
The Service manages NWRs, waterfowl protection areas, and National
Fish Hatcheries. By law, Congress entrusts the following federal trust
resources to the Service for conservation and protection: migratory birds
and fish, endangered species, interjurisdictional fish, and certain marine
mammals. The Service also enforces federal wildlife laws and international
treaties on importing and exporting wildlife, assists with state fish and
wildlife programs, and helps other countries develop wildlife conservation
programs.
Refuge System Mission
The Refuge System is the world’s largest collection of lands and waters set
aside specifically for the conservation of wildlife and ecosystem protection.
The Refuge System consists of 544 national wildlife refuges that provide
important habitat for native plants and many species of mammals,
Laws
birds, fish, and threatened and endangered species, encompassing
over 95 million acres. Refuges offer a wide variety of recreational
opportunities, and many have visitor centers, wildlife trails, and
environmental education programs. Nationwide, over 34 million
visitors annually hunt, fish, observe and photograph wildlife, or
participate in interpretive activities on national wildlife refuges.
In 1997, the Refuge Improvement Act established a unifying mission
for the refuge system, a new process for determining compatible
public uses, and the requirement to prepare a CCP for each refuge.
The new law states that the refuge system must focus on wildlife
conservation. It further states that the National mission, coupled with
the purpose(s) for which each refuge was established, will provide the
principal management direction for each refuge.
While the Refuge System Mission and each refuge’s purpose provide the
foundation for management, national wildlife refuges are also governed by
other federal laws, executive orders, treaties, interstate compacts, and
regulations pertaining to the conservation and protection of natural and
cultural resources (see Appendix A for a more complete list of
guiding laws).
A primary law affecting refuge management is the National Wildlife
Refuge System Administration Act of 1966 (Administration Act)
which authorizes the Secretary of the Interior to permit any use of
a refuge “...whenever it is determined that such uses are compatible
with the major purposes for which such areas were established.”
The Administration Act was amended by the Refuge Improvement
Act. It is also the key legislation on managing public uses, and
protecting the Refuge System from incompatible or harmful human
Assabet River NWR