U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service Annual Report of Lands Under ... · All Lands Under Control of the Fish and Wildlife ServiceAll Lands Under Control of the Service As of 9/30/2012 Purchased

Annual Report of Lands Under Control of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife ServiceAs of September 30, 2012

U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service

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On the Cover: “Pixie Cups,” taken at the Whitefish Point Unit, Seney National Wildlife Refuge, Michigan.

Photo Contest Winner Sara Giles, Visitor Services Manager, Seney National Wildlife Refuge, MichiganPixie Cups, Cladonia chlorophaea, a native lichen species, cover the ground in many places in the Refuge. The cup helps with reproduction. As rain droplets hit the cup and splash outward, its spores eject onto the surrounding soil. Reindeer lichen can be seen in the background, as well light green branching lichens and darker green club moss. Needles of stunted jack pine trees – which dominate forests in this area -- are also visible. This 20-acre property, acquired in FY 2012, is located near Lake Superior, within an important migratory bird corridor. For more information on the Division of Realty’s annual photo contest, please see page 35. More information about this acquisition can be found on page 24.

PHOTO: SARA GILES/ USFWS

Table of Contents

Compiled by the Division of Realty

Message from the Secretary �� 4Message from the Director �� 5All Lands Under Control of the Fish & Wildlife Service �� 6Fish & Wildlife Service Acquisitions in Fiscal Year 2011 �� 7Conservation Easements �� 8Map of the Refuge System �� 10New Refuges �� 12America’s Great Outdoors �� 14Prairie Potholes and Waterfowl Production Areas �� 16Urban Refuges �� 18Landscape Conservation �� 20Working with Partners �� 22Protecting Wildlife Habitat �� 24Changes to this Report �� 26Statistical Data Tables �� 27

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Each time we establish a new national wildlife refuge, we ensure the future of a treasured landscape, conserving priceless fish and wildlife and their habitats for this generation and future generations. We provide a place for people to connect with nature through fishing, hunting, hiking, and other outdoor recreation – not only restoring the spirit and refreshing the mind, but also supporting economic growth and jobs in local communities. Last year, more than 47 million people visited the Nation’s 561 national wildlife refuges; these visits generated more than $2.6 billion in economic activity and supported more than 36,000 jobs.

Recently, I had the pleasure of adding new planks to the boardwalk at our first refuge – the Pelican Island National Wildlife Refuge. Five of those planks represent the five new national wildlife refuges established in Fiscal Year 2012. Another plank represents the re-naming of Noxubee National Wildlife Refuge as the Sam D. Hamilton Noxubee National Wildlife Refuge in honor of the late Director of the Fish and Wildlife Service and one of its greatest leaders.

The five new national wildlife refuges are:

1. Everglades Headwaters National Wildlife Refuge and Conservation Area is located in north central Florida. This Refuge will ultimately include 50,000 acres that will provide public access and 100,000 acres that will remain in

private ownership under conservation easements. The Refuge will connect existing conservation lands; create wildlife corridors; enhance water quality, quantity, and storage; protect threatened and endangered species; and provide opportunities for public wildlife-dependent outdoor recreation.

2. Rio Mora National Wildlife Refuge and Conservation Area will ultimately protect up to 300,000 acres of one of the most significant grassland landscapes of North America. This new Refuge was made possible by a generous donation of 4,200 acres by the Eugene V. and Clare E. Thaw Charitable Trust. The donation will provide many opportunities for the local community to enjoy the great outdoors in north central New Mexico.

3. Sangre de Cristo Conservation Area in Colorado was established by the generous gift of a conservation easement on approximately 75,000 acres from noted conservationist Louis Bacon, with a promise of another donation of an additional conservation easement on more land in the future. When completed, these two donations will represent the largest donation ever to the Fish and Wildlife Service. The Conservation Area will connect a diverse mosaic of public and private lands in a landscape unlike any place else in the country; protect working landscapes and water quality; and create a landscape corridor for fish and wildlife.

4. Swan Valley Conservation Area helps connect the Canadian Rockies with the central Rockies of Idaho and Wyoming. Swan Valley was established in partnership with landowners who voluntarily granted conservation easements on their lands. The Refuge will protect one of the last low-elevation coniferous forest ecosystems in western Montana that remains undeveloped, providing habitat for species such as grizzly bears, gray wolves, wolverines, and Canada lynx.

5. Valle de Oro National Wildlife Refuge was established in Albuquerque, New Mexico, as the first urban refuge in the southwest, with the acquisition of 389 acres of former farmland. This was the first of two acquisition phases that will ultimately encompass 570 acres of protected lands providing recreation and environmental education for nearly two-thirds of the entire State population including more than 150,000 students. The project involved close collaboration among the Fish and Wildlife Service, Bernalillo County, The Trust for Public Land, and many other partners.

As Secretary of the Interior, I have had the privilege of being the custodian of many of America’s most treasured natural and cultural resources, and of overseeing the development of an exciting conservation agenda for the 21st century. From the beginning of my term through FY 2012, under the banner of President Obama’s America’s Great Outdoors initiative, the Fish and Wildlife Service has established 10 new national wildlife refuges, conserving thousands of acres of wildlife habitat. From the Crown of the Continent in Montana, to the prairie grasslands of Kansas, and the Everglades Headwaters in Florida, we are partnering with landowners, farmers, and ranchers to preserve their way of life and conserve the irreplaceable land and wildlife that we all cherish. We have established an enduring vision for conservation in the 21st century that recognizes people from all walks of life. It is a legacy of which I am very proud.

As conservationists, we know everything is connected. The water that falls on the western slope of the Sierra Nevadas is the same water that falls on the farm fields and refuge wetlands of California’s Central Valley, sustains the invertebrate life in vernal pools, and supports the life cycle of anadromous fish. To improve water quality in the Gulf of Mexico, we need to understand agricultural practices and navigation in upstream rivers. To conserve wildlife species and their habitats, we must continually improve our understanding of how those species rely on particular landscapes.

While the need to sustain these interconnected plants, animals and ecosystems remains the same, the way we conserve these resources must effectively respond to updated science and current land use trends.

Rising agricultural commodity prices in the Prairie Pothole Region have resulted in rapidly increasing conversion of valuable wildlife habitat to agricultural uses. The loss of this habitat is a serious threat to this region which is often called the nation’s “duck factory” because it produces more than half of North American waterfowl. To respond to these quickly changing conditions, in 2012 we announced a policy of directing more land acquisition funding to this area. That re-direction of funding enabled us to protect nearly 100,000 acres, 25,000 of which were donated by private landowners and other nongovernmental conservation partners.

We have also begun a process of working to achieve more explicit biological goals. Although we do not have the resources to assess biological goals for all of the Service’s trust species, we believe that we can measure biological outcomes for “surrogate” species – species that are representative of other trust species on Service-managed lands and waters. The selection of surrogate species will enhance our ability to measure the

success or failure of our conservation efforts enabling us to make adjustments and improve our effectiveness and efficiency.

As you review this report, you may notice that modern technology has enabled us to move datasets online. In addition to being able to view this report on the internet, you can now see our records of land acquisition as they are updated in real time.

In Fiscal Year 2012 we added more than 228,000 acres to the National Wildlife Refuge System, including acquisitions at 81 refuges in 40 states. Please visit any of our conserved lands to view your priceless natural heritage and enjoy our conservation successes of the past year.

Thank you for your support of your National Wildlife Refuge System. I look forward to working with you again in the year ahead.

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Message from the DirectorMessage from the Secretary

All Lands Under Control of the Fish and Wildlife Service As of 9/30/2012 Category Definitions The following definitions are used for this report and do not necessarily reflect the definitions found in 50 CFR 25.12. National Wildlife Refuges include the Refuge System lands, waters, and interests administered by the Service as wildlife refuges, wildlife ranges, wildlife management areas, game preserves, and conservation areas. Waterfowl Production Areas (WPAs) are Refuge System lands comprised of small natural wetlands and grasslands that provide breeding, resting, and nesting habitat for millions of waterfowl, shorebirds, grassland birds, and other wildlife. Approximately 95 percent of WPA lands are located within the Prairie Pothole Region states of Iowa, Minnesota, Montana, North Dakota, and South Dakota. WPA lands are grouped by county and administered by one of the Service’s 38 wetland management districts. Coordination Areas are Refuge System lands managed by states under cooperative agreements between the Service and state fish and wildlife agencies. Administrative Sites are Service-owned maintenance facilities, offices, and off-site visitor centers that are not located on Refuge System lands. National Fish Hatcheries are facilities where fish are raised. Hatchery objectives are to replenish depleted stocks, to mitigate federal water projects, to assist with the management of fishery resources on federal and Indian lands, and to enhance recreational activities. National Monuments, which include marine national monuments, are areas designated by Presidential Proclamation and established under the authority of the Antiquities Act of 1906. This includes the submerged lands and waters designated by Presidential Proclamations 8031, 8112, 8335, 8336, or 8337, and the lands designated by Presidential Proclamation 7319. For the purposes of this report, this category includes only the Service-managed or co-managed areas within a national monument that are outside the Refuge System. National monument areas within the Refuge System are counted in the “National Wildlife Refuges” category total. Table 10 provides a full breakdown of monument acreage.

Column Definitions Reserved from Public Domain refers to public lands the United States obtained title to through treaty, purchase, or annexation that have never left federal ownership. These lands are considered “reserved” when they have been designated for a specific purpose by an Executive Order, Act of Congress, or Public Land Order. Primary Jurisdiction refers to lands reserved from the public domain for the Service, typically for wildlife conservation purposes. Secondary Jurisdiction refers to lands reserved from the public domain for another agency, for which the Service has some management responsibility. Designated as Marine National Monuments refers to submerged lands and waters designated for protection by Presidential Proclamation. Pursuant to Secretary’s Orders 3212, 3224, and 3284, the Service is the designated manager for the Marianas Trench, Pacific Remote Islands, and Rose Atoll Marine National Monuments, and shares management responsibility for the Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument. The Service manages approximately one-quarter of the monument area as part of the Mariana Trench, Mariana Arc of Fire, Baker Island, Howland Island, Jarvis Island, and Wake Atoll NWRs. The remaining portions of the marine national monuments are located outside refuge boundaries, and outside the Refuge System, yet still co-managed by the Service. Acquired by Other Federal Agencies refers to lands and interests in land acquired by other federal agencies (e.g., lands purchased from private landowners by the U.S. military), for which the Service has some management responsibility. Primary Jurisdiction refers to lands that were acquired by other federal agencies and transferred to the Service, typically to manage as wildlife habitat. Secondary Jurisdiction refers to lands acquired by other federal agencies, for which the Service has some management responsibility through an interagency agreement. Purchased by FWS refers to lands and interests in land purchased by the Service. Donated refers to lands and interests in land donated to the Service. This includes lands protected when partners brought funds to the table in a transaction and purchased lands for the Service. Agreement or Lease refers to agreements and leases the Service has entered into with other parties (e.g., landowners, states) to manage their land, or an interest in land, typically for a finite period.

AGREEMENTOR LEASE

PUBLIC LANDS AND WATERS

Acres Cost($)

Purchased by FWS Acquired byOther

Federal Agency

Donated

TOTALACRES

Primary JurisdictionCategory

Designated asMarine

NationalMonuments

Reserved fromPublic Domain

Secondary Jurisdiction

Acquired byOther Federal Agency

Primary Jurisdiction


EASEMENTS

Acres Cost($)

Purchased by FWSDonated

National Wildlife Refuges 748,674.49301,220.9186,221.24 515,329.49 $186,208,896.52 146,130,423.66795,415.12917,450.153,553,035.2181,371,397.68 597,731.33 4,424,596.04 $2,208,040,364.79560 52,819,352.00

Waterfowl Production Areas 2,491.00256,731.2375,216.41 2,529,665.56 $276,080,693.92 3,639,126.2220,250.800.0027,974.0515,897.64 0.00 710,899.53 $255,201,712.49209 0.00

Coordination Areas 0.000.00173.50 0.00 $0.00 257,488.4325.0055,739.14139,252.8956,586.61 0.00 5,711.29 $751,677.0050 0.00

751,165.49557,952.14161,611.15 3,044,995.05 $462,289,590.44815,690.923,720,262.1581,443,881.93 5,141,206.86 $2,463,993,754.28 150,027,038.31973,189.29597,731.33Total of Refuge System 819 52,819,352.00

Administrative Sites 63.974.896.22 0.50 $1,030,000.00 870.481.610.008.5753.00 0.00 731.72 $12,942,374.0546 0.00

National Fish Hatcheries 332.713,184.51176.04 509.23 $246,836.06 21,664.911,359.643,662.062,421.263,607.09 987.09 5,425.28 $3,537,689.5971 0.00

National Monuments 156,987,800.000.000.00$0.000.000.000.00$0.000.0032,965.000.000.000.006 156,954,835.00

396.683,189.40182.26 509.73 $1,276,836.061,361.252,429.833,660.09 6,157.00 $16,480,063.64 157,010,335.3936,627.06987.09Total outside Refuge System 123 156,954,835.00

Grand Total: 751,562.17561,141.54161,793.41 3,045,504.78 $463,566,426.50817,052.173,722,691.9881,447,542.02 5,147,363.86 $2,480,473,817.92 307,037,373.701,009,816.35598,718.42934 209,774,187.00

Refuge System 149,075,218 acres

National Monuments157,067,926 acres

AdministrativeSites

869 acres

National FishHatcheries

21,663 acres

Service Lands as of September 30, 2011


21,664

AdministrativeSites870

Easement Acres173,179

Fee Acres59,911

All Lands Under Control of the ServiceService Acquisitions in FY 2012

Interest Acquired in FY 2012

Agreementor Lease

2%

WetlandEasements

5%

OtherConservation

Easements38%

GrasslandEasements

29%

Fee Title26%

Refuge System150,027,038

National Monuments156,987,800

Service Acquisitions in FY 2012

AGREEMENTOR LEASE

Acres Cost ($)

Purchased by FWS Purchased by FWS

Cost ($)AcresDonated

TOTALACRES

Category

PUBLIC LANDS AND WATERS EASEMENTS

Acquired byOther Federal

AgencyDonated

Acquired byOther Federal

Agency

National Wildlife Refuges -4,806.6679,615.9214,563.88 $8,814,574.00 139,184.3212,530.62-55.00 37,370.43 $57,572,770.10 -34.87

Waterfowl Production Areas 0.0024,336.3054,697.87 $25,771,249.00 86,258.122,461.730.00 4,762.22 $9,623,314.00 0.00

Coordination Areas 0.000.000.00 $0.00 2,840.000.000.00 2,840.00 $429,000.00 0.00

-4,806.66103,952.2269,261.75 $34,585,823.0014,992.35-55.00 44,972.65 $67,625,084.10 228,282.44Total of Refuge System -34.87

Administrative Sites 0.000.000.00 $0.00 0.860.860.00 0.00 $0.00 0.00

0.000.000.00 $0.000.860.00 0.00 $0.00 0.86Total outside Refuge System 0.00

Grand Total: -4,806.66103,952.2269,261.75 $34,585,823.0014,993.21-55.00 44,972.65 $67,625,084.10 228,283.30-34.87



AdministrativeSites

869 acres


21,663 acres



21,664



Fee Acres59,911



Agreementor Lease

2%

WetlandEasements

5%

OtherConservation

Easements38%

GrasslandEasements

29%

Fee Title26%



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Service Acquisitions in FY 2012

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All Lands Under Control of the Service

The amount of net leased acres dropped by 4,807, bringing the total acres conserved this year to 228,223.These averages include partial land value donations, where landowners chose to sell their lands to the Service below appraised value.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service manages over 307 million acres of lands and waters. In addition to managing the 150,027,038-acre National Wildlife Refuge System, the Service co-manages 156,987,800 acres of submerged lands and waters – mostly as part of marine national monuments -- for a net of over 307 million acres.

The National Wildlife Refuge System – at 150,027,038 acres -- is the world's most extensive network of public lands and waters dedicated to the conservation of wildlife. The Refuge System is comprised of 560 national wildlife refuges, 209 waterfowl production area counties, and 50 coordination areas.

National Wildlife Refuges include the 146,130,423 acres of lands, waters, and interests in land administered by the Service as wildlife refuges, wildlife

ranges, wildlife management areas, game preserves, and conservation areas.

Waterfowl Production Areas are small natural wetlands and associated grasslands acquired primarily under the authority of the Migratory Bird Hunting and Conservation Stamp Act. The 3,639,126 acres of waterfowl production areas are reported by county and administered by the Service's 38 wetland management districts.

Coordination Areas include 257,488 acres of federal land managed by states as wildlife habitat under cooperative agreements.

Marine National Monuments include Marianas Trench, Pacific Remote Islands, Papahanaumokuakea, and Rose Atoll. These monuments together encompass more than 211 million acres, of which the Service manages approximately 8,000

surface acres and 54 million submerged acres as part of the Refuge System, with the remaining 157 million acres co-managed with the Department of Commerce and/or the State of Hawaii.

In Fiscal Year 2012, the Service acquired 228,283 acres of wildlife habitat for the Refuge System, including 59,911 fee acres and 173,179 easement acres, in 81 national wildlife refuges, 90 waterfowl production area counties, and two coordination areas spanning 40 states.

Of these conserved lands, the Service purchased 44,973 fee acres and 69,262 easement acres at an average cost of $1,504 per fee acre and $499 per easement acre acre.

The Service received donations of 14,993 fee acres and 103,952 easement acres from partners and citizens interested in conserving wildlife habitat and providing public sources of wildlife dependent outdoor recreation.

In FY 2012, the Service established five new national wildlife refuges: Everglades Headwaters National Wildlife Refuge and Conservation Area in Florida, Rio Mora National Wildlife Refuge and Conservation Area in New Mexico, Sangre de Cristo Conservation Area in Colorado, Swan Valley Conservation Area in Montana, and Valle de Oro National Wildlife Refuge in New Mexico.

For a full list of FY 2012 acquisitions, see page 28.

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All Lands Under Control of the Fish & Wildlife Service Fish & Wildlife Service Acquisitions in Fiscal Year 2012



AdministrativeSites

869 acres


21,663 acres



21,664



Fee Acres59,911



Agreementor Lease

2%

WetlandEasements

5%

OtherConservation

Easements38%

GrasslandEasements

29%

Fee Title26%



Conservation easements are voluntary legal agreements that typically limit subdivision and development activities, but allow for continued residential and agricultural uses on a property. Unlike with fee title acquisition, landowners retain possession and most property rights when they enter into an easement agreement. The Service's operations and maintenance costs for easements are minimal because the landowner retains responsibility for management of the land. Further, properties with easements remain on local tax rolls. Easements are particularly useful when there are multiple, refuge-compatible uses for a property.

The Service’s conservation easements include wetland, grassland, and habitat easements. Wetland easements are permanent agreements in which a landowner receives payment in exchange for agreeing not to drain, fill, level, or burn wetlands. Grassland easements are permanent agreements in which a landowner receives payment in exchange for agreeing to keep their land in grass. Grassland easements allow grazing, but landowners agree not to mow, hay, or

grass seed harvest until after July 15 each year. The Service also purchases habitat easements that incorporate the terms of both wetland and grassland easements into a single agreement.

Conservation easements are the Service’s primary tool to prevent the fragmentation of landscapes. Easement acquisition exemplifies our partnership with private landowners to support working lands while conserving large, biologically diverse landscapes.

Grasslands Wildlife Management Area, CaliforniaThe Grasslands Wildlife Management Area is located in western Merced County, California, within the San Joaquin River Basin and supports the largest remaining block of contiguous wetlands in the Central Valley. These wetlands constitute 30 per cent of the remaining wetlands in California’s Central Valley and are extremely important to Pacific Flyway waterfowl populations. The Service acquired conservation easements on 520 acres -- 377 acres on the John Shaw property and 143 acres on the Santa Fe Duck Club property -- that will provide long term viability to the grassland and wetland ecosystem as well as provide a safe haven for migratory birds and other wildlife species.

San Joaquin River National Wildlife Refuge, CaliforniaThe San Joaquin River NWR, the newest unit of the San Luis NWR Complex, was established in 1987 to protect the wintering grounds of Aleutian Canada (cackling) geese, an endangered species. That species has seen its population

Grasslands WMA Sangre de Cristo Conservation Area

significantly increase, been de-listed, and is now a game species for hunters. The other major endangered species focus for the Refuge is the riparian brush rabbit – perhaps the most endangered mammal in California. The species’ Recovery Plan requires three new self-sustaining populations, and very little of the needed dense riparian habitat remains. Acquisition of this habitat is a key element for this species’ recovery. The Service acquired a conservation easement from the Lyons family on 66 acres of predominantly native, irrigated pasture - adding towards the continued recovery of the cackling geese and brush rabbit.

Willow Creek-Lurline Wildlife Management Area, CaliforniaThe Service acquired a conservation easement on 63 wetland acres within the Willow Creek/Lurline Wildlife Management Area (WMA), in Colusa County. The WMA is a component of the Sacramento National Wildlife Refuge complex and was established in 1985 to preserve wetland habitat for wintering waterfowl and other wetland dependent wildlife. Acquisition of this inholding – adjacent to other Service easements

–will benefit waterfowl, shorebirds, waterbirds, raptors, and other wetland-dependent wildlife, while providing an important corridor of natural habitat between Sacramento and Delevan National Wildlife Refuges.

Patoka River National Wildlife Refuge and Management Area, IndianaEstablished in 1994, the Patoka River National Wildlife Refuge and Management Area is located in southwestern Indiana within the historically important north-south flyway of the Wabash River Basin. This river bottom refuge is strategically located to provide important resting, feeding, and nesting habitat for migratory waterfowl, shorebirds, and neotropical songbirds. The refuge boundary stretches for 20 miles in an east-west direction along the lower third of the 162-mile-long Patoka River.

The Service acquired 1,423 acres, including 380 fee acres and a critical 1,044-acre easement that ties together two large tracts of refuge land. When agreement could not be reached between the Service and the owner of the 1044-acre parcel tract, the Sycamore Land

Trust stepped in and agreed to indemnity conditions that had prevented the government from acquiring the land, and purchased the land in fee. The Service then purchased a conservation easement from Sycamore Land Trust, putting the Refuge and Management Area at over 8,000 acres. When completed, the protected area will comprise 22,472 acres

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Conservation EasementsProtecting Habitat and Working Lands

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Map of the Refuge System

The Service established five national wildlife refuges in FY 2012, bringing to total number of refuges to 560.

Everglades Headwaters National Wildlife Refuge and Conservation Area, Florida On January 13, 2012, as part of President Obama’s America’s Great Outdoors initiative, Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar, accepted a 10-acre donation from The Nature Conservancy, officially establishing the Everglades Headwaters National Wildlife Refuge and Conservation Area. The Refuge provides valuable habitat within one of the last remaining grasslands and longleaf pine savanna landscapes in eastern North America.

The newly established Refuge was created through the support of local ranchers, landowners, state agencies, conservation organizations, and tribes, who worked cooperatively with the Service. When fully realized, the Refuge and Conservation Area will span up to 150,000 acres and will help preserve 43 federally-listed and 161 state-listed threatened, endangered, and candidate species. Land acquisition will be made through a combination of fee acquisition and conservation easements. The conservation easement program will enable landowners to retain ownership of their land, continue to raise cattle

and crops, and protect the area’s rich ranching and agricultural heritage. Located north of Lake Okeechobee, the Refuge will protect the headwaters of the fabled Everglades National Park, approximately 100 miles south.

Sangre de Cristo Conservation Area, ColoradoThis Refuge was established by the generous donation of a conservation easement on approximately 75,000 acres from noted conservationist Louis Bacon, with the promise of another conservation easement donation to follow. Once completed, these two donations will represent the largest donation ever to the Fish and Wildlife Service, and will connect a diverse mosaic of public and private lands in a landscape unlike any place else in the country. The Refuge will not only protect working landscapes and water quality, it will also create a landscape corridor for fish and wildlife unlike any place else in the world.

Rio Mora National Wildlife Refuge and Conservation Area, New MexicoThis Refuge, in north central New Mexico, will ultimately protect up to 300,000 acres of one of the most significant grassland landscapes of North America. The Refuge was established by a generous donation of 4,200 acres by the Eugene V. and Clare E. Thaw Charitable

Trust. The donation will provide many opportunities for the local community to enjoy the great outdoors.

Swan Valley Conservation Area, MontanaThis Refuge -- established in partnership with landowners who voluntarily granted conservation easements on their lands -- will help connect the Canadian Rockies with the central Rockies of Idaho and Wyoming. The Refuge will protect one of the last low-elevation coniferous forest ecosystems in western Montana that remains undeveloped, and will provide habitat for species such as grizzly bears, gray wolves, wolverines, and Canada lynx. See page 21 for photo and additional information.

Valle de Oro National Wildlife Refuge, New MexicoThe first urban refuge in the southwest was established with the acquisition of 389 acres of former farmland in Albuquerque. This was the first of two acquisition phases that will ultimately provide 570 acres of protected lands for recreation and environmental education for nearly two-thirds of the entire state population, including more than 150,000 students. The project involved close collaboration among the Service, Bernalillo County, The Trust for Public Land, and many other partners. See page 19 for photo.

Rio Mora Conservation Area

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New Refuges

Umbagog NWR

As part of President Obama’s America’s Great Outdoors (AGO) Initiative, Secretary Salazar asked Governors and stakeholders to identify specific projects in which the federal government could partner with states to advance the AGO goals to create and enhance urban parks and green spaces, renew and restore rivers, and conserve large, rural landscapes. The result was the America’s Great Outdoors Fifty-State Report.

More recently, Secretary Salazar announced the National Blueways System, an AGO Initiative to establish a community-driven conservation and recreation agenda for the 21st century.

Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge, WashingtonThe Service worked with The Nature Conservancy and the Nisqually Land Trust to secure and acquire approximately 70 acres. These lands are some of the best remnant Puget Sound lowland hardwood habitat left in a region that has experienced rapid urban growth from nearby Seattle, Tacoma, and Olympia.

The Service also acquired 38 acres in the Black River unit of the Refuge. The tract -- dominated by wetlands associated with two Black River tributaries flowing across the property -- provide extremely important fish and wildlife habitat. This area is one of the most important breeding sites for Oregon spotted frogs -- a state-listed species in Washington. Additionally, these lands provide a diversity of habitats for migratory birds, including a wide range of waterfowl, wading birds, waterbirds, and sensitive species such as the Pacific Coast flycatcher.

This property was tangled up in litigation pertaining to complex title issues. The Service successfully worked to resolve the many issues in addition to convincing the owner to sell the property for conservation, rather than to develop it.

Umbagog National Wildlife Refuge, Maine and New HampshireFollowing last year’s 2,920-acre acquisition, the Service acquired its final 4,692 acres of the Androscoggin Headwaters - Plum Creek conservation project. Other federal and state wildlife agencies will acquire the remaining acreage. These acquisitions will ensure that working forests remain a part of the landscape, while permanently protecting breeding habitat for loons, black ducks, osprey, and other migratory birds, in addition to supporting the AGO initiative.

White River and Cache River National Wildlife Refuges, ArkansasThe White River and Cache River National Wildlife Refuges are an integral part of the White River watershed, recognized as an AGO National Blueway Watershed, the second such designation in the Nation. Over 40 partner organizations have committed to support the watershed through conservation and restoration, protection of habitat, expansion of environmental education and interpretation, and increased economic and recreational opportunities.

The Service acquired 204 acres at White

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River NWR, consisting of approximately 125 acres of ground suitable for rice farming and 75 acres of highly erodible agricultural land that will be re-forested with hardwood tree species. The remaining acreage will continue to be managed under a cooperative farming agreement to provide high carbohydrate foods ("hot foods") for wintering waterfowl. This acquisition offers a unique opportunity to develop an observation platform to allow the public to view wildlife in a high-use area of the refuge. Easily accessible wildlife viewing areas are currently lacking.

At the Cache River NWR, the Service acquired 256 acres comprised of cropland, improved loblolly pine plantation, and riparian hardwood forests subject to beneficial wintertime flooding and soil saturation in the lower areas. Connectivity to existing Refuge habitat will enhance management capabilities and expand a narrow conserved riparian

corridor along the Cache River, a Wetland of International Importance. The acquisition also connects conserved forested wetland blocks and contributes to the Lower Mississippi Valley Joint Venture by developing and enhancing forested wetlands that provide critical wintering habitat for waterfowl.

The Refuge plans to re-establish seasonally-flooded bottomland hardwood forest habitat on approximately 80 acres of this tract, improve habitat conditions and the water management regime in existing moist-soil units and waterfowl impoundments previously used for hunting, and perform silvicultural treatments on existing woodland. The restoration of this tract will create excellent habitat conditions for foraging, roosting, and resting waterfowl and other water birds. The tract will be open for public use, including waterfowl hunting.

Cache River NWR

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America’s Great Outdoors & The National Blueways System

The Prairie Pothole Region of North America was once the largest expanse of grasslands and small wetlands on earth. This region once extended from central Iowa through Minnesota, South Dakota, North Dakota, and Montana, and into Canada. The area was covered with small wetlands, called prairie potholes, which were created when glaciers advanced and retreated over the area.

These small wetlands and grasslands, and aquatic plants and the invertebrates associated with them, provide an ideal nursery for waterfowl. For this reason, the Prairie Pothole Region has long been called “The Duck Factory” of North America.

Although more than half the potholes have been drained and converted to agricultural use, the Region still produces 50 percent of the breeding duck populations in the United States.

Recent increases in commodity prices have led a growing number of landowners to convert their grasslands and wetlands into cropland. Such large-scale land use changes are expanding rapidly into formerly secure grassland-wetland complexes and threatening this ecosystem. Mallard, gadwall, blue-winged teal, northern shoveler, northern pintail, redhead, canvasback ducks, and other waterfowl in North America’s Central Flyway depend on these private grasslands and wetlands for breeding habitat.

The Service is undertaking a landscape-scale, strategic habitat conservation effort to preserve this unique, highly diverse and endangered ecosystem.

One effective technique to conserve the remaining wetlands and grasslands of the Prairie Pothole Region is to work with private landowners to conserve critical resources while still allowing them to earn a living on their property. Through the Service's Small Wetlands Acquisition Program (SWAP), the Service acquires from landowners minimally restrictive conservation

easements that maintain a working agricultural landscape while protecting resources. Through the SWAP, the Service purchases grassland and/or wetland easements from willing sellers in waterfowl production areas using proceeds from the sale of Federal Duck Stamps and import duties collected on arms and ammunition.

Grassland easements restrict landowners from converting grassland to cropland, and delays haying until after July 15. Grazing is not restricted. Wetland easements restrict landowners from draining, filling, leveling, or burning a wetland basin. Farming, grazing and haying are allowed.

These wetland and grassland easements permanently protect habitat, but the landowner retains ownership and most property rights, including the right of access.

Gene Heinrich, a rancher in Medina, North Dakota, decided to take advantage of the SWAP, and allowed the Service to purchase a grassland easement on his property. “We felt comfortable participating in this program because we are able to use the land as we originally intended to use it. With this land easement, there are no major restrictions for haying or grazing.”

The one-time easement payment from the Service to the landowner is used to finance the operation, purchase more land, or save for the future. Gene stated, “My wife and I had to evaluate the benefits of putting the land in this easement knowing that our decision would affect future generations. We decided the monetary incentive attached to it was enough to help us with the purchase of the land so that our family and future generations will have the security of using the land in the years to come.”

The easements not only protect ranching and livestock operations, but they also conserve the ecological integrity of the wetlands and grasslands by maintaining

and enhancing the historical native plants, migratory birds, and other wildlife species.

In FY 2012, the Service conserved nearly 100,000 acres in the Prairie Pothole Region, including 8,272 fee and 91,242 easement acres at a total cost of $34.5 million. This includes 6,017 fee acres and nearly 77,100 easement acres in waterfowl production areas acquired through the SWAP, as well as 2,255 fee acres and 14,142 easement acres in wildlife refuges.

Waterfowl production areas acquired through the SWAP are managed by 38 Wetland Management Districts.

Glacial Ridge National Wildlife Refuge, MinnesotaIn addition to the easements acquired through the SWAP, the Service also acquires fee title properties in the PPR. The Service acquired 2,255 fee acres in a bargain sale from The Nature Conservancy using $1,000,000 from the Migratory Bird Conservation Fund. This completes the third of four phases in the planned purchase of 18,118 acres, the largest acquisition ever approved by the Migratory Bird Conservation Commission. The Service plans to complete the fourth phase in FY 2013.

The 35,750-acre Glacial Ridge NWR was established in partnership with 30 non-profit organizations, universities, and government agencies. The Refuge’s unique landscape was carved by wind and water over 12,000 years ago as water levels in Glacial Lake Agassiz fluctuated. The prairie grasslands and wetlands that resulted provide critical habitat for declining grassland birds, greater prairie chickens, sandhill cranes, and the federally threatened western prairie fringed orchid.

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Prairie Potholes and Waterfowl Production AreasIowa, Minnesota, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota

Rachel Carson NWR

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Bayou Sauvage NWR

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Rachel Carson National Wildlife Refuge, MaineTimber Point, within the Rachel Carson NWR, is one of the largest open space properties along the southern Maine coast. The 157-acre parcel plays a critical role in providing habitat for migrating waterfowl, offering ice-free wintering habitat for common eider and American black duck. It also serves other species during the spring and fall migrations. Timber Point is ecologically significant due to its rare plant and animal species, as its diversity of habitat meets the life cycle stages of key species such as bobolink, willow flycatcher, wood thrush, American woodcock, prairie warbler, alewife, Blanding’s turtle, and New England cottontail. The New England cottontail is a state-listed species as well as a candidate for federal threatened or endangered species listing.

The photograph illustrates the coastal development to the north and south of Timber Point. At the time of acquisition, multi-family condominium units were being considered, and the threat of development was high.

An extraordinary – and successful – multi–year effort was undertaken by the project’s partners to make up a $2 million-plus shortfall in federal funding. Thanks to the effort of The Trust for Public Land, Friends of Rachel Carson, and passionate local residents, a multitude of fundraisers were held online and locally in Biddeford and Kennebunk, Maine. A volunteer even produced a video explaining the beauty and wildlife benefits of protecting Timber Point, which is accessible by foot at low tide.

Last year, the Refuge System received more than 47 million visitors who participated in hunting, fishing, wildlife observation and photography, environmental education and interpretation, and other outdoor recreation activities. The 70–plus wildlife refuges located within five miles of an urban population center all support the Service’s urban wildlife refuge initiative to “Connect People With Nature.” Below is a sampling of our FY 2012 urban acquisitions.

San Diego National Wildlife Refuge, CaliforniaThe Service acquired 1,915 acres for the San Diego NWR. This Refuge, located near a densely developed area, is the cornerstone of conservation efforts by partners and cooperators with the State of California’s Natural Communities Conservation Planning Program and the regional Multiple Species Conservation Plan. The Refuge provides key habitat for the coastal California gnatcatcher, least Bell’s vireo, Quino checkerspot butterfly, and Otay tarplant, among other listed or sensitive species. It has also been designated a Globally Important

Bird Area by the American Bird Conservancy.

Tualatin River National Wildlife Refuge, OregonThe Tualatin River NWR is located outside of Portland, Oregon. The Service acquired 13 acres in the Onion Flats Unit of this Refuge. The Onion Flats Unit is comprised of highly significant and fertile soil known as labish, a rare soil type. The Service plans to restore this land from cropland to scrub-shrub wetlands, which consist primarily of willow species, Douglas spirea, and other woody species, as well as emergent vegetation such as catttails and bulrush. This vegetation structure supports unique marsh species, such as American bitterns, sora and Virginia rail, beaver, mink, and a variety of amphibians. Located along a major urban transportation corridor, this unit not only provides restoration opportunities, but also educational opportunities as visitors and partners are able to easily use this property.

The Wapato Lake unit of the Refuge is an important migration and wintering area within the Pacific Flyway. Historically,

the area supported a large percentage of Oregon’s wintering population of tundra swans, in addition to breeding habitat for neo-tropical migratory birds. For the last 70 years, however, lands within this unit have been extensively irrigated and farmed, and current acquisitions have focused on acquiring seasonal wetlands of the former lakebed. This past year, the Service acquired by donation 77 critical wetland acres. The Service has now acquired 95% of the lakebed, and will continue formulating a wetlands restoration plan consistent with the North American Waterfowl Management Plan and other Pacific Flyway plans.

Valle de Oro National Wildlife Refuge, New MexicoOne of the newest refuges in the system, Valle de Oro is barely five miles from downtown Albuquerque. Please see page 12 for more information.

Valle de Oro NWR

San Diego NWR

Tualatin River NWR

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Urban Refuges

Landscape conservation is supported by public-private partnerships that recognize that ecosystem conservation transcends political and jurisdictional boundaries and requires a more networked approach — holistic, collaborative, adaptive, and grounded in science — to ensure the sustainability of our lands, waters, wildlife, and cultural resources. The Service, along with the Bureau of Land Management, the National Park Service, and the Forest Service, in the Department of Agriculture, have begun to collaborate more intensively in order maximize landscape level conservation efforts. The following acquisitions typified our landscape scale conservation efforts in Fiscal Year 2012.

Gulf Coastal PlainsUpper Ouachita National Wildlife Refuge, LouisianaUpper Ouachita NWR is on the edge of the two landscapes -- the Gulf Coastal Plains and the Lower Mississippi, although it’s officially part of the former.

Established in 1978, the Refuge consists of 42,594 acres located in Union and

Ouachita Parishes. The Refuge was created to conserve wetlands and migratory birds. Bisected by the scenic Ouachita River, the Refuge consists of upland pinehardwood and bottomland hardwood forest, agriculture, moist-soil wetlands, and open water. Bisected by the scenic Ouachita River, the Refuge consists of upland pine-hardwood and bottomland hardwood forest, agriculture, moist-soil wetlands, and open water. Upper Ouachita NWR provides excellent wintering habitat for tens of thousands of ducks and geese. The endangered red-cockaded woodpecker and the threatened Louisiana black bear are also found here. Other wildlife species include alligators, deer, turkey, squirrels, bald eagles, and beavers. Upper Ouachita NWR is one of the five refuges managed in the North Louisiana Refuges Complex.

In FY12, the Service acquired 3,330 acres, including the rice fields pictured above. The Service will restore 1,660 acres with bottomland hardwood tree species, leaving 1,700 acres in rice production/moist soil to provide "hot foods" for wintering waterfowl in combination with natural "moist soil"

foods. Agricultural crops are high in carbohydrates and moist soil plants provide other required nutrients for wintering waterfowl.

The Great BasinHart Mountain National Antelope Range, OregonHart Mountain NAR is located near Lakeview, Oregon, in southeast Lake County, within America’s fabled Great Basin. The Refuge encompasses a massive fault block ridge that ascends abruptly nearly three quarters of a mile above the Warner Valley floor in a series of rocky cliffs, steep slopes, and knife-like ridges. The Refuge descends, on the east side of the mountain, into a series of rolling hills and low ridges to the sagebrush-grasslands typical of southeastern Oregon and the Great Basin. It is co-managed with Sheldon NWR, Nevada, further south in this rugged landscape. The diversity of terrain creates a rich mix of habitat types, home to more than 300 species of wildlife. Featured species include pronghorn antelope, California bighorn sheep, mule deer, sage grouse, and redband trout. The Refuge began as the

Upper Ouachita NWR

Swan Valley NWR

site for the reestablishment of the almost extinct pronghorn antelope and bighorn sheep in Oregon. Now, as many as 1,900 pronghorns and a herd of approximately 500 bighorn sheep are reported in the Refuge.

The Service acquired a 20-acre parcel, covered by low and big sage vegetation, one of the most endangered ecosystems in the Great Basin. Migratory birds in decline, such as the Brewer sparrow and the sage thrasher loggerhead shrike, use the habitat on this property, in addition to sage grouse and pygmy rabbit.

Crown of the ContinentSwan Valley and Rocky Mountain Front Conservation Areas, and RedRock Lakes National Wildlife Refuge, MontanaThe Swan Valley Conservation Area (SVCA) is an example of a landscape-scale conservation strategy involving the purchase of conservation easements on 10,000 acres of private land and up to 1,000 acres of fee title lands immediately adjacent to the Swan River NWR from willing landowners. The project area encompasses an 187,400-acre ecosystem that includes portions of Missoula and Lake Counties. This area makes up the upper Swan Valley and is located at

the western edge of the Crown of the Continent Ecosystem, a 10 million-acre area of the Northern Rocky Mountains that extends north into Canada and includes Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park, Canada’s Castle Wilderness, the Bob Marshall-Great Bear-Scapegoat Wilderness Areas, parts of the Flathead and Blackfeet Indian Reservations, BLM lands, and significant state and private land acreage. The Crown is one of the most intact ecosystems in North America. The SVCA provides critical connections between this landscape and the Selway/Bitterroot ecosystem to the southwest.

The SVCA was formally established in FY 2012 by a donation of a conservation easement on 80 acres by The Nature Conservancy. The tract, part of TNC’s acquisition of former Plum Creek Timber Company lands, includes important wetland habitat and lies adjacent to the Flathead National Forest. Protecting private lands adjacent to public lands will prevent fragmentation and benefit a variety of species, including grizzly bears, Canada lynx, gray wolves, and bull trout.

Also within the Crown of the Continent landscape, 160 fee acres were acquired at Red Rock Lakes NWR as part of a multi-year acquisition project in the headwaters of Red Rock Creek.

Northwestern Interior ForestYukon Flats National Wildlife Refuge,AlaskaLocated in the Northwestern Interior Forest landscape, Yukon Flats National Wildlife Refuge is the third largest refuge in the System. The Service acquired 480 acres for the Refuge in FY 2012. One tract contains prime river frontage along the Porcupine River with cliffs that provide important nesting habitat for peregrine falcon. The other tracts contain frontage along Beaver Creek, Rock Slough, and the Black River. Most of these properties contain high quality wetland complexes and were isolated inholdings surrounded by refuge land. Acquisition of these parcels benefits refuge wildlife management and produces cost savings for the government due to decreased fire management costs.

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Landscape Conservation

Without our invaluable partners, the Service would not be able to achieve its conservation mission. The following examples illustrate but a few of FY 2012’s partnership success stories.

Bon Secour National Wildlife Refuge, AlabamaEach remaining acre of undeveloped land along the Fort Morgan peninsula provides habitat for migratory birds to rest and refuel, greatly increasing the likelihood of survival. The 5.5-acre Alabama Coastal Heritage Trust tract, acquired on the Perdue Unit of Bon Secour National Wildlife Refuge, will play a vital role in protecting and supporting these species along their journey. The tract’s canopy is comprised of slash pines, southern magnolias, and live oaks draped in Spanish moss, while the understory is a patchwork of saw palmetto, false rosemary, and other native shrubs.

Prime Hook National Wildlife Refuge, DelawareIn 1963, Prime Hook NWR was established under the authority of the Migratory Bird Conservation Act for use as an inviolate sanctuary, or any other management purpose, expressly for migratory birds. The Refuge has one of the best existing wetland habitat areas along the Atlantic Coast. Refuge impoundments have become important stopover sites for spring and fall migrating shorebirds, waterfowl, and wading birds.

Recent Delaware Bay shore land acquisitions have expanded Prime Hook NWR's land-base, allowing the Refuge to enter into a phase necessary for the expansion and implementation of various management programs and habitat management plans. These expanded lands provide essential habitat for shorebirds, horseshoe crabs, and red knots (candidate species) along Delaware Bay. Beach nesting birds can

be closely monitored providing important conservation benefits for listed, proposed, and candidate species. These acquisitions will aid in the protection and restoration of priority native shorebird habitats and their associated wetlands for seaside dependent fauna and flora, especially migratory birds.

The Conservation Fund is a long-time partner at the Refuge, and recently acquired over 11 acres at Fowler Beach for the Refuge. These tracts were some of the last remaining beachfront inholdings, and will enhance continuity of habitat and species management.

Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge, MarylandThe Blackwater NWR was expanded with the purchase of three parcels totaling 825 acres along the Nanticoke River. The acquisitions mark the first acquisitions within the Nanticoke Unit of the Refuge. One tract of land is along a section of the Nanticoke River near

Bon Secour NWR

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Vienna, and the other two tracts are located along the Marshyhope Creek near Brookview, Maryland. The Service had identified these parcels as prime habitat for migratory waterfowl such as black ducks, blue-winged teal, wood ducks, and other waterfowl species, as well as bald eagles and possibly the recovering Delmarva fox squirrel. The southern parcel is along the Nanticoke section of the Captain John Smith Chesapeake National Historic Trail. Its acquisition creates opportunity for the protection of approximately one mile of river frontage along the Trail.

The acquisitions were funded utilizing $1.4 million from the Land and Water Conservation Fund, and were accomplished with assistance and support from a multitude of diverse partners, including state and local land trusts. The primary partners included the Conservation Fund and The Chesapeake Conservancy.

The Service created the Nanticoke Unit to protect migrating wildlife. This unit consists of more than 27,000 acres that include one-third of Maryland's tidal wetlands and some of the most ecologically important areas in the State of Maryland. The Service has been working for many years with partners such as the Maryland Department of Natural Resources, the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control, The Nature Conservancy, and others to conserve these important lands.

Great River National Wildlife Refuge, Illinois/MissouriThe 15,000-plus-acre Great River NWR is managed for migratory birds, endangered species, and migratory fish. Management techniques mimic the historic flood cycle of the rivers to support native plant and animal communities that are characteristic of large river ecosystems. The Refuge provides an important link in the chain

of resting, feeding, and wintering areas for migratory bird species using the Mississippi Flyway, as well as important habitat for many resident wildlife species.

The Service has been working with The Nature Conservancy in this area for more than 28 years. This year, TNC sold a Clarksville Island tract to the Service in a year in a bargain sale. The benefits of the acquisition include the preservation of valuable wetland and bottomland forest habit, which provides important breeding and wintering habitat for migratory birds and inter-jurisdictional fish, and increased opportunities for wildlife-dependent recreation by the American public.

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Working with Partners

While all Service land acquisitions benefit wildlife habitat, below are some highlights from FY 2012.

Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge,AlaskaThe Service acquired two parcels totaling 80 acres along the Chukchi Sea within the Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge. The Chukchi Sea is located off the coast of northwest Alaska, north of the Bering Strait, and is one of the most productive ocean ecosystems in the world. This area is home to species such as polar bears, seals, Spectacled Eiders, and Pacific walrus. In addition, several species of whales migrate along the Chukchi coast.

Becharof National Wildlife Refuge,AlaskaThe Service acquired 40 acres on Big Creek within the Becharof NWR. Big Creek is located south of King Salmon, Alaska, and the area is important for salmon rearing and spawning, and provides habitat for moose, caribou, and brown bear.

Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge,UtahWith the assistance of the Western Rivers Conservancy, the Service acquired 585 acres of wetlands, marshland, grasslands, riparian areas, and grain fields for the Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge in Utah. The Refuge plays a vital role in the Bear River delta ecosystem by protecting more than 41,000 acres of wetlands. The addition is an important part of the marshland ecosystem and will allow for more efficient use of water resources on adjacent Refuge lands, and will support long-term viability and health of wildlife habitat. Migratory birds, waterfowl, and shorebirds, as well as resident wildlife, depend on the Refuge for feeding, breeding, and as a staging area. The area is important to migratory bird species using both the Central and Pacific flyways. This acquisition will also expand public opportunities for wildlife dependent recreation.

The Refuge is located at the mouth of the Bear River and is part of the wetland complex surrounding the Great Salt Lake. It is the largest freshwater component of the Great Salt Lake ecosystem, the Bear River delta. The refuge is important to migratory bird species using both the Central and Pacific flyways, and is host to over 200 species of birds as they stop to rest and feed on their seasonal migration. Seventy-two species of birds are known to nest and

raise their young at the Refuge.

Acquisitions at the Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge in 2012 feature large wetlands marshland, grassland, and riparian areas that will benefit migratory birds and shore birds. Species that utilize the Refuge include tundra and trumpeter swans, American avocets, white faced ibis, sand hill cranes, grebes, herons, willits, cinnamon teal, Canada goose, and gadwalls. The properties are an important part of the Refuge’s marshland ecosystem and will allow for more efficient use of water resources on adjacent Refuge lands, thereby enhancing the long term viability and health of wildlife habitats. These properties are important to migratory bird species using both the Central and Pacific flyways, conserving habitat where biological communities will flourish. These acquisitions also expanded opportunities for wildlife-dependent forms of public recreation. Development pressure from Salt Lake City along the Wasatch front, and a limited supply of developable land due to the mountains on the east and the Great Salt Lake to the west, make these acquisitions particularly important.

Seney National Wildlife Refuge,MichiganThe Service purchased 20 acres -- including over 1,000 feet of Lake Superior shoreline -- adjacent to 33 acres that make up the Whitefish Point unit of the Seney NWR. The tract’s gravel beaches, sandy beach dunes, and stunted jack-pine-dominated forests -- within designated critical habitat for the

endangered Great Lakes piping plover -- will be protected as part of the Refuge."

Whitefish Point is renowned for its concentrations of birds during migration. Each year thousands of raptors, passerines, and waterbirds funnel up to the Point to cross Lake Superior. Piping plovers returned to the Point in 2009 and successfully fledged young, increasing overall nesting numbers the past three years. The purchase of the land was made possible using Great Lakes Restoration Funds and a considerable amount of donated funds raised by the Whitefish Point Bird Observatory. The signing of the deed signaled the end of a multi-year conservation effort that began in 2010. The bird list for Whitefish Point currently stands at 273 species. The Refuge and has been designated as a Globally Important Bird Area by the American Bird Conservancy.

Ash Meadows National Wildlife Refuge,NevadaThe Service acquired 410 acres of land at Ash Meadows NWR in southern Nevada. The Refuge was established in 1984 for the conservation and recovery of threatened and endangered plant and animal species. The acquired tract includes rare desert springs and surface flows that provide opportunities for habitat restoration and protection of eleven specially-designated species, including the endangered Ash Meadows Amargosa pupfish and the threatened Ash Meadows sunray. Please see page 35 for photo.

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Protecting Wildlife Habitat

Table 3. National Wildlife Refuges As of 9/30/2011

State and Unit

PUBLIC LANDS AND WATERS



Reserved fromPublic Domain

Designated as Marine

NationalMonuments


Acquired byOther Federal Agency

Secondary Jurisdiction Acres

Purchased by FWS

Cost($)Donated

Acquired byOther

Federal Agency Acres Cost($)

Purchased by FWS

EASEMENTS

Donated

AGREEMENTOR LEASE

TOTALACRES

AlabamaBon Secour 615.000.000.00 0.00 $0.00135.0532.340.00 6,409.83 $23,274,654.00 7,192.220.000.00 0.00

Cahaba River 0.000.000.00 0.00 $0.000.000.000.00 3,681.23 $6,335,218.00 3,681.230.000.00 0.00

Choctaw 0.000.000.00 0.00 $0.000.000.000.00 0.00 $0.00 4,218.004,218.000.00 E0.00

Eufaula 0.000.000.00 0.00 $0.000.000.000.00 24.19 $80,000.00 7,953.197,929.000.00 E(1) 0.00

Fern Cave 0.000.000.00 0.00 $0.000.000.000.00 199.23 $110,000.00 199.230.000.00 0.00

FSA Interest AL 0.000.00742.69 0.00 $0.000.000.000.00 0.00 $0.00 742.690.000.00*** 0.00

Grand Bay 0.000.000.00 0.00 $0.00895.860.000.00 1,822.00 $710,613.00 2,717.860.000.00(27) 0.00

Key Cave 0.000.000.00 0.00 $0.000.000.000.00 1,060.00 $0.00 1,060.000.000.00 0.00

Mountain Longleaf 0.000.000.00 0.00 $0.001,257.007,758.680.00 0.00 $0.00 9,015.680.000.00 0.00

Sauta Cave 0.000.000.00 0.00 $0.000.000.000.00 264.00 $575,000.00 264.000.000.00 0.00

Watercress Darter 0.000.000.00 0.00 $0.000.000.000.00 24.52 $230,850.00 24.520.000.00 0.00

Wheeler 0.000.000.00 0.00 $0.00183.688,322.980.00 249.38 $149,700.00 34,430.6625,674.620.00 T0.00State Total: 615.000.00742.69 0.00 $0.002,471.5916,114.000.00 13,734.38 $31,466,035.00 71,499.2837,821.620.0011 0.00

AlaskaAlaska Maritime 6.5926,983.860.00 0.00 $0.000.000.003,370,898.44 11,189.18 $7,803,891.80 3,418,177.070.009,099.00AF,N 0.00

Alaska Peninsula 0.340.000.00 0.00 $0.0057,924.590.003,456,905.00 61,475.36 $2,272,000.00 3,576,305.290.000.00 0.00

Arctic 0.400.000.00 0.00 $0.00159.950.0019,263,110.00 23,611.84 $472,000.00 19,286,882.190.000.00 0.00

Becharof 0.000.000.00 0.00 $0.000.000.001,200,000.00 219.55 $327,800.00 1,200,219.550.000.00 0.00

Innoko 1.070.000.00 0.00 $0.000.000.003,850,000.00 479.98 $292,500.00 3,850,481.050.000.00 0.00

Izembek 0.000.000.00 0.00 $0.007,994.120.00302,201.00 0.00 $0.00 311,088.120.00893.00N 0.00

Kanuti 0.000.000.00 0.00 $0.000.000.001,430,000.00 159.91 $68,000.00 1,430,159.910.000.00 0.00

Kenai 4.030.000.00 26.30 $0.000.000.001,904,472.00 7,923.07 $10,619,299.96 1,912,425.400.000.00 0.00

Kodiak 1.4454,388.860.00 103,470.36 $2,372,100.00883.330.001,656,169.40 175,504.22 $106,034,995.84 1,990,417.610.000.00 0.00

Koyukuk 0.540.000.00 0.00 $0.000.000.003,550,000.00 159.96 $96,000.00 3,550,160.500.000.00 0.00

Nowitna 0.000.000.00 0.00 $0.000.000.001,560,000.00 239.99 $208,000.00 1,560,239.990.000.00 0.00

Selawik 2.010.000.00 0.00 $0.000.000.002,150,000.00 159.98 $56,000.00 2,150,161.990.000.00 0.00

Tetlin 53.540.000.00 0.00 $0.000.000.00700,000.00 5.00 $15,500.00 700,058.540.000.00 0.00

Togiak 1.290.000.00 0.00 $0.00349.910.004,097,430.00 5,705.93 $6,951,000.00 4,103,487.130.000.00 0.00

Yukon Delta 1.690.000.00 17,355.81 $0.000.000.0019,120,638.00 25,717.90 $1,003,000.00 19,163,776.400.0063.00BIA 0.00

Yukon Flats 0.530.000.00 0.00 $0.000.000.008,630,000.00 6,310.67 $2,720,500.00 8,636,311.200.000.00 0.00State Total: 73.4781,372.720.00 120,852.47 $2,372,100.0067,311.900.0076,241,823.84 318,862.54 $138,940,487.60 76,840,351.940.0010,055.0016 0.00

The Annual Report of Lands has undergone substantial revisions over the past two editions.

In order to conserve resources, most tables have been moved to an online appendix. If you are viewing this report online, please click the following link to view these tables. Otherwise, please visit the Service’s Land Reports to access previous reports <http://www.fws.gov/refuges/land/LandReport.html>.

Additional Easement InformationStarting in FY 2011, the Service’s tables break out acquisitions by both fee and easement. Past reports combined the acres for easements, agreements, and leases into a single column, and did not identify the acres or dollars associated with those acquisitions. The new Report tables

have been revised to better recognize the role of easement acquisitions in the Service’s conservation efforts. The vast majority of the Service’s easements are perpetual conservation easements that permanently protect wildlife habitat.

In contrast, most of the Service’s leases and agreements expire after a number of years, and generally do not provide permanent habitat protection, hence the need to report them separately. This additional information also necessitated switching from portrait to landscape formats.

Data ChangesThe tables in this report may show some changes from previous annual reports. For example, decreases in acreage figures may reflect expired leases, real property disposals made in land

exchanges, or property transfers. An increase or decrease may be noted after new property surveys are completed or when additional information is entered into the database after the data has been transmitted from the Regions for publication. Other changes result from corrections to previously entered data or data omissions.

Comments or Suggestions?If you have comments or suggestions as to how we can improve this report, please contact Simi Batra at [email protected] or 703/358 2321.

Now onlinewww.fws.gov/refuges/land/LandReport.html

The appendix to this report contains 10 statistical data tables that paint a comprehensive picture of the lands and waters under control of the Fish and Wildlife Service. The Service and its predecessors have published these data tables every year since 1946.

As previously noted, the hard copy version of this report contains a summary of these data tables. The full, unabridged version of all 10 tables is available on the Service's web site <www.fws.gov/refuges/land/LandReport.html>.

Page 28: All Lands Under Control of the Fish and Wildlife Service (Same as Table 1)

Page 29: Fish and Wildlife Service Acquisitions in Fiscal Year 2012 (Abridged version of Table 2A)

Online Appendix

Table 1: FWS Lands and Waters

Table 2: FWS Lands and Waters by States and Territories

Table 2A: Fiscal Year 2012 Summary

Table 3: National Wildlife Refuges

Table 4: Waterfowl Production Areas

Table 5: Coordination Areas

Table 6: Administrative Sites

Table 7: National Fish Hatcheries

Table 8: Wilderness Areas in National Wildlife Refuges

Table 9: Migratory Waterfowl Refuges on Federal Water Resource Projects

Table 10: National Monuments

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Changes to this Report Statistical Data Tables

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28 29

Fish

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32 33

All photographs in this report were taken by Service employees or our partners. In FY 2012, the FWS Division of Realty held its second annual contest to collect pictures of lands acquired during the fiscal year. Of the nearly 80 submissions, Sara Gile’s submission for Seney National Wildlife Refuge was chosen as the overall winner and is featured on the cover of this report.

Photos Needed!For the 2013 report, we encourage photo submissions of lands acquired during FY 2013 (October 1, 2012 – September 30, 2013). For more information, please visit <www.fws.gov/refuges/realty/contest.html>.Ash Meadows NWR

Cyn

di S

ouza

/USF

WS

34

U.S. Fish & Wildlife Servicehttp://www.fws.gov

June 2013

U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service Annual Report of Lands Under ... · All Lands Under Control of the Fish and Wildlife ServiceAll Lands Under Control of the Service As of 9/30/2012 Purchased

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