| Abstract |
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) has developed this Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) in compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) of 1969 to develop alternatives for a Comprehensive Conservation Plan (CCP) and Land Protection Plan for the Texas Chenier Plain National Wildlife Refuge Complex (Refuge Complex), and disclose the impacts associated with the alternatives. The Texas Chenier Plain Refuge Complex consists of four separate units of the National Wildlife Refuge System administered by the USFWS as one Refuge Complex. The four units are: Anahuac National Wildlife Refuge (NWR), McFaddin NWR, Texas Point NWR, and Moody NWR. These Refuge units are located along the upper Texas Gulf Coast in Chambers County, Jefferson County, and Galveston County. A CCP for the Texas Chenier Plain Refuge Complex is required by the National Wildlife Refuge System Improvement Act (Refuge System Improvement Act) of 1997 (Public Law 105-57). The CCP provides programmatic guidance, in the form of goals, objectives, and strategies, to provide managers with a 15- year vision that contributes to the achievement of refuge purposes and the mission of the Refuge System. The CCP provides a comprehensive look at management of waterfowl, resource values, wetlands loss, and native coastal prairie, and a desire to preserve and protect the natural values for which the Refuge was created. Specific implementation activities will be developed for individual program areas through step-down management plans within approximately 5 years after CCP completion. Some step-down plans may require additional NEPA compliance. |
