COULD LOCAL PEOPLE HAVE ANY SAY IN HOW A REFUGE IS MANAGED?
YES. Local people could continue to have a say in the management of a new High Peaks NWR. Beginning with the public scoping, assessment and planning process, everybody can help decide whether a refuge should be created, how big it should be, what its primary goals would be, even what its name should be. We are fortunate to live near an area with such outstanding fish and wildlife potential that a new NWR unit can be considered here. We respect the opinions and ideas of neighbors who may feel otherwise. We remind everyone that the Fish and Wildlife Service can find other places that are more eager for a new refuge.
Unlike many other public and private land management units, national wildlife refuges are managed locally by resident managers. High Peaks Alliance could help create a local “refuge friends” group to work with refuge managers to promote the beneficial public use of the refuge, and to help find reasonable solutions to any problems that may arise in the future.
