U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, Pacific Region Division of Refuge Planning

Welcome to the
Division of Refuge Planning

This page provides access to proposals for establishing, expanding, or managing national wildlife refuges in Washington, Oregon, California, Idaho, Nevada, Hawaii, Guam, and the Pacific Islands. At the bottom of this page you will find links to projects and documents currently available on-line, as well as other useful links related to the National Wildlife Refuge System.

Why Planning is Important	Before a new refuge is established, or the boundary of an existing refuge is significantly revised, the Fish and Wildlife Service completes a detailed planning process to consider the effects of these actions on wildlife, habitat, and people. The Service follows a similar process when deciding how refuges will be managed. Planning contributes to informed decision-making that recognizes the needs and interests of all parties, while never losing sight of the mission and goals of the National Wildlife Refuge System.
We Need Your Help	Refuges are established for the protection of wildlife and habitat, and any use of refuge lands and waters must be consistent with this purpose. But National Wildlife Refuges also belong to you. Your input helps us identify the issues, alternatives, and solutions that make the Refuge System work for both wildlife and people. If a refuge is being proposed in your community, or an area with which you are familiar, you may have knowledge of the lands being considered, and the wildlife and plants that inhabit them. You may have used or owned these lands for years, and you may have a strong sense of attachment and stewardship toward them. You may have concerns about future access or possible land-use restrictions. You may have concerns about how the refuge will affect your livelihood or the economy of the community. Even if you live far from the proposed refuge, you may still have an interest in its establishment and management.
Let Us Know What You Think	We want to hear from you. Your questions, comments, and concerns will help us to communicate more clearly and develop better habitat protection plans. Please note the end date of the comment period for the project that interests you.

Projects On Line The following documents are in Adobe Acrobat's Portable Document Format (PDF). In order to view these files, you will need Acrobat Reader which is available for free from the Adobe web site. Please Note: Some of the documents can take more than a few minutes to download.

Hawaii
James Campbell National Wildlife Land Protection Planning Study

Nevada
Ash Meadows NWR, Proposed Land and Mineral Withdrawal,
Stillwater NWR Complex Comprehensive Conservation Plan
Desert National Wildlife Refuge Complex Comprehensive Conservation Plan Webpage

Oregon
Wapato Lake Land Protection Planning Study

Washington
Hanford Reach National Monument/Saddle Mountain National Wildlife Refuge Comprehensive Conservation Plan Little Pend Oreille National Wildlife Refuge Comprehensive Conservation Plan (2kb)
Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge Comprehensive Conservation Plan
Steigerwald Lake, Franz Lake, and Pierce National Wildlife Refuges Comprehensive Conservation Plan (1kb)
Turnbull National Wildlife Refuge Comprehensive Conservation Planning
Washington Coast National Wildlife Refuge Comprehensive Conservation Planning

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service establishes a mailing list for each project. To be added to a mailing list or for further information please contact FW1PlanningComments@fws.gov. Specify the project that interests you in the subject line.

Refuge Planning Policies and Information