New Refuge Proposals

Detailed planning is required for all new refuges that are to be acquired by purchase, exchange, donation, transfers from other Federal agencies, mitigation, withdrawal, cooperative agreement, Memorandum of Understanding, and congressionally mandated projects. In broad terms, the detailed planning process calls for clearly identifying the purpose or need for action (defining objectives); establishing a series of alternatives, any one of which could in some significant degree solve the problem or meet the objectives; identifying the possible or probable consequences or impacts of each alternative and determining if the proposed action complies with existing laws, policies, Executive orders, and other mandates. Only the Director of the Fish and Wildlife Service can approve the establishment of a new unit. The Service’s Realty Manual provides details about the land acquisition process.