Division of Conservation Planning
Midwest Region

Where in the Plan Are We?

These are the steps that the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service follows in comprehensive conservation planning; the step that Crane Meadows NWR has reached is highlighted:

  1. Preplanning: Plan the Plan
  2. Initiate Public Involvement and Scoping
  3. Review Vision Statement and Goals and Determine Significant Issues
  4. Develop and Analyze Alternatives, Including the Proposed Action
  5. Prepare a Draft CCP and NEPA (National Environmental Policy Act) Document
  6. Prepare and Adopt Final CCP
  7. Implement Plan, Monitor and Evaluate
  8. Review and Revise the Plan

Crane Meadows National Wildlife Refuge

Comprehensive Conservation Planning Begins
Next Steps
The Refuge
For More Information

Comprehensive Conservation Planning Begins

Crane Meadows NWR staff are beginning work on a comprehensive conservation plan, or CCP, that will guide management actions on the Refuge over the next 15 years.

Photograph shows Refuge staff and visitors at the Feb. 19 open house.
Refuge staff and visitors at the Feb. 19
open house.

The steps followed in comprehensive conservation planning are shown in the box on the right. Ultimately, the CCP establishes goals for Refuge management and ensures that the Refuge fulfills the purpose for which it was established and contributes to the mission of the National Wildlife Refuge System. It typically takes 2 or 3 years to complete a CCP.

Next Steps

Refuge staff hosted an open house on February 19, 2009, to give people interested in the Refuge's future an opportunity to talk to staff about planning and management direction. Staff are now compiling the comments they received at the open house. In addition to asking for ideas and information from people who live near or visit the Refuge, staff will also be meeting with representatives of other programs within the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to hear their perspective on issues and future management.

After the issues are established, staff will begin developing different management alternatives that address those issues as part of an environmental assessment. At the end of this process, the planning team will write a Draft CCP, which will be available for public review and comment.

An information sheet on the Refuge and the comprehensive conservation planning process was available at the open house and is available here in portable document format (pdf): Information Sheet (709 KB). You will need Adobe Acrobat software to view the pdf, it is available as a free download from Adobe.

There is still time to let Refuge staff know if you want to share your thoughts on Refuge management. Comments can be sent via e-mail or mailed to the Refuge:
Crane Meadows NWR
CCP Comment
19502 Iris Road
Little Falls, MN 56345

The official public comment period ended on March 6, 2009, but you are welcome to submit comments throughout the planning process.

Open House Recap

More than 50 people attended the open house. Many people who submitted comments identified land aquisition as a key challenge in the Refuge's future and encouraged the Fish and Wildlife Service to devote the funds and support necessary to build the Refuge. Others noted that the Refuge has an opportunity to be more involved in providing environmental education to students attending schools in the area.

Comments included:

  • Rice Lake, Skunk Lank and Mud Lake should be managed for wild rice production, not fishing
  • A platform for bird watching should be built.
  • Visitor maps are vague and not useful to people on trails, they should be improved.
  • Partner with the state and land owners for maximum benefits.
  • The Refuge should prohibit outboard motors and allow "... push poles and oars only."
  • A few people urged staff to "manage for habitat, not individual species."
  • The Refuge should plant desirable species to enhance the prairie and encourage diversity.
  • Noting that the largest tract of land already has the Refuge's headquarters and hiking trails, some people said that hunting should not be allowed until the Refuge has more land.
  • Others urged the Refuge to consider opening part of the Refuge to hunting or conduct a special hunt that would give disabled people an opportunity to hunt Wild Turkey and deer.

The Refuge

Established in 1992, Crane Meadows NWR is located southeast of Little Falls in central Minnesota. The Refuge preserves a large, natural wetland complex that includes Rice Lake and Skunk Lake, Platte and Skunk Rivers, Rice and Buckman Creeks, and many sedge meadow wetlands. The area harbors one of the largest nesting populations of Sandhill Cranes in Minnesota, and it is an important stopover for many species of migrating birds.

Habitat types that occur on the Refuge include native and restored tallgrass prairie and oak savannas in addition to a variety of wetlands.

The Refuge has an authorized boundary of 13,540 acres. Currently, the Refuge includes about 2,000 acres of scattered parcels. Wildlife-dependent recreation opportunities include the 3.7-mile Platte River Hiking Trail.

For More Information

For more information on comprehensive conservation planning for Crane Meadows NWR, you are welcome to e-mail, call or write to the Refuge. The addresses and numbers are:

E-mail the Refuge at: CraneMeadows@fws.gov

Write to the Refuge at:
Crane Meadows NWR
19502 Iris Road
Little Falls, MN 56345

Call the Refuge at: 320/632-1575
TTY: 1-800-877-8339

Last updated: March 18, 2009