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COMPREHENSIVE CONSERVATION PLAN (CCP)

The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service is pleased to announce the initiation of the Comprehensive Conservation Plan (CCP) process for Blackbeard Island, Harris Neck, Pinckney Island, Savannah, Tybee, and Wassaw National Wildlife Refuges. The purpose of this planning effort is to develop CCPs that will provide these refuges with a 15-year management plan for the conservation of fish, wildlife, and plant resources and their related habitats, while also providing opportunities for compatible wildlife-dependent recreation. Click here for a short Powerpoint presentation.

The National Wildlife Refuge System Improvement Act of 1997 requires that a CCP be prepared for each refuge in the National Wildlife Refuge System. Both the Service and the public will benefit from this requirement, as the CCP process provides many opportunities for ensuring that the long-term vision and goals for these refuges will be evaluated, developed, and achieved. CCPs describe the desired future conditions of a refuge and provide long-range guidance and management direction to achieve refuge purposes; help fulfill the National Wildlife Refuge System mission; maintain and, where appropriate, restore the ecological integrity of each refuge and the Refuge System; help achieve the goals of the National Wilderness Preservation System; and meet other mandates.

In addition to providing a clear statement of the desired future conditions for this refuge, the CCP process is also intended to ensure public involvement in refuge management decisions. The views of individuals, the local community (including land owners and local businesses), public agencies and interested organizations will play an important role in the CCP process. Over the next few years, we will be issuing periodic planning updates that will inform you of our progress and provide information explaining how you can be involved in the various phases of plan development – from participating in public hearings to submitting written comments. Public involvement is an essential component of this planning effort, and we encourage your participation throughout the process.

Our goal is to prepare CCPs that:

• Provide a clear vision of the desired future conditions for the refuges;
• Establish refuge management priorities for the next 15 years that are consistent with achieving the desired future conditions;
• Ensure that management decisions will fulfill the mission of the NWR System, as well as the specific purposes for which the refuges were established.
• Thoroughly evaluate the full range of views and comments provided by those individuals, groups, and agencies that participated in the planning process;
• Incorporate an ecosystem approach into the management strategies for habitat protection, enhancement, and restoration; and
• Identify which public uses are, and are not, compatible with the vision and goals that are established for these refuges through the CCP process.

CCP Planning Process:

• Conduct Pre-planning
• Conduct Public Scoping
• Prepare Draft CCP
• Conduct Internal Review
• Hold public meetings with review and comment period
• Create Final CCP
• Approve Finding of No Significant Impact
• Implement and monitor the CCP over 15 years
• Review and revise the plan within 15 years