The USFWS is asking for public comment on their Public Access Plan (PAP)
for the Wapato National Wildlife Refuge near Gaston in western Washington
County. Currently public access to the refuge is only available to
waterfowl hunters. The PAP presents three future options. Option 3 is the
"no change" option (i.e., access remains restricted only to hunters).
Option 2 would continue hunter-only access during hunting season, but open
to the public outside of hunting season. Option 1 would open the refuge to
public access 7-day-per-week outside of hunting season PLUS on non-hunting
days during the hunting season.
Public comments are needed by January 15, 2022. See link below for
details. This could be an important new birding opportunity for Washington
County.
Public Access Plan - Wapato Lake - U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (fws.gov)
<https://www.fws.gov/refuge/wapato_lake/what_we_do/pap/>
Rick Bennett
Sherwood
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