Yes, thanks so much, Rick, for drawing our attention to this. I’ll get my
comments in by the 15th. It will indeed be a fantastic, and long-overdue,
birding opportunity.
Rick or anybody else who knows the area well or who’s gotten access there in
the past for surveys etc. (e.g. is Jack Hurt out there?), would you predict
that if the maximum amount of birding recreation access in this plan is
granted, it would cause much disturbance to the birds, or not? My own
impression from the maps and from seeing the area on the ground is that if the
walking trails are in fact limited to the western and northern edges, that that
would give waterfowl plenty of room to stay away from people and not be
bothered and have plenty of habitat to use. Do you think that’s the case?
(I'd just want to feel I’m on solid ground, conservation-wise, in asking for
maximum birding access.) Thanks!
Jay
From: Rick Bennett <rickbennett67@xxxxxxxxx>
To: obol@xxxxxxxxxxxxx, Rick Bennett <rickbennett67@xxxxxxxxx>
Date: Thu, 30 Dec 2021 12:34:15 -0800
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/ ;
<https://www.fws.gov/refuge/wapato_lake/what_we_do/pap/>>
Rick Bennett
Sherwood
