Tom,

Please check with the Iowa Chapter Outings chair and ask if they do Outings in any of these large wildlife refuges besides the one in Iowa.

This suit specifically challenges GE Crop and toxic pesticide use authorized by FWS  at each of the following five refuges.

Nearly 100,000 acres on these five refuges.

1. Crab Orchard NWR, Carbondale, IL 62902 - 43,890 acres

Crab Orchard National Wildlife Refuge is a 43,890 acre National Wildlife Refuge primarily in southwestern Williamson County, but with small extensions into adjacent eastern Jackson and northeastern.Union counties of southern Illinois, in the United States. Its land and water contain a wide diversity of flora and fauna. It centers on Crab Orchard Lake. Major habitat types on the refuge include hardwood forest, agricultural land, grazing units, brushland, wetlands, and lakes. Other major bodies of water on the refuge are Devil's Kitchen Lake and Little Grassy Lake.

2. Cypress Creek NWR, southern Illinois - 16,000 acres

The Cypress Creek National Wildlife Refuge is located in the Cache River watershed in southernmost Illinois, largely in Pulaski County, but with extensions into Union, Alexander, and Johnson counties. The refuge was established in 1990 under the authority of the Emergency Wetlands Resource Act of 1986. The refuge protects over 16,000 acres (65 km²) of the Cache River wetlands, and has a purchase boundary (ultimate goal for area protection) of 36,000 acres (146 km²) contiguous.

3. Iowa Wetland Management District (WMD), Iowa - 25,000 acres

The Iowa Wetland Management District is administered by Union Slough National Wildlife Refuge but is very different from other wetland management districts. The Iowa Wetland Management District was established in 1979 to provide breeding habitat for waterfowl, as well as nesting and migratory habitat for a wide variety of other migratory birds.

The Iowa Wetland Management District is very different from other wetland management districts in that the Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) manages many of the waterfowl productions areas. Together, the DNR and the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service have been able to develop large complexes of habitat for waterfowl and other wildlife species within a predominantly agricultural landscape.

Although the district boundary encompasses 35 counties, at this time there are 75 waterfowl production areas in only 18 of those counties. Most land purchases are intended to increase habitat at existing wetland complexes, so it is unlikely that land will be purchased in the entire 35-county area. The waterfowl production areas range in size from 35 acres to over 2000 acres, and provide over 25,000 total acres of habitat. In addition, some waterfowl production areas within the district have been recognized as part of twelve Important Bird Areas established by the Audubon Society and five Iowa Bird Conservation Areas, as defined under the North American Bird Conservation Initiative.

4. Detroit Lakes WMD, northwest Minnesota - 3,200 acres

The Detroit Lakes Wetland Management District manages hundreds of federally owned Waterfowl Productions Areas (WPAs) in Becker, Clay, Mahnomen, Norman and Polk Counties in northwest Minnesota. The district is divided into three general landscape areas: the Red River Valley floodplain, the glacial moraine/prairie pothole region, and the hardwood/coniferous forest. Land acquisition and management efforts are focused in the prairie pothole region of the district, with a goal of providing habitat for nesting waterfowl. About 3200 acres of remnant tallgrass prairie have been saved, while thousands of acres of prairie pothole wetlands and tallgrass prairie vegetation have been restored. These habitats are not only critical for waterfowl, but are beneficial to other wildlife species as well.

5. Swan Lake NWR, Sumner, Missouri - 10,795 acres

Swan Lake National Wildlife Refuge is a 10,795-acre National Wildlife Refuge established in 1937 and located in Chariton County, Missouri, 2 miles south of the town of Sumner. It is located near the confluence of the Grand and Missouri Rivers.  Area: 16.87 sq miles (43.69 km²)

Collectively, these refuges contain about 1/3 of the cropland on all Midwest refuges.

Neil

On Thu, Jun 20, 2013 at 10:25 PM, Neil Carman <[log in to unmask]> wrote:

Tom,

Also we want to know if the Iowa chapter has been involved in protecting this area. This is a different 

question than the Outings. 

Neil

On Thu, Jun 20, 2013 at 5:34 PM, <[log in to unmask]> wrote:

Neil,

 

I will try to find out and will get back to you.

 

Tom

 

 

In a message dated 6/19/2013 5:32:57 P.M. Central Daylight Time, [log in to unmask] writes:

Tom,

Do know if the Iowa Chapter or local groups ever have outings at this wildlife refuge since 

we are looking at suing FWS over allowing GE crops on them? 

This one is in Iowa!

Iowa Wetland Management District (WMD)?

Neil