U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

Greetings,

We are preparing a Comprehensive Conservation

Plan (CCP) for conservation of natural resources

and public use of the Sand Lake National Wildlife

Refuge (NWR). Sharing your ideas and concerns

will help us prepare a plan that is sensitive to your

needs.

We are soliciting your input through open houses

to be held in local communities during September

2001 and by the enclosed Issues Workbook. 

Details are provided elsewhere in this document. 

The open houses will be announced in local

newspapers and on radio. The purpose of the open

houses is to let people know what we are doing and

to learn how people feel about this important

conservation area and how they think it should be

managed. If you are interested in the Sand Lake

NWR, we invite you to participate in this project.

The Refuge staff are also available to meet with

individuals or groups at any time. If you would like

a special presentation to your group, or would like

to make an appointment to meet individually, just

call the Sand Lake office to make arrangements.

We look forward to working with you throughout

this most important planning process.

Sincerely,

John Koerner

Refuge Manager

Comprehensive Conservation Plan

Sand Lake National Wildlife Refuge

Contact: John Koerner Phone: 605/885-6320

Refuge Manager Fax: 605/885-6401

Address: 39650 Sand Lake Drive E-mail: SandlakeCCP@fws.gov

Columbia, SD 57433 Website: http://sandlake.fws.gov August 2001

Help Shape the Future of Your National Wildlife Refuge!

Background

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

Part of the Department of the Interior, the U.S. Fish

and Wildlife Service is the only Federal agency with

the specific mandate to conserve the nation’s fish,

wildlife, and plants for the benefit of the American

people. 

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Mission

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's

mission is, working with others, to

conserve, protect and enhance fish,

wildlife, and plants and their habitats

for the continuing benefit of the

American people. 

National Wildlife Refuge System

The Service manages the National Wildlife Refuge

System, the largest collection of lands set aside

specifically for the protection of fish and wildlife

populations and habitats. The Refuge System began

in 1903 when President Theodore Roosevelt

designated a pelican and heron rookery in Florida as

the Pelican Island National Wildlife Refuge. Today,

over 530 national wildlife refuges are spread from

Alaska to Puerto Rico and Maine to Hawaii.

National wildlife refuges provide important habitat

for native plants and many species of mammals,

birds, fish, insects, amphibians, and reptiles. They

also play a vital role in preserving endangered and

threatened species. Refuges offer a wide variety of

recreational opportunities and many have visitor

centers, wildlife-observation trails, and environmental

education programs. Nationwide, more than 30

million visitors annually hunt, fish, observe, and

photograph wildlife or participate in interpretive

activities on refuges.
National Wildlife Refuge System Mission

The mission of the National

Wildlife Refuge System is to

administer a national network of

lands and waters for the

conservation, management, and

where appropriate, restoration of

the fish, wildlife, and plant resources and their

habitats within the United States for the benefit of

present and future generations of Americans.

National Wildlife Refuge System 

Four Guiding Principles 

✓ Habitat. Fish and wildlife will not prosper

without high-quality habitat, and without fish

and wildlife, traditional uses of refuges cannot be

sustained. The Refuge System will continue to

conserve and enhance the quality and diversity of

fish and wildlife habitat within refuges.

✓ Public Use. The Refuge System provides

important opportunities for compatible wildlifedependent recreational activities involving

hunting, fishing, wildlife observation and

photography, and environmental education and

interpretation.

✓ Partnerships. America’s sportsmen and women

were the first partners who insisted on

protecting valuable wildlife habitat within

wildlife refuges. Conservation partnerships with

other Federal agencies, State agencies, Tribes,

organizations, industry, and the general public

can make significant contributions to the growth

and management of the Refuge System.

✓ Public Involvement. The public should be given a

full and open opportunity to participate in

decisions regarding acquisition and management

of our national wildlife refuges.

Sand Lake NWR Background

Congress established Sand Lake in 1935 to preserve

critical habitat for nesting and migrating waterfowl.

This 21,498-acre Refuge is a key area in the national

effort to preserve waterfowl. Every year, hundreds

of thousands of ducks, geese, and other migratory

birds pause at Sand Lake to rest and feed. The

Refuge’s diverse habitats, including marsh and open

water, woodland, grassland, and cropland, attract

these birds and many other animals. Because of the

uniqueness of the habitats and the importance the

Refuge has for migratory birds, the Refuge has been

designated a “Wetland of International Importance,”

and a “Globally Important Bird Area.” Sand Lake

has achieved national and international recognition

as one of the premiere National Wildlife Refuges in

the entire Refuge System.

The Sand Lake NWR Planning Process

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is required to

manage all refuges in accordance with an approved

Comprehensive Conservation Plan, which, when

implemented, will achieve refuge purposes; help

fulfill the 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. The CCP will

guide management decisions and set forth goals,

objectives, and strategies to accomplish these ends.

Step-down management plans may also be required

to provide additional details about meeting CCP

goals and objectives and to describe strategies and

implementation schedules. Each plan will be founded

on principles of sound fish and wildlife management

and available science, and be consistent with legal

mandates and other Service policies, guidelines, and

planning documents. The Service will prepare refuge

plans that, above all else, ensure that WILDLIFE

COMES FIRST on national wildlife refuges.

Want to Get Involved?

To gather as much public input and to reach as many

people as possible, the Sand Lake National Wildlife

Refuge staff has developed several opportunities for

your participation.

Open Houses

We are conducting three Open Houses, as follows:

Tuesday, September 11 7-9 pm 

Hecla Community Center, Hecla, SD

Wednesday, September 12 7-9 pm 

Columbia Legion Building, Columbia, SD

Thursday, September 13 7-9 pm 

Brown County Courthouse annex basement 

(community room), Aberdeen, SD

These Open Houses will be announced in local

newspapers and on radio.

Issues Workbooks

You may also get involved by completing the

attached Issues Workbook.
Sand Lake NWR Planning Project Issues Workbook 

Sand Lake National Wildlife Refuge Comprehensive Conservation Planning Process 1

Issues Workbook

The workbook is provided to everyone on our mailing list and anyone who attends an open

house. Additional copies will be kept at Refuge headquarters for distribution by request.

Read through each of the sections and jot down your thoughts. Let us know what issues you

would like to see addressed in the CCP and any additional thoughts or concerns you may have. 

Your responses to these questions will help us better understand our constituents and public

opinion and guide the planning process. All of the comments we receive, by whatever means,

will be considered in the preparation of the CCP. However, in order to be most helpful, please

provide comments and return the Issues Workbook by October 15, 2001.

After you have completed the workbook, simply fold it in half (with the preaddressed return

mailer on the outside), tape it together (do not staple), put on the proper postage, and drop it in

the mail. Thanks for your help; we really appreciate it. If you have any questions or would like

more information about this project, please call Sand Lake NWR at 605-885-6320.
Sand Lake NWR Planning Project Issues Workbook 

2 Sand Lake National Wildlife Refuge Comprehensive Conservation Planning Process

1. What makes Sand Lake NWR special or unique for you? What do you like about it?

2. For what reasons have you visited Sand Lake NWR, and what was of most interest to you?
Sand Lake NWR Planning Project Issues Workbook 

Sand Lake National Wildlife Refuge Comprehensive Conservation Planning Process 3

3. Are there any issues you would like to see addressed in the plan, from either a conservation

of natural resources point of view, or from a public use point of view?

4. What improvements would you recommend for Sand Lake NWR?
Sand Lake NWR Planning Project Issues Workbook 

4 Sand Lake National Wildlife Refuge Comprehensive Conservation Planning Process

5. Any additional thoughts, suggestions, or comments that you would like to share with us?

6. In what town and state do you reside?_________________________
Important!

Would you like to be on our Mailing list?

In order to place your name and address on our CCP mailing list, we must have your written

permission. This is because Federal government mailing lists must be released to the public

upon request under the Freedom of Information Act. If you wish to receive future information

about the Sand Lake National Wildlife Refuge Comprehensive Conservation Planning Project,

please fill in the information requested below and return this form to the following address. (If

you have already completed one of these forms you do not need to fill out another one.) If you

are returning a completed Issues Workbook, you may return this form with it. 

Return to: Sand Lake NWR Planning Project

39650 Sand Lake Drive

Columbia, SD 57433

Yes, I wish to be on the mailing list to receive future information about the Sand Lake National

Wildlife Refuge Comprehensive Conservation Planning Project. I understand that names and

addresses on federal mailing lists must be released to the public upon request, under provisions

of the Freedom of Information Act of 1974.

Signature: ___________________________________________ Date: __________________________

First Name: ________________________________ Last Name: _____________________________

Mailing Address: ____________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________

City: ________________________________ State: ______________________________

Zip Code: ________________________________

If you are acting in an official capacity as the representative of an organization, please complete

the following two items:

Organization: ________________________________________________________________________

Title: _______________________________________________________________________________
Please return the Issues Workbook and the authorization if you would like to be on the CCP mailing list. Then

fold here, tape the two halves together, affix postage, and drop in the mail.

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_________________________ Place

Stamp

_________________________ Here

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Sand Lake NWR Planning Project

39650 Sand Lake Drive

Columbia, SD 57433