After just three Planning Team meetings, the draft management alternatives for the CMR National Wildlife Refuge’s Comprehensive Conservation Plan (CCP) are taking shape. The Council, through their Coordinator Vicki Marquis and alternate Mike McKeever of the Garfield County CD, serves on the Planning Team for the CCP. When finalized, the CCP will provide management objectives and strategies for the Refuge over the next 15 years. To date, four management alternatives have been drafted, including a “No Action” alternative where management would remain essentially the same; a “Wildlife Emphasis” alternative that would aim to increase the abundance and variety of wildlife habitats; a “Public Use and Economic Emphasis” alternative that would promote compatible public and economic uses while protecting wildlife habitats; and an “Ecological Processes Emphasis” alternative that would work toward bringing the area back to historic conditions and natural management processes.

The draft alternatives will be released to the public in mid- to late- August and a round of public meetings to receive comments on them is scheduled as follows:

September 2nd, 7:00 P.M. Lewistown Yogo Inn

September 3rd, 1:00 P.M. Glasgow Cottonwood Inn

September 3rd, 7:00 P.M. Malta High School

September 4th, 2:00 P.M. Jordan VFW

September 15th, 7:00 P.M. Billings MSU Student Union Hall

September 16th, 4:30 P.M. Bozeman GranTree Inn

September 17th, 7:00 P.M. Great Falls Mansfield Center

Watch the website www.fws.gov/cmr/planning for more information or send an e-mail to cmrplanning@fws.gov to provide comments and/or receive updates on the CCP.