A Calendar of Great Festivals on or near National Wildlife Refuges

Looking for a special bird to add to your life list? Brand new to birding and just thrill to the sight of thousands of migrating birds?  Either way, bird festivals beckon you to national wildlife refuges throughout the year and from coast to coast.

National wildlife refuges often are festival sites because so many are located along the country’s key migratory bird routes. Many festivals coincide with spring or fall migration. Here are some great refuge bird festivals to catch in 2017.

The National Wildlife Refuge System, part of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, protects natural habitat for America’s treasured wildlife species. 

Revisions to policy implementing Candidate Conservation program improve process for working with states, tribes and private landowners

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) and NOAA Fisheries today finalized revisions to the Candidate Conservation Agreements with Assurances (CCAAs) policy under the Endangered Species Act (ESA).

The Candidate Conservation program is emblematic of the flexibility of the ESA and how the law can be used to engage partners in conserving and protecting imperiled species before they are listed as threatened or endangered. In particular, CCAAs provide a mechanism that encourages non-federal landowners to implement specific conservation measures for at-risk wildlife. In return, they receive assurances that they will not be required to undertake any additional conservation measures or be subject to additional resource use or land use restrictions, even if subsequent information indicates that additional or revised conservation measures are needed for the species or if the species is ultimately listed under federal protection.

BLM Provides Mitigation Guidance To Lessen and Offset Impact of Development on Public Lands

National Mitigation Policy Provides Roadmap for Approving Projects

WASHINGTON — The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) today finalized itspolicyfor how to lessen and offset adverse environmental effects caused by various uses of the public lands.  This announcement formalizes the agency’s knowledge developed through years of applying mitigation measures in the context of its multiple use and sustained yield mission.