For Immediate Release
May 23, 2006

Fish & Wildlife Service to Hold Hearings on SE Wyoming Refuges

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LARAMIE – The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is holding hearings this week on management plans for four National Wildlife Refuges in central and southeast Wyoming: Hutton Lake, Pathfinder, Bamforth, and Mortenson Lake. The new management plans will determine what the management priorities will be for these public lands, and may also address the sell-off of some of these lands by the federal government.

“These National Wildlife Refuges provide key habitat for waterfowl, and Mortenson Lake holds the last remaining wild population of the Wyoming toad in the world,” said Erik Molvar, Wildlife Biologist with Biodiversity Conservation Alliance. “We would hate to see any of these lands sold off, and instead would like to see the refuges expanded in the size and scope through acquisitions from willing sellers as well as conservation easements.”

The Fish and Wildlife Service will be holding two hearings on the National Wildlife Refuges:

•    Casper, Wednesday May 24th from 5 to 7 p.m. at the Wyoming Game and Fish Department office at 3030 Energy Drive (behind the Silver Fox on CY Avenue). This meeting will focus on Pathfinder National Wildlife Refuge.

•    Laramie, Thursday May 25th from 5 to 7 p.m. at the Albany County Public Library. This meeting will focus on Hutton Lake, Bamforth, and Mortenson Lake National Wildlife Refuges.

BCA encourages all interested members of the public to attend these hearings and voice their opinions about how these wildlife refuges should be managed.