The Fish and Wildlife Service's Management of the Sachuest Point and Ninigret National Wildlife Refuges in Rhode Island

A Congressman questioned whether the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service had the resources to manage two wildlife refuges in Rhode Island properly.

At one site, the Service has implemented a management and development plan which would protect the habitat for wildlife while providing passive public recreation. Actions taken to enhance the area as a wildlife habitat included: (1) renovation of an existing Navy building for use as a visitor contact station, refuge office, and storage facility; (2) increasing the tidal flow throughout the marsh areas by placing culverts under a road to one of the beaches; (3) removal of privately owned cottages that had lined the beach; (4) removal of a solid waste collection and transfer station; and (5) planting grass and food shrubs. The Service took steps to provide the maximum level of public recreation consistent with wildlife preservation. Title to the land involved in the second area had precluded implementation of a management and development plan. When the title has been obtained, the Service plans to manage the land in a natural state for the benefit of migratory waterfowl and other wildlife. Development would be limited to cleaning up and restoring the area to its natural condition. The area would be open to the public during non-nesting periods for wildlife-oriented recreation. Limited use of control regulations, fencing, and posting were planned to protect the wildlife habitat and the general ecology of the area. A cooperative effort to effectively mesh the management proposals of the town, the Environmental Protection Agency, and the Service was initiated.