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Deadline nears for Bay's critical habitat plan comment

August 6th 7:26 pm | Alaska Newspapers Staff Print this article   Email this article   Create a Shortlink for this article

Public comment is being accepted through Aug. 12 by the Alaska Department of Fish and Game on the Bristol Bay critical habitat areas draft management plan.

The management plan addresses five critical habitat areas: Egegik , Pilot Point, Cinder River, Port Heiden and Port Moller, on the north side of the Alaska Peninsula.

The management plan and subsequent regulations will be used by ADF&G to guide management actions and authorize appropriate activities in these critical habitat areas through special area permitting.

The critical habitat areas, established in 1972, include the major estuaries along the southern shore of Bristol Bay. The primary purpose of the critical habitat areas is to protect and preserve habitat areas especially crucial to the perpetuation of fish and wildlife, particularly waterfowl; and to restrict all other uses not compatible with that primary purpose.

The management plan will apply to state lands and waters and private lands within the critical habitat area boundaries. The draft plan presents management goals for the critical habitat areas and identifies policies to be used in determining which activities are compatible with the protection of fish and wildlife, their habitats, and public use of the critical habitat areas. The proposed policies address such issues as access and use of resources in the critical habitat areas.

The draft plan includes a lit of proposed regulations for implementing the plan. However, proposed regulations may be revised prior to adoption based on public comment and any subsequent changes to management plan policies. ADF&G will conduct a separate regulatory review for these regulations after the management plan is finalized later this year.

Copies are available at http://www.adfg.alaska.gov/index.cfm?adfg=bristolbay.draftplan.

For more information, contact Habitat Division at 907-267-2342. Submit comments to dfg.hab.specialarea@alaska.gov

 

Alaska Newspapers Staff can be reached at editor@alaskanewspapers.com, or by phone at 907-348-2449

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