Add your voice to refuge plan debate

To The Eagle:

Duck hunters who favor Alternative 1 of the Comprehensive Conservation Plan for Willapa National Refuge have sent letters to several local newspapers. They argue that walk-in hunting access should take precedence over breaching dikes to restore salt water marshes.

One "fact" in these letters is that a similar dike-breaching project at Nisqually Wildlife Refuge has resulted in death of waterfowl, so that only seven percent remain. This would be shocking if true--but it is not supported by refuge staff when recently contacted.

Bird surveys up to January 2011 show waterfowl species in the undiked area at Nisqually have not declined; in fact many ducks and geese have increased (see nisquallydeltarestoration.org). This is in line with predictions--recent studies show that Canada geese and dabbling ducks prefer estuarine habitat to meadows.

Estuary restoration projects on the West Coast show that replacement of freshwater plants by saltwater species will take years, and Nisqually refuge biologists are rightly cautious about publishing final conclusions. However, there is no evidence that waterfowl populations have died or decreased at Nisqually. The restoration of the estuarine habitat will increase their population in the future.

Free-flowing estuarine habitat, where river freshwater mixes with sea water, is essential for young salmon and helps cleanse coastal waters. Restoration at the Willapa National Refuge would be an important part of efforts to enhance estuaries throughout our region.

Add your voice to this debate--the comment period on the Willapa National Refuge's Comprehensive Conservation Plan has been extended to March 21, 2011.

Larry Brandt

Cathlamet