Banks Lake National Wildlife Refuge - Draft Comprehensive Conservation Plan and Environmental Assessment

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) has developed this Draft Comprehensive Conservation Plan for Banks Lake National Wildlife Refuge in Lanier County, Georgia, to guide the refuge's management actions and direction over the next 15 years. Fish and wildlife conservation will receive first priority in refuge management, while wildlife-dependent recreation will be allowed and encouraged as long as it is compatible with, and does not detract from, the mission of the refuge or the purposes for which it was established. A planning team developed a range of alternatives that best met the goals and objectives of the refuge and that could be implemented within the 15-year planning period. This draft comprehensive conservation plan and its environmental assessment (Section B) describe the Service's proposed plan, as well as the other alternatives that are being considered and their potential effects on the environment.