Publisher's Synopsis
The Florida Keys National Wildlife Refuges Complex is comprised of four refuges situated in the Florida Keys (Figure 1). Crocodile Lake National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) is located at the northern end of the Florida Keys near Key Largo, Florida. The Lower Florida Keys Refuges are physically separated from Crocodile Lake NWR. This group of three refuges, National Key Deer Refuge, Key West National Wildlife Refuge (NWR), and Great White Heron National Wildlife Refuge (NWR), is situated between the city of Marathon and the Marquesas Keys, which are located west of Key West, Florida (Figure 2). The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) developed the Lower Florida Keys Refuges' Draft Comprehensive Conservation Plan and Environmental Assessment (Draft CCP/EA) to guide management and resource conservation for these three refuges over the next 15 years. The refuge complex is managed as a whole with administrative headquarters at National Key Deer Refuge on Big Pine Key, Florida. One Draft CCP/EA document has been prepared for the three Lower Florida Keys Refuges. This Draft CCP/EA contains background information on the refuges and presents a description of the planning process and the desired future conditions. The Draft CCP/EA states the refuges' vision, goals, and management actions necessary to achieve these goals and conditions.
