Your Input Wanted on Proposed New Hunting Opportunities at Waccamaw NWR
Submitted Jul. 23, 2012, by Bill Rooney
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is proposing enhanced hunting opportunities on 16 national wildlife refuges (NWR) in 14 states, including South Carolina's Waccamaw NWR, one of four in the state's Lowcountry Refuges Complex. The specific plan for Waccamaw includes expansion of the area for big-game hunting and the addition of woodcock to the species open for migratory bird hunting. The refuge is also open to upland-game hunting and sport fishing.
The public has until Aug. 10 to comment on the proposal. There are two ways to make your voice heard. You may go online to the Federal eRulemaking Portal. In the "Search" field, enter Docket No. FWS--R9--NWRS--2012--0022, which is the docket number for this rulemaking. Then click on the Search button. On the resulting screen, find the correct document and submit a comment by clicking on "Comment Now!"
Or you may send a hard copy via U.S. mail to: Public Comments Processing, Attn: FWS--R9--NWRS--2012--0022; Division of Policy and Directives Management; U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service; 4401 N. Fairfax Drive, MS 2042--PDM; Arlington, VA 22203.
Waccamaw NWR, located in portions of Horry, Georgetown and Marion counties, includes large sections of the Waccamaw and Great Pee Dee rivers and a small section of the Little Pee Dee River. An active land-acquisition program from willing sellers within the boundary is ongoing. Presently the refuge encompasses nearly 27,000 acres. In 2008 Waccamaw NWR opened the newly constructed Cox Ferry Lake Recreation Area and has also opened a new state-of-the-art Visitor and Environmental Education Center on Highway 701 north of Georgetown.
This refuge boasts diverse habitat components within an important coastal river ecosystem and is managed for the benefit of migratory birds, forest wildlife, endangered and threatened species and freshwater and anadromous fish, including a wide array of plants and animals associated with bottomland hardwood habitats.
For more details, go online.
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