New National Wildlife Refuge to be Established in NE Texas

by Rita Beving

plan kills proposed controversial fastrill reservoir

On June 12, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) announced that it has approved establishing a new national wildlife refuge in northeast Texas in an area near the site of the proposed Fastrill reservoir.

The Fastrill Reservoir, if built, would have precluded the refuge's establishment and essentially destroyed the neighboring Big Thicket's natural habitat.

While advocating for the refuge's establishment, the Dallas Sierra Club, along with the National Wildlife Federation (NWF), and the Texas Committee on Natural Resources (TCONR) worked vigilantly over the last three years to stop the Fastrill reservoir from being adopted by the City of Dallas and the local Region C steering committee as part of their respective long-range water plans.

Though Fastrill was approved by both Dallas and the Region C committee, environmental groups see the establishment of the refuge as killing all hopes for the proposed Fastrill reservoir, which was deemed unnecessary due to existing water supplies already available to meet our future water needs.

The new refuge will conserve up to 25,281 acres along 38 miles of the Neches River, pending the availability of land acquisition funds.

The bottomland hardwoods and associated wetlands are vital for waterfowl such as mallards, dabbling and wood ducks. Eastern Texas and Oklahoma bottomland hardwoods represent the only significant breeding habitat of the wood duck and are one of the most important wintering areas for the mallard in the central flyway, or migratory route.

Additional species that will be protected within the approved project area include the bobcat, river otter, various species of fish, amphibians, and reptiles, including the threatened American alligator.

In 1985, the Service identified this reach of the Neches River in Anderson and Cherokee counties as ecologically important in its Texas Bottomland Hardwood Concept Plan and embarked on an extensive public involvement effort. As plans for the refuge unfolded, the USFWS received more than 1600 comments on the plan for the refuge, the majority supporting its establishment.

"This is a great victory for all Texans who want to protect the Neches and the ecosystem which depends up it," commented Rita Beving, Conservation Co-Chair of the Dallas Sierra Club. "After more than three years, with hundreds of letters from our and other groups' members to the agency and our Congressional representatives, it's good to have one in the win column."

The refuge will protect native wildlife species that rely on the high quality, ecologically rich bottomland hardwood forests, wetlands and riparian areas. Future visitors will have the opportunity to enjoy fishing, hunting, wildlife watching, photography, environmental education and interpretation.

Note: Many thanks to the members who wrote, called or commented on the refuge. This refuge would never have been possible without the showing of your support.