Draft Land Protection Plan and Environmental Assessment for the Proposed Expansion of Roanoke River National Wildlife Refuge

In accordance with U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) policy and the National Environmental Policy Act, a draft Land Protection Plan and Environmental Assessment have been prepared analyzing the effects and describing the strategy of establishing a 287,090-acre Conservation Partnership Area along the Roanoke River from Weldon to the Albemarle Sound, with authority to acquire up to 50,000 acres in fee title and 100,000 acres in conservation easements and conservation partnerships as part of Roanoke River National Wildlife Refuge (NWR). Acquisitions will fall within Bertie, Washington, Martin, Halifax and Northampton Counties, North Carolina. The plan outlines the options and methods used to provide the minimum interests necessary to preserve and protect the area’s fish, wildlife, and plant resources.