The right plan for Chincoteague Refuge

There has been a great deal of confusion about the 15-year comprehensive conservation plan that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is developing for Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge in Virginia. Unfortunately, Timothy Saasta’s Dec. 11 Local Opinions piece, “ Creating a bridge to nowhere ,” may cause further division and concern for the community of Chincoteague and other people who care deeply about Assateague Island.

First, I want to assure Saasta and those who read his article that no one cares more deeply about the future of Chincoteague and the National Wildlife Refuge System than I do. I am a career civil servant, and I’ve worked for nearly 40 years in public service managing public lands.

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Saasta suggested that the Fish and Wildlife Service may not continue to provide adequate access to the recreational beach at Chincoteague Refuge. Let me be clear: We will continue to provide a quality recreational beach and beach access at Chincoteague Refuge.

In August, to begin developing our 15-year plan, the service outlined several alternative management scenarios. Each scenario includes a recreational beach, various amounts of beachside parking and other public uses such as fishing, wildlife-watching and off-road vehicle use. As we move forward in the planning process, we will also evaluate the possibility of using a shuttle system in addition to beach parking to increase access to the beach.

The development and evaluation of the management alternatives will be a dynamic process among the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the National Park Service, the town of Chincoteague and anyone else with an interest in Chincoteague Refuge. Together, we will have to make difficult choices as we consider how to manage the refuge for both people and wildlife in the face of climate change, rising sea levels and coastal storms that erode the shoreline.

The existing recreational beach and adjacent parking lots have washed out numerous times in the past several years, most recently during Hurricane Irene. Depending on the extent of the damage, it costs anywhere from $200,000 to $700,000 to make repairs after each storm. This is not a responsible use of taxpayer dollars.

The service’s planning for the future is guided — not “misguided,” as Saasta stated — by this reality. There is no doubt that we are literally losing ground — more than 300 feet of shoreline in just the past 50 years. Much to my dismay, scientific modeling completed in 2009 predicts a wholesale transformation of the refuge this century. With this information in hand, it is our duty as public stewards to evaluate alternative locations for the recreational beach and parking lots.

I remain steadfast in my goal of engaging the community as the service develops a plan that will responsibly conserve wildlife and the natural splendor of Chincoteague Refuge, serve the 1.5 million people who visit each year, and continue to support the rich heritage and tourism-dependent economy of the community. It is in the interest of all of us to ensure that its legacy continues for the people who live and work here, and for those who come to play, watch wildlife, stay in our hotels, eat in our restaurants and sh op in our stores.

The writer is the manager of Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge on Assateague Island in Virginia.