Dear Supervisor Frisk: Please accept the comments below as part of the record for the comment period for the Draft CCP/DEIS for the Crab Orchard National Wildlife Refuge. I... Support the inclusion of the 120 acres within the Crab Orchard Wilderness as part of the wilderness. This measure would help to maintain the wilderness character of the current wilderness. Trail development in the wilderness should be kept to a minimum. Believe off-road vehicles destroy vegetation and disrupt wildlife and should not be allowed on the refuge. Even allowing handicapped use of ATVs can be a slippery slope, leading to wholesale abuse of the special permits, which has taken place on Shawnee Forest. Support banning jet skis on the Refuge. Their amount of noise, air and water pollution is unacceptable. Oppose both the land swap (Alt. B) and/or leasing of Refuge land adjacent to Route 13 on Crab Orchard Lake. Building commercial facilities such as a hotel, restaurant, golf course and water park are incompatible with the Refuge’s main mission of wildlife protection, wildlife related recreation, and the four purposes of the Refuge. Support cutting back the amount of Refuge land proposed for row crops – from 4,400 acres to 2,200 acres. The number of wintering geese on the Refuge is now one-tenth or less of what it used to be. Thus, one half or less of the row crops should be a sufficient “safety net” in case of a more severe winter. Support consolidation of large blocks of native grassland and closed canopy hardwood forest in order to provide habitat for grassland birds and forest interior birds, whose populations have been decreasing at an alarming rate. Support protection and enhancement of habitat for federally threatened and endangered (T & E) species. The Refuge should not only protect, but also work to increase populations of federal T & E species, in particular bald eagles and Indiana bats. Support management for threatened and endangered state species, especially ones appropriate to the Refuge, such as osprey, red shouldered hawk, Henslow’s sparrow and golden mouse. The Refuge should w2ork with Illinois Department of Natural Resources and others to do this. Oppose radical methods of thinning pine stands, such as final shelterwood cuts, which can damage the existing hardwoods in a mixed stand and can set back the recovery of hardwoods. Support buying inholdings from willing sellers as a high priority. I support buying the inholding adjacent to the Rocky Bluff area to make sure that this Mecca for spring flowers is not damaged by incompatible development on that inholding. Support the goal of converting the stands of non-native pines to hardwoods accelerated by the use of fire and planting hardwoods. I oppose commercial logging, especially when the loggers are not supervised to use the best management practices, which has happened in the past on the Refuge. Support banning the use of gas motors on Devil’s Kitchen Lake. I support the FWS ban of gas motors on the south end of Little Grassy Lake in order to protect the Wilderness experience from noise. Support establishing baseline conditions in the Wilderness and managing to protect and enhance the wilderness resource. The refuge can do more to protect against degradation by illegal horse use, ATV use, etc. _____________________________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________________________ Sincerely, ____________________________________________ ____________________________________________ ____________________________________________ __(Dated)_________________________________ Mail to: Crab Orchard National Wildlife Refuge CCP Comment 8588 Route 148 Marion, IL 62959