34 Implementation Guidance 



potential acquisition sites which result from the SCORP revision process 

 pursuant to section 303 of the Act. 



During the acquisition planning process, the Service must also involve 

 other Federal, State and local agencies and private conservation 

 organizations having land and water use planning responsibilities, to 

 identify their concerns and objectives. As appropriate, the Service should 

 coordinate with the following agencies during development of the Concept 

 Plans: Bureau of Land Management, Bureau of Reclamation, National 

 Park Service, U.S. Forest Service, Corps of Engineers, Environmental 

 Protection Agency, National Marine Fisheries Service, State fish and 

 wildlife. State parks and recreation, water quality board, county flood 

 control and The Nature Conservancy. The input of other agencies and 

 conservation organizations involved in land and water use planning and 

 protection is essential for a coordinated effort to protect priority wetlands. 



To provide for national consistency, prospective wetlands should be 

 systematically evaluated by Regions using the Threshold Criteria 

 contained in Appendix 1. These criteria address: 1) the broad spectrum of 

 public benefits (functions and values) provided by wetlands; 2) historic 

 wetland losses; and 3) threat of wetland losses. A brief documentation has 

 been requested at the end of most statements or questions to support the 

 response. The use of supporting references as documentation is 

 encouraged. The professional expertise and judgment of Service Field 

 and Regional Office personnel will be relied upon to determine which 

 wetland sites qualify for acquisition consideration, based on the criteria 

 specified in the Act and the guidance provided in the NWPCP. The 

 criteria in the NWPCP may be refined in the Concept Plans to address 

 Regional needs provided that the generic threshold criteria are satisfied. 



Wetland lists generated based on application of the Threshold Criteria 

 will not be ranked because this would require extensive data, either non- 

 existent or not readily aveiilable, to prepare a defensible ranked list The 

 lists should seek to identify wetland sites that meet the criteria specified in 

 the Act and the guidance in the NWPCP. 



The Service will continue to assist the National Park Service and States 

 in formulating and revising the SCORP wetlands components required 

 in section 303 of the Act. Full participation by the Service in the SCORP 

 revision will facilitate comparability of State and national wetlands 

 planning and reduce duplication of effort. 



The Fish and Wildlife Service will fully comply with the National 

 Environmental Policy Act (NEPA); and procedures set forth for 

 implementing NEPA by the Council on Environmental Quality (40 CFR 

 1500-1508), Department of the Interior, and the Service in the development 

 of Regional Wetlands Concept Plans and any subsequent acquisition and 

 operation and management of wetlands listed in the Concept Plans. 



