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PURPOSE OF THIS PLAN The purpose of this draft plan is to serve as a framework for future management of the Round Lake Unit (Unit) of the Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge(Refuge).It also provides background foruse indiscussions regarding the resolutionof contaminantissues at the Round LakeUnit. It will remain a draft plan until a remedy is selected to address onsite contamination. The final disposition of the contaminants inthe Round Lakebasin, and therefore the status of the ecological health of the Round Lake Unit, has the potential to change the ability of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) to fully implement this plan. Based upon the remedy selected, elements of this draft plan may be modified to best meet the Refuge’s responsibilities while considering the constraints posed by the remediated ecological health of the Round Lake Unit. MINNESOTA VALLEY NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE PURPOSE The National Wildlife Refuge System ImprovementAct of 1997 (P.L. 105-57) established several important mandates aimed at making the management of lands within the National Wildlife Refuge System (System) more cohesive. The preparation of a Comprehensive Conservation Plan (CCP) for each national wildlife refuge and wetland management district within the System is one of those mandates. Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge is one of more than 550National Wildlife Refugesand 37 Wetland Management Districts in the National Wildlife Refuge System.The mission of the National Wildlife Refuge Systemis to “administer a national network of lands and waters for the conservation, management, and where appropriate, restoration of the fish, wildlife, and plant resources and their habitats within the United States for the benefit of present and future generations of Americans.” The CCP outlines the overall management direction for a refuge or district based on the mission of the System andthepurposes for which a refuge or district was established. Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge was established by Congress in 1976 through the Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge Act (Public Law 94-466; October 8, 1976). In general, its purposes are to (1) provide habitat for a large number of migratory waterfowl, fish, and other wildlife species; (2) to provide environmental education, wildlife recreational opportunities, and interpretive programs for hundreds of thousands of Twin Cities residents; (3) to protect important natural resource areas from degradation; and to (4) protect the Minnesota River valley's unique social, educational, and environmental assets. The CCPfor the Refuge was completed in 2004(USFWS 2004)and outlines the management direction for the Refuge,includingobjectives for 15 years of implementation (i.e., 2004 –2019). This Conceptual Management Planfor the Round Lake Unitrefines the management objectives and the potential strategies listed in the CCP to meet the objectives for the Unit into amore specific proposal. 8/6/2013 1 USFWS RLMP