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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The purpose of the Round Lake Conceptual Management Plan is to provide a framework for future management of the Round Lake Unit (Unit) of the Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge (Refuge). It will remain a draft plan until a remedy is selected to address the heavy metal and PCB contamination in the sediments of the wetland basin known as Round Lake. These contaminants are attributed to the previous ownership and management of the area by the Department of the Army as part of the Twin Cities Army Ammunition Plant (TCAAP). The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) remains actively engaged with the regulatory agencies responsible for the clean-up of the TCAAP contamination on Round Lake Unit with the goal of returning the Unit to its intended functions. Based upon the remedy selected, elements of this draft plan may be modified to best meet the Refuge’s responsibilities while considering the remediated ecological health of the Round Lake Unit.As new information becomes available, the Service will update this management plan. The vision of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for the Round Lake Unit is to have a fully functioning unit of the National Wildlife Refuge System. This means providing quality habitat for focal species to promote their conservation and management and providing priority public 1 useopportunities where appropriate and compatible. This plan echoes similar proposed actions identified in earlier Unit management documents to accomplish Service objectives for the Round Lake Unit. Active management of the aquatic resources (e.g., water levels) on the Unit ceased in mid-1980s based on a Service decision to use high water levels to separate wildlife and the public as much as possible from contaminants found in the lake’s sediments. Atthis time the public use was restricted to non-consumptive uses on the upland areas of the Unit. The Service continues to allow use of a hiking trail constructed and maintain within a City of Arden Hills right-of-way on Service property along the west side of the Unit away from the water’s edge. Some limited wildlife observation and photography likely occurs along this trail. Prior to use restrictions, the Unit was open to fishing, wildlife observation,and photography. The Service’s vision for the Round Lake Unit consists of managing the natural resources primarily asmigratory habitat for diving ducks,other migratory waterfowl,and water dependent birds.. This requires maintaining water clarity and requires water depths that follow a cycle of fluctuating water levels. During the summer, resource management activities would focus on providing habitat for nesting bysome dabbling duck, marsh bird, and riparian nesting species. Management actions to accomplish this includesactive water level management, biological monitoring to measure the success of management actions, invasive species management and upland vegetation manipulation. Water manipulation cyclesgenerallywouldoccur every 3 to5 years.Timing of manipulations wouldbe determined by using growing season vegetation surveys to track plant and invertebrate community health. Due to the capability of water control structure that is currently in place, water levels would be actively manipulated to fluctuate 2 to3 1 National Wildlife Refuge System Improvement Act of 1997 defines priority public uses as: hunting, fishing, wildlife observation, wildlife photography, environmental educat facilitate these uses. 8/6/2013 ii USFWS RLMP