Thank you for your interest in the Environmental Assessment (EA) for the placement of the administrative headquarters and visitor facility at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge within the Potomac River National Wildlife Refuge Complex. The Fish and Wildlife Service has announced their decision and the availability of the Final Environmental Assessment (EA) and Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) for the Administrative Headquarters and Visitor Facility.

Why was the Environmental Assessment necessary:
The Comprehensive Conservation Plan (CCP) for Occoquan Bay NWR, completed in December 1997, selected a specific site for a new Refuge Complex headquarters office and education/interpretive facility. The facility has never been built and, in recent years, certain expectations about adjacent development and public access, which influenced that decision, have not been met. As a result, site selection for the facility was re-evaluated in the final EA titled, "Potomac River National Wildlife Refuge Complex, Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge, Administrative Headquarters and Visitor Facility, January 2009."

When did the public review and comment period take place:
Legal notice was posted in the Potomac News and Manassas Journal Messenger on August 29, 2008. A draft EA evaluating 4 site alternatives was distributed for a 30-day public review and comment period from August 29 through September 29, 2008.

The refuge received a total of 44 letters and emails.
All of the concerns are identified and responded to in Appendix 6 of the final EA.