The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has released a draft comprehensive conservation plan and environmental impact statement for the Silvio O. Conte National Fish and Wildlife Refuge, the service announced Monday.

The refuge is the nation's first watershed-based, landscape-scale refuge, conserving more than 36,000 acres throughout the 7.2 million-acre Connecticut River watershed in New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts and Connecticut.

In Connecticut, there are three divisions of the refuge: the Salmon River Division in Haddam Neck; the Roger Tory Peterson Division in Old Lyme; and the Deadmans Swamp division in Cromwell.

The plan, when final, will guide management of the refuge for a period of 15 years, the service said.

The plan is available for public review and comment through Nov. 16.

The draft plan can be found at www.fws.gov/refuge/Silvio_O_Conte/what_we_do/conservation.html.

The plan describes four alternatives that have been evaluated for management of the refuge. The Service has identified Alternative C as the preferred alternative for refuge management, balances habitat management with public use and access, the service said in a news release.

Actions that would best meet refuge purposes, goals and a balanced management approach include:

• On existing and proposed refuge lands, the service would manage habitat for a variety of aquatic and terrestrial species and habitats. Examples include managing forests to increase diversity; creating early successional forest habitat for species such as New England cottontail and American woodcock; inventorying for the presence of key species such as Canada lynx, forest bats and migratory songbirds; and improving and restoring in-stream habitats.

• The service would continue to support the extensive public use and visitor services and opportunities already in place, while also working with partners to expand and diversify our connections to the larger communities. Hunting, fishing, wildlife observation and photography, environmental education and interpretation are priority public uses that would continue to be promoted both on and off refuge lands.

• An expanded refuge boundary would broaden opportunities for the service and partners to achieve common conservation goals, establish important habitat connections within the conserved lands network and improve management ability to address and adapt to climate change and other environmental stressors. The proposed refuge boundary expansion allows owners of important habitat an opportunity to voluntarily sell in fee, establish a conservation easement or donate their properties to the service and thereby contribute to the permanent conservation of key habitats and associated wildlife for future generations.

The public may submit comments on the draft plan at www.regulations.gov. In the “Search” box, commenters will enter the docket number for this project (FWS-R5-NWRS-2015-0036). Comments can be submitted by clicking on “Comment Now!”

Comments also can be mailed to: Public Comments Processing, Attn: FWS-R5-NWRS-2015-0036; U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service; MS: BPHC; 5275 Leesburg Pike, Falls Church, VA 22041-3803.

The public also can comment during hearings that will be scheduled. The hearings will be listed at www.fws.gov/refuge/Silvio_O_Conte/what_we_do/conservation.html.