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Back Bay National Wildlife Refuge is seeking public review and comment on Draft Compatibility Determinations for Wildlife Observation/Photography, Environmental Education/Interpretation, and Research. The refuge proposes opening to these events, where these activities do not compromise the mission and operations of the national wildlife refuge national wildlife refuge
A national wildlife refuge is typically a contiguous area of land and water managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service� for the conservation and, where appropriate, restoration of fish, wildlife and plant resources and their habitats for the benefit of present and future generations of Americans.

Learn more about national wildlife refuge . The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) will accept comments received or postmarked on or before August 1, 2025.  

The Service prepares Compatibility Determinations to ensure that public and economic uses of national wildlife refuges do not interfere with or detract from the purposes for which each refuge was established. Compatibility Determinations also describe how these uses would contribute towards achieving refuge purposes and the mission of the National Wildlife Refuge System. 

Comments or requests for additional information may be made by email to [email protected] or U.S. Mail to 1324 Sandbridge Road, Virginia Beach, VA 23456, Attn: Refuge Manager.

All comments received from individuals become part of the official public record. The Service’s practice is to make comments, including names and home addresses of respondents, available for public review during regular business hours. Individual respondents can request that we withhold their home address from the record, which we will honor to the extent allowable by law. If you wish to have your name and/or address withheld, you must state this prominently at the beginning of your comments.