Does private land-use regulation increase within a refuge boundary?
No, landowners within a refuge boundary retain all the rights, privileges, and responsibilities of private land ownership, even if the Service has acquired interest in the land surrounding them. Private lands remain in control of the owner until the property has been sold to the Service. Service management of access, land-use practices, water management, hunting, fishing, and general use within a refuge boundary is limited to the lands that the Service has acquired.
