The Silvio Conte NATIONAL Wildlife Refuge system looks to make major expansion in Massachusetts and New Hampshire.

This could mean more land taken out of use, and some land taken from private ownership via eminent domain.

Another concern is that once lands have been deemed ‘national’, they may become ‘international’ world heritage sites, under control of the United Nations.

The philosphy of the World Heritage Site is summed up by the UN:

“What makes the concept of World Heritage exceptional is its universal application. World Heritage sites belong to all the peoples of the world, irrespective of the territory on which they are located.”

HADLEY — Under a new 15-year plan, the Silvio O. Conte National Fish and Wildlife Refuge aims to quintuple its protected land, adding another 197,337 acres in four states to help sustain wildlife habitat in a changing world.

The acreage would be procured by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service and involve strategic, targeted acquisitions from willing landowners. The federal agency already owns about 37,000 acres in the Connecticut River watershed.

Silvio O. Conte National Wildlife Refuge eyes ‘landscape level preservation’ over next 15 years