It is National Wildlife Refuge Week, and people are celebrating these unique and diverse landscapes scattered across the country.
The system is a vast network of 573 sites covering over 95 million acres of land that protects vital habitats across the country. These refuges support diverse wildlife, offer recreational opportunities and generate significant economic activity.
History tells us how they uniquely came into being, with the opening part of the 20th century being particularly hard on birds.
Feathers, popular in the elaboration of women’s hats and other accessories, were worth their weight in gold, and hunters were decimating populations of egrets, herons and other wading birds to get them.
Enough is enough
In 1903, a German immigrant named Paul Kroegel decided he had enough. “Armed with a rowboat, a shotgun, and determination, he paddled to a small island near his home on Florida’s Indian River Lagoon to protect nesting Brown Pelicans from plume hunters who were slaughtering birds for the hat trade,” the Audubon said.
Word of his efforts soon caught the attention of President Theodore Roosevelt, who shared Kroegel’s outrage. That same year, Roosevelt signed an executive order naming Pelican Island as the nation’s first federal refuge for birds.
A group of women organized a boycott of plume-bearing hats and the movement spurred not only the formation of the Audubon, but also led to the establishment of the Migratory Bird Treaty Act.
“Roosevelt and his successors set aside land — first Pelican Island, then dozens, and eventually hundreds of refuges — as sanctuaries where wildlife could thrive. And Paul Kroegel, the nation’s first refuge system manager, was also an Audubon employee," according to the group.
While not as well known, refuges offer a different experience from national parks. Refuges provide a chance to experience nature on its own terms —such as listening to the din of thousands of sandhill cranes and snow geese at New Mexico’s Bosque del Apache or kayaking through cypress-lined bayous in Georgia’s Okeefenokee.
The cool thing about wildlife refuges is that more than 100 of the units are located within 25 miles of major urban centers, offering nature lovers a quick and easy getaway.
Utah’s wildlife refuges
- The Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge is a freshwater contributor to the Great Salt Lake. At times, it is home to white-faced ibis that nest in dense emergent vegetation in large colonies of up to 10,000 birds. Migrant tundra swans can number in the tens of thousands in the spring and fall. The refuge uses a complex system of dikes and water control structures to provide different water depths for a variety of waterbird species over the seasons. It hosts a drive by audio tour and there is a 1½ mile walking path where visitors can get an up-front and personal look at the variety of bird species. The nearly 80,000-acre unit also offers hunting opportunities for a variety of birds, including ducks, geese, tundra swans and pheasants.
- Fish Lake Wildlife Refuge is in Utah’s West Desert and encompasses 10,000 acres of wetlands near the Pony Express Trail. The refuge hosts almost 300 species of birds. Of those, 70 species nest and raise their young at the refuge. The best time to see peak bird migration is mid-April and late September. Many species of native mammals such as coyotes, pronghorn, blacktailed jackrabbits and muskrats also reside there or use the refuge on a seasonal basis. The refuge is fed by springs containing water estimated to be 10,000 years old and stays about 76 degrees year around. It offers an 11-mile self-guided auto tour, and like Bear River, it offers hunting opportunities as well, depending on the season.
- Ouray National Wildlife Refuge is located on the Colorado Plateau within the upper Colorado River drainage area. The refuge stretches along 16 miles of the Green River, 120 river miles downstream of Flaming Gorge Dam. Its habitats include lush bottomland areas along the Green River; high elevation upland benches containing grasslands interspersed with low shrubs; barren, highly eroded, clay bluffs on the slopes of upland benches; and alkali flats between the upland terraces and floodplains. The Green River provides life through a desert environment that receives only 7 inches of precipitation a year. Temperatures may range from a low of 35 degrees below zero in winter to over 100 degrees in summer. Long stretches of dry weather may be broken by monsoon rains or substantial snowfall. The refuge offers a variety of activities: viewing numerous wildlife and plant species, an opportunity to hunt and fish, spectacular scenery for photography, or simply a place for a quiet walk in the woods.