Crab Orchard National Wildlife Refuge is a 43,890 acre (180 km
2)
National Wildlife Refuge primarily in southwestern
Williamson County, but with small extensions into adjacent eastern
Jackson
Jackson may refer to:
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* Jackson (name), including a list of people and fictional characters with the surname or given name
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Australia
* Jackson, Queensland, a town in the Maranoa Region
* Jackson North, Qu ...
and northeastern
Union
Union commonly refers to:
* Trade union, an organization of workers
* Union (set theory), in mathematics, a fundamental operation on sets
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* Union (band), an American rock group
** ''Un ...
counties of southern
Illinois
Illinois ( ) is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolitan areas include, Peoria and Rockf ...
, in the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...
. Its land and water contain a wide diversity of flora and fauna. It centers on
Crab Orchard Lake
Crab Orchard Lake is a 6,965-acre (28.2 km²) reservoir in Williamson County, Illinois. It is the centerpiece of the Crab Orchard National Wildlife Refuge. It is fed by Devils Kitchen Lake and Little Grassy Lake, which are also within the ...
. Major habitat types on the refuge include hardwood forest, agricultural land, grazing units, brushland,
wetland
A wetland is a distinct ecosystem that is flooded or saturated by water, either permanently (for years or decades) or seasonally (for weeks or months). Flooding results in oxygen-free (anoxic) processes prevailing, especially in the soils. The p ...
s, and lakes. Other major bodies of water on the refuge are
Devil's Kitchen Lake and
Little Grassy Lake.
Description
The refuge provides significant resting areas for migratory birds utilizing the
Mississippi
Mississippi () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States, bordered to the north by Tennessee; to the east by Alabama; to the south by the Gulf of Mexico; to the southwest by Louisiana; and to the northwest by Arkansas. Miss ...
Flyway. Wintering numbers of
Canada geese
The Canada goose (''Branta canadensis''), or Canadian goose, is a large wild goose with a black head and neck, white cheeks, white under its chin, and a brown body. It is native to the arctic and temperate regions of North America, and it is o ...
can peak at 200,000. A total of nearly 1000 vascular plant species, 245 bird species, 33 mammal species, 63 fish species, and 44 reptile and amphibian species have been documented on the refuge.
The western 24,000 acres (97 km
2) of the refuge provide a wide range of recreational opportunities and also include a 4,050 acre (16 km
2) wilderness area. The eastern portion, 20,000 acres (81 km
2), is a wildlife sanctuary, and public use is limited.
Annual visitation is approximately 1,000,000 visitors. Industrial activities on the refuge range from manufacturing and storage facilities to administrative offices. Many buildings now housing industries were used in the manufacturing of
high explosives
An explosive (or explosive material) is a reactive substance that contains a great amount of potential energy that can produce an explosion if released suddenly, usually accompanied by the production of light, heat, sound, and pressure. An expl ...
during
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...
, and they are still used for military ordnance production today. The concrete igloos built for munition storage are now leased to private industry for storage of many types of products.
''Crab Orchard National Wildlife Refuge'' is managed with four broad objectives: wildlife management, agriculture, recreation, and industry. The primary wildlife management objective is to satisfy the food and resting needs of wintering Canada geese and other wildlife. This objective is coordinated with the agriculture objective through cooperative farming and permittee grazing programs.
Crab Orchard Wilderness
The
Crab Orchard Wilderness, a federally listed U.S.
wilderness area
Wilderness or wildlands (usually in the plural), are natural environments on Earth that have not been significantly modified by human activity or any nonurbanized land not under extensive agricultural cultivation. The term has traditionally re ...
, occupies the southernmost strip of the National Wildlife Refuge.
Flora
References
External links
Official home page*
Plant Checklist of the Crab Orchard National Wildlife Refuge
Protected areas of Jackson County, Illinois
National Wildlife Refuges in Illinois
Protected areas established in 1947
Protected areas of Union County, Illinois
Protected areas of Williamson County, Illinois
1947 establishments in Illinois
Wetlands of Illinois
Landforms of Jackson County, Illinois
Landforms of Union County, Illinois
Landforms of Williamson County, Illinois
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