John and Louise Seier National Wildlife Refuge is located in the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sover ...

Nebraska Nebraska () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by South Dakota to the north; Iowa to the east and Missouri to the southeast, both across the Missouri River; Kansas to the south; Colorado to the southwe ...

and includes 2,400 acres (9.71 km²). The refuge protects a portion of the largest remaining area of tall and mid grass

prairie Prairies are ecosystems considered part of the temperate grasslands, savannas, and shrublands biome by ecologists, based on similar temperate climates, moderate rainfall, and a composition of grasses, herbs, and shrubs, rather than trees, as the ...

remaining in the U.S. Collectively known as the Sand Hills region of Nebraska, the dunes were the end result of the last

ice age An ice age is a long period of reduction in the temperature of Earth's surface and atmosphere, resulting in the presence or expansion of continental and polar ice sheets and alpine glaciers. Earth's climate alternates between ice ages and gree ...

known as the Pinedale glaciation. During the

Holocene glacial retreat The Holocene glacial retreat is a geographical phenomenon that involved the global retreat of glaciers ( deglaciation) that previously had advanced during the Last Glacial Maximum. Ice sheet retreat initiated ca. 19,000 years ago and accelerated ...

the sand dunes that been deposited in their current location by the vast continental glaciers, were exposed and grasses eventually took over. The refuge is managed by the

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service The United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS or FWS) is an agency within the United States Department of the Interior dedicated to the management of fish, wildlife, and natural habitats. The mission of the agency is "working with oth ...

and along with

Fort Niobrara Fort Niobrara (1880–1906) was a military post located in north central Nebraska. History summary for Fort Niobrara Constructed along the Niobrara River after the Great Sioux War of 1876, it was part of a military strategy to surround a ...

and

Valentine National Wildlife Refuge Valentine National Wildlife Refuge is located in the U.S. state of Nebraska and includes 19,131 acres (77.42 km2). The refuge protects a portion of the largest remaining area of tall and mid grass prairie in the United States. Developm ...

s, form the Fort Niobrara National Wildlife Refuge Complex. This is an undeveloped refuge that was donated by the siblings John and Louise Seier to the U.S. Government to be preserved for wildlife. The Seier family had homesteaded the lands in the mid-19th century. The refuge is part forest and part

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 ...

but the majority of it is tall grass

. John and Louise Seier NWR is located about 25 miles (40.23 km) south of Bassett, Nebraska, off of

U.S. Highway 183 U.S. Route 183 (US 183) is a north–south United States highway. The highway's northern terminus is in Presho, South Dakota, at an intersection with Interstate 90. Its southern terminus is in Refugio, Texas, at the southern intersection ...

. The refuge is open to hunting.

References

External links

* * National Wildlife Refuges in Nebraska Protected areas of Rock County, Nebraska Protected areas established in 1999 1999 establishments in Nebraska {{RockCountyNE-geo-stub