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Mountain Longleaf National Wildlife Refuge is a National Wildlife Refuge located in eastern
Mountain Longleaf is a relatively new wildlife refuge and, as such, has not yet developed any sizable tourist facilities. A single information kiosk is located at the junction of Bain's Gap Road and Ridge Road South. Additionally, part of the reserve is closed to the general public, pending environmental cleanup. Otherwise, there are limited opportunities for hiking, photography, and wildlife observation at the refuge.
Mountain Longleaf National Wildlife Refuge homepage
{{authority control National Wildlife Refuges in Alabama Anniston, Alabama Protected areas of Calhoun County, Alabama Protected areas established in 2003 2003 establishments in Alabama
Alabama
(We dare defend our rights)
, anthem = "Alabama"
, image_map = Alabama in United States.svg
, seat = Montgomery
, LargestCity = Huntsville
, LargestCounty = Baldwin County
, LargestMetro = Greater Birmingham
, area_total_km2 = 135,765 ...
, near Anniston, Alabama
Anniston is the county seat of Calhoun County in Alabama and is one of two urban centers/principal cities of and included in the Anniston-Oxford Metropolitan Statistical Area. As of the 2010 census, the population of the city was 23,106. Acc ...
on the former site of Fort McClellan
Fort McClellan, originally Camp McClellan, is a decommissioned United States Army post located adjacent to the city of Anniston, Alabama. During World War II, it was one of the largest U.S. Army installations, training an estimated half-million tr ...
. It takes its name from some of the last remaining mountain longleaf pine (''Pinus palustris'') forests in the southeastern United States.
Approximately 3,000 acres (12 km2) of the refuge is open to the public during daylight hours. The remaining 6,000 acres (24 km2) will open after the clean-up of environmental contaminants has been completed. The facility has a small two person staff with a $250,000 annual budget. Plans call for a budget of approximately $900,000 with a ten-person staff. Mountain Longleaf NWR also administers the Cahaba River National Wildlife Refuge & Watercress Darter National Wildlife Refuge
Watercress Darter National Wildlife Refuge is a National Wildlife Refuge located in Jefferson County, Alabama, within the city limits of Bessemer, Alabama, Bessemer. Watercress Darter NWR consists of a pond known as Thomas Spring which is essent ...
.
Topography
Mountain Longleaf NWR is located on the former military training lands of Fort McClellan. The mountains of the refuge, Choccolocco and the Talladega Mountains, are in the southernmost portions of theAppalachian Mountains
The Appalachian Mountains, often called the Appalachians, (french: Appalaches), are a system of mountains in eastern to northeastern North America. The Appalachians first formed roughly 480 million years ago during the Ordovician Period. They ...
.
Wildlife and protected species
Mountain Longleaf serves as a home to several endangered species including thered-cockaded woodpecker
The red-cockaded woodpecker (''Leuconotopicus borealis'') is a woodpecker endemic to the southeastern United States.
Description
The red-cockaded woodpecker is small to mid-sized species, being intermediate in size between North America's two ...
and the gray bat. Cougars have also been sighted in the area.
Other than the mountain longleaf pine, other plant species warranting special attention include the white-fringeless orchid
Orchids are plants that belong to the family Orchidaceae (), a diverse and widespread group of flowering plants with blooms that are often colourful and fragrant.
Along with the Asteraceae, they are one of the two largest families of flowerin ...
, an endangered species candidate, as well as 11 species of flora and 21 species of fauna which are considered rare.
Facilities
Mountain Longleaf is a relatively new wildlife refuge and, as such, has not yet developed any sizable tourist facilities. A single information kiosk is located at the junction of Bain's Gap Road and Ridge Road South. Additionally, part of the reserve is closed to the general public, pending environmental cleanup. Otherwise, there are limited opportunities for hiking, photography, and wildlife observation at the refuge.
See also
*List of National Wildlife Refuges
As of 2022, there are 588 National Wildlife Refuges in the United States, with the addition of the Green River National Wildlife Refuge. Refuges that have boundaries in multiple states are listed only in the state where the main visitor entrance i ...
References
External links
Mountain Longleaf National Wildlife Refuge homepage
{{authority control National Wildlife Refuges in Alabama Anniston, Alabama Protected areas of Calhoun County, Alabama Protected areas established in 2003 2003 establishments in Alabama