Big Oaks National Wildlife Refuge is a wildlife refuge operated by the

United States 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 othe ...

in southeast

Indiana Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th s ...

, United States, near

Madison, Indiana Madison is a city in and the county seat of Jefferson County, Indiana, United States, along the Ohio River. As of the 2010 United States Census its population was 11,967. Over 55,000 people live within of downtown Madison. Madison is the larges ...

. The refuge is the largest of Indiana's three National Wildlife Refuges (

Muscatatuck National Wildlife Refuge The Muscatatuck National Wildlife Refuge is a National Wildlife Refuge located east of Seymour, Indiana, on U.S. Route 50. Established in 1966, it comprises in its main area of eastern Jackson and western Jennings counties, and an additional ...

near

Seymour, IN Seymour is a city in Jackson County, Indiana, Jackson County, Indiana, United States. Its population was 21,569 at the 2020 census. The city is noted for its location at the intersection of two major north–south and east–west railroads, whic ...

and

Patoka River National Wildlife Refuge and Management Area The Patoka River National Wildlife Refuge and Management Area, established in 1994, is a collection of wildlife refuges and habitats situated along the Patoka River in Gibson and Pike counties in southwestern Indiana. It consists mostly of the ma ...

near

Oakland City, IN Oakland City is the third-largest city in Gibson County, Indiana, Gibson County, Indiana, United States, after Princeton, Indiana, Princeton and Fort Branch, Indiana, Fort Branch. It is the site of Oakland City University. The population was 2,279 ...

), and is located in parts of Ripley,

Jefferson Jefferson may refer to: Names * Jefferson (surname) * Jefferson (given name) People * Thomas Jefferson (1743–1826), third president of the United States * Jefferson (footballer, born 1970), full name Jefferson Tomaz de Souza, Brazilian foo ...

, and

Jennings Jennings is a surname of early medieval English origin (also the Anglicised version of the Irish surnames Mac Sheóinín or MacJonin). Notable people with the surname include: *Jennings (Swedish noble family) A–G *Adam Jennings (born 1982), A ...

counties. The refuge was formed in 2000 after a 1989 order to gradually close the

Jefferson Proving Ground The Jefferson Proving Ground (or JPG), located near Madison, Indiana, is a former munitions testing facility of Test and Evaluation Command of the United States Army Materiel Development and Readiness Command. The grounds of JPG serve as a wildl ...

, a

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 opposin ...

era munitions testing facility, which was completed by 1995. The refuge is located north of the historic firing line and surrounds a parcel operated by the

Indiana Air National Guard The Indiana Air National Guard (IN ANG) is the aerial militia of the State of Indiana, United States of America. It is, along with the Indiana Army National Guard, an element of the Indiana National Guard. As state militia units, the units in t ...

. A zone used for firing tests remains off limit to the public due to the prohibitive cost of cleanup. Due to the past use of the property as an ordnance testing facility by the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...

, all visitors must view a safety video and sign an Acknowledgement of Danger form annually prior to entering the refuge. Public use is limited to 4,000 acres on the northeast corner of the refuge surrounding Old Timbers Lake. Over 200 species of birds and 46 species of mammals are found on the refuge. Public uses of the refuge include hunting (

white-tailed deer The white-tailed deer (''Odocoileus virginianus''), also known as the whitetail or Virginia deer, is a medium-sized deer native to North America, Central America, and South America as far south as Peru and Bolivia. It has also been introduced t ...

and

wild turkey The wild turkey (''Meleagris gallopavo'') is an Upland game bird, upland ground bird native to North America, one of two extant species of Turkey (bird), turkey and the heaviest member of the order Galliformes. It is the ancestor to the domestic ...

), fishing, and bird-watching.

Collin's Ford Bridge Collin's Ford Bridge, also known as Bridge #28, is a historic stone arch bridge located within Big Oaks National Wildlife Refuge (formerly Jefferson Proving Ground) in Shelby Township, Ripley County, Indiana. It was built about 1907, and is a t ...

Marble Creek Bridge Marble Creek Bridge, also known as Bridge #25, is a historic stone arch bridge located within Big Oaks National Wildlife Refuge (formerly Jefferson Proving Ground) in Shelby Township, Ripley County, Indiana. It was built about 1905, and is a one ...

, Oakdale School, also known as Building 401, and

Old Timbers Old Timbers is a historic home located within Big Oaks National Wildlife Refuge (formerly Jefferson Proving Ground) in Shelby Township, Ripley County, Indiana. It was built in 1932, and is a -story, Bungalow / American Craftsman style stone ...

are listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

References

External links

Big Oaks National Wildlife Refuge, U.S. Fish and Wildlife (official page)
Protected areas of Jefferson County, Indiana Protected areas of Jennings County, Indiana National Wildlife Refuges in Indiana Protected areas of Ripley County, Indiana Protected areas established in 2000 2000 establishments in Indiana {{RipleyCountyIN-geo-stub