Grays Lake National Wildlife Refuge
{{short description|Wildlife refuge in Bonneville and Caribou counties in Idaho, United States}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=January 2025}}
{{Infobox protected area
| name = Grays Lake National Wildlife Refuge
| iucn_category = IV
| map = USA
| relief = 1
| map_caption = Map of the United States
| map_width = 270
| photo = Grays Lake National Wildlife Refuge.jpg
| photo_caption =
| photo_width = 270
| location = Bonneville County, Caribou County, Idaho, United States
| nearest_city = Soda Springs, Idaho
| coordinates = {{coord|43.06297|-111.42689|region:US-ID|notes={{cite gnis|382612|Grays Lake National Wildlife Refuge}}|display=inline, title}}
| area = {{convert|19400|acre|km2|abbr=on}}
| established = 1965
| visitation_num =
| visitation_year =
| governing_body = U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
| website = [http://www.fws.gov/refuge/grays_lake/ Grays Lake National Wildlife Refuge]
}}
Grays Lake National Wildlife Refuge is a National Wildlife Refuge of the United States located Bonneville and Caribou counties in southeastern Idaho. It has the largest hardstem bulrush marsh in North America. Located in a high mountain valley near Soda Springs, the refuge and surrounding mountains offer scenic vistas, wildflowers, and fall foliage displays. Lands adjacent to the {{convert|19400|acre|km2|adj=on}} refuge are primarily wet meadows and grasslands. The refuge provides breeding habitat for species of mammals including moose, elk, mule deer, muskrat, badger, and weasel.
Geography
The refuge has a surface area of {{convert|20,125.08|acre|km2 ha|lk=in}}.[http://www.fws.gov/refuges/land/LandReport.html USFWS Annual Lands Report, 30 September 2007]
Bird habitat
The refuge hosts a large nesting population of greater sandhill cranes; as many as 1200 individuals are counted in the valley during migration and staging times. The refuge is a birding destination, and a good area to view the rare trumpeter swans. This near-pristine montane wetland is being threatened by the same type of suburban/rural development that has so heavily impacted nearby Jackson Hole.
See also
{{portal-inline|Idaho}}
References
{{reflist|22em}}
{{Include-USGov|agency=United States Fish and Wildlife Service}}
External links
{{commons category|Grays Lake National Wildlife Refuge}}
- [http://www.fws.gov/refuges/profiles/index.cfm?id=14612 Profile of Grays Lake National Wildlife Refuge]
- [http://www.fws.gov/refuge/grays_lake/ Refuge website]
{{Protected Areas of Idaho}}
{{National Wildlife Refuges of the United States}}
{{authority control}}
Category:National Wildlife Refuges in Idaho
Category:Protected areas of Bonneville County, Idaho
Category:Protected areas of Caribou County, Idaho