White River National Wildlife Refuge
{{Short description|Protected area in Arkansas, United States}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=January 2025}}
{{Infobox protected area
| name = White River National Wildlife Refuge
| map = USA
| relief = 1
| map_caption = Map of the United States
| map_width = 200
| photo =
| photo_caption =
| photo_width =
| location = Arkansas, United States
| nearest_city = De Witt, Arkansas
| coordinates = {{coord|34|21|N|91|06|W|region:US-AR|display=inline, title}}
| area_acre = 160756
| established = 1935
| visitation_num =
| visitation_year =
| governing_body = U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
| website = [http://www.fws.gov/whiteriver/ White River NWR]
| embedded = {{Designation list
| embed = yes
| designation1 = Ramsar
| designation1_offname = Cache-Lower White Rivers
| designation1_date = 21 November 1989
| designation1_number = 442{{Cite web|title=Cache-Lower White Rivers|website=Ramsar Sites Information Service|url=https://rsis.ramsar.org/ris/442|access-date=25 April 2018}}}}
}}
File:White River National Wildlife Refuge.jpg
The White River National Wildlife Refuge (officially Dale Bumpers White River National Wildlife Refuge) is a {{convert|160756|acre|km2}} wildlife refuge located in Desha, Monroe, Phillips, and Arkansas counties in the U.S. state of Arkansas. The refuge is managed by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service. White River NWR borders on Cache River National Wildlife Refuge at its northern boundary. In 1974, the White River Sugarberry Natural Area was designated as a National Natural Landmark by the National Park Service.{{Cite web
|url=https://www.nps.gov/subjects/nnlandmarks/site.htm?Site=WHRI-AR
|title=National Natural Landmarks - National Natural Landmarks (U.S. National Park Service)
|website=www.nps.gov|language=en
|quote="Year designated: 1974"
|access-date=2019-03-20}}
In 2013, the FWS proposed the gradual expansion of the refuge up to a maximum of {{convert|297,806|acres|ha}}.
Description
File:Cypress (5494219143).jpg forests are a feature of the National Wildlife Refuge.]]
White River National Wildlife Refuge was created in 1935. The refuge is {{convert|3|to|10|mi|km}} wide and encompassing {{convert|90|mi|km}} of the lower {{convert|100|mi|km}} of the White River. It also includes {{convert|3|mi|km}} of the Arkansas Post Canal which is part of the Army Corps of Engineers' McClellan-Kerr Navigation System on the Arkansas River.
This refuge has the largest concentration of wintering mallard ducks in the Mississippi Flyway. It also has large concentrations of snow and Canada geese. This refuge is home to four active bald eagle nests and a black bear population. Black bears have increased in numbers from about 25 in the 1940s to more than 300.Clark, Joseph D., Eastridge, Rick, and Hooker, Michael J. "Effects of Exploitation on Black Bear Populations at White River National Wildlife Refuge The Journal of Wildlife Management, Vol. 74, No. 7 (September 2010), p. 1448
The refuge lies with the Mississippi lowland forests ecoregion. Within the refuge, the Sugarberry Natural Area includes a {{convert|973|acre|ha}} old-growth bottomland hardwood forest of varied composition. The area contains four forest types: American sweetgum, Nuttall's oak, willow oak; sugarberry, American elm, green ash; American sycamore, pecan, American elm; and baldcypress.{{Cite web
| url = http://www.primalnature.org/ogeast/ak.pdf
| title = Old Growth in the East: A Survey. Arkansas
| author = Mary Byrd Davis
| date = 23 January 2008
}}
The refuge has 356 natural and man-made lakes which make up {{convert|4000|acre|km2}} of the refuge. There are {{convert|154000|acre|km2}} of forestland, {{convert|900|acre|km2}} of agricultural land, and {{convert|1000|acre|km2}} of grassland.
The refuge is classified as a Wetland of International Importance.{{Cite web| url=http://www.fws.gov/refuges/whm/ramsar.html| title=Wetlands of International Importance, National Wildlife Refuge System| work=U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service}}
Expansion proposal
File:White River Boardwalk Trail (5781633755).jpg
In 2013, federal government designated the White River watershed as the nation's second "National Blueway". Later that year, the Fish and Wildlife Service proposed that the White River NWR be expanded.
The expansion proposal calls for the refuge to be expanded from the present {{convert|160,756|acre|sqkm}} to as much as {{convert|297,806|acre|sqkm}}. The expansion would be carried out by purchasing land from willing sellers as funds are available from Federal Duck Stamps, the Migratory Bird Conservation Fund, and the Land and Water Conservation Fund."Three Public Scoping Meetings for White River National Wildlife Refuge Proposed Expansion" Cache River expansion Proposal" http://www.fws.gov/whiteriver/ExpansionNewsRelease.pdf, accessed 16 Mar 2013
The proposed expansion would add to the refuge 9 miles of White River floodplain, 26 miles of the Arkansas River, and 34 miles of the west bank of the Mississippi River. The land would provide additional habitat for a variety of birds, fishes, and other animals."Proposed Expansion for White River National Wildlife Refuge" U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, http://www.fws.gov/whiteriver/WhiteRiverExpansionFinal.pdf, accessed 18 Mar 2014 The expansion would also be important for the preservation and restoration of Arkansas's "Big Woods," a floodplain forest of which less than 10 percent remains intact.{{cite web |title=Big Woods of Arkansas |url=https://www.nature.org/ourinitiatives/regions/northamerica/unitedstates/arkansas/ivorybill/big-woods-of-arkansas.xml |website=nature.org |access-date=March 16, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140319194021/https://www.nature.org/ourinitiatives/regions/northamerica/unitedstates/arkansas/ivorybill/big-woods-of-arkansas.xml |archive-date=March 19, 2014 |language=en}}
The Fish and Wildlife Service has also proposed expansion of the Cache River National Wildlife Refuge, which borders the White River NWR on the north. The proposed expansions, if fully implemented, would preserve almost {{convert|600,000|acre|sqkm}} of land in the White River watershed. Additional parcels of conservation land owned by the state of Arkansas and private conservation groups are contiguous with the national wildlife refuges.
Name of refuge
In 2014, the refuge was officially renamed "Dale Bumpers White River National Wildlife Refuge", in honor of former Arkansas Governor and Senator Dale Bumpers. At a dedication ceremony, Daniel M. Ashe, Director of the United States Fish and Wildlife Service, said:
The Service is proud to recognize the many contributions Senator Bumpers has made to give many future generations the same opportunity to enjoy Arkansas' natural beauty as we have had. He is a giant among conservationists and a visionary who followed an unconventional path to set aside some of Arkansas' last wild places. It is fitting that he will be forever linked with the White River.{{cite web | title = Dale Bumpers White River | publisher = U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service | date = April 22, 2014 | url = http://www.fws.gov/refuge/White_River/about.html}}
References
{{reflist}}
External links
- [http://www.fws.gov/whiteriver/ White River National Wildlife Refuge official site]
{{Protected Areas of Arkansas}}
{{National Wildlife Refuges of the United States}}
{{Ramsar sites in the United States}}
{{authority control}}
Category:Protected areas of Arkansas County, Arkansas
Category:Protected areas of Desha County, Arkansas
Category:Protected areas of Monroe County, Arkansas
Category:National Wildlife Refuges in Arkansas
Category:Protected areas of Phillips County, Arkansas
Category:Protected areas established in 1935
Category:Ramsar sites in the United States
Category:Landforms of Arkansas County, Arkansas
Category:Landforms of Desha County, Arkansas
Category:Landforms of Monroe County, Arkansas
Category:Landforms of Phillips County, Arkansas