Arrowwood National Wildlife Refuge facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Arrowwood National Wildlife Refuge |
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IUCN Category IV (Habitat/Species Management Area)
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 Arrowwood National Wildlife Refuge
Location in the United States
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| Location | Stutsman / Foster counties, North Dakota, United States |
| Nearest city | Pingree, ND |
| Area | 15,934 acres (64 km2) |
| Established | September 4, 1935 |
| Visitors | 14,500 (in 2004) |
| Governing body | U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service |
| Website | Arrowwood National Wildlife Refuge |
Arrowwood National Wildlife Refuge is a special place in North Dakota, United States. It's like a big nature park managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. This refuge helps protect many animals, especially birds, and their homes. It stretches along 16 miles (27 km) of the James River.
Contents
Discover Arrowwood National Wildlife Refuge
Arrowwood National Wildlife Refuge is part of a larger group of refuges called the Arrowwood National Wildlife Refuge Complex. It's a mix of different natural areas. You can find wetlands, forests, and wide-open prairies here.
What Makes Arrowwood Special?
The forests at Arrowwood are quite unique for a prairie area. They have oak and hackberry trees. People believe the refuge got its name from Native Americans. They valued the wood from these forests for making arrows.
To keep the refuge a great home for waterfowl (birds that live near water), special care is taken. This includes using controlled fires, cutting hay, growing crops, and letting livestock graze. These actions help keep the habitat healthy for all the animals.
Amazing Animals!
Arrowwood National Wildlife Refuge is a busy place, especially for birds! During spring and fall, when birds migrate, between 90,000 and 100,000 waterfowl might visit the refuge. More than 100 different kinds of birds have been seen here.
You can often spot many types of ducks and wading birds. Some common waterfowl include Canada geese, mallards, pintails, blue-winged teal, shovelers, and gadwall. Other birds you might see are grebes, double-crested cormorants, great blue herons, black-crowned night herons, and American bitterns. Plovers and other shorebirds are also common.
Besides birds, many mammals live at the refuge. These include white-tailed deer, badgers, skunks, beavers, raccoons, minks, and muskrats. You might also see grassland animals like the ring-necked pheasant and sharp-tailed grouse.
Fun Things to Do
If you visit Arrowwood National Wildlife Refuge, there are some activities you can enjoy. You can go hunting and fishing during certain times of the year. Just make sure you have the right permit! Hunting is allowed for deer, upland game birds like grouse, foxes, and rabbits.
There's also a nature trail that's about 5.5 miles (9.7 km) long. It starts from the visitor center. Sometimes, parts of the trail might be closed, especially during nesting season, to protect the birds.
