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Kootenai
National Wildlife Refuge
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 Refuge Overview: Kootenai National Wildlife Refuge lies just 20 miles south of the Canadian border near the town of Bonners Ferry Idaho. Bordered by the dynamic Selkirk Mountains on the west and the Kootenai River and Deep Creek on the east, Kootenai’s location in the Idaho Panhandle offers a scenic setting. Established in 1964 to reclaim wetlands previously lost to development, the refuge’s 2,774 acres were purchase exclusively with Federal Duck Stamp dollars.
John and Karen Hollingsworth/USFWS Photo |
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Habitat: Kootenai National Wildlife Refuge is
managed primarily as a nesting and foraging area for migratory
waterfowl. Species nesting on the refuge include mallards, cinnamon
and blue-winged teal, common goldeneyes, wood ducks, and Canada
geese. Other species that pass through the refuge during the
migration seasons are northern pintail, American wigeon, and
tundra swans.
It is Kootenai’s diverse habitat types that make the refuge
so attractive to waterfowl and other wildlife. Uplands, covered
in tall, dense grass, and located neat wetland areas, provide excellent
waterfowl nesting areas, wetlands provide resting and foraging
areas, and cultivated fields of wheat and barley ensure the availability
of needed food for migrating birds. A strip of coniferous forest
on the refuge also provides shelter for elk, mule and white-tailed
deer, moose, black bear, Cooper’s hawks, ruffed grouse, and
pileated woodpeckers.
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Recreation Opportunities: A
number of public use activities are available at Kootenai National
Wildlife Refuge. Hiking trails are open seasonally on the refuge.
During appropriate seasons, hunting and fishing are also available
in designated parts of the refuge. Throughout the year, but especially
during migration seasons, the refuge offers wonderful wildlife
viewing and photography opportunities.
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Additional Resources
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