May 2, 2000 00-83
Contact: Roy W. Lowe, Project Leader
Oregon Coast National Wildlife Refuge Complex
2127 SE OSU Drive
Newport, Oregon 97365
541-867-4550
541-867-4551 Fax

Crook Point Added to Oregon Islands National Wildlife Refuge

The U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) purchased a privately owned 133 acre headland at Crook Point today. Crook Point is located approximately 12 miles south of Gold Beach in Curry County. With this purchase, Crook Point becomes the second mainland unit of Oregon Islands National Wildlife Refuge (NWR), which spans nearly the length of the Oregon coastline and includes all rocks, reefs, and islands. The first mainland addition to Oregon Islands NWR was 36 acre Coquille Point in Bandon, acquired in 1991-92.

Crook Point was purchased by The Nature Conservancy (TNC) in the spring of 1998 when the property was on the open market. TNC purchased the headland, one of the last privately owned undeveloped coastal headlands in Oregon, to prevent it from being developed.

"Crook Point is a spectacular headland containing sensitive wildlife and plants in need of long-term management and protection," said Roy W. Lowe Project Leader for the Oregon Coast National Wildlife Refuge Complex. "We are extremely thrilled to be adding this gem to the National Wildlife Refuge System, " said Lowe "and we owe a debt of gratitude to TNC for securing this property."

Crook Point adjoins the Mack Reef Unit of Oregon Islands NWR and is bordered on the north by Pistol River State Park. The adjacent rocks and islands host the second largest concentration of nesting seabirds in Oregon, with over 200,000 birds present from April through September. The headland contains rare native plants, unique geologic formations, one mile of undisturbed shoreline with extensively rocky intertidal areas, and a small stream containing native cutthroat trout.

Oregon Islands NWR is one of six National Wildlife Refuges administered by the Service along the Oregon coast as part of the Oregon Coast National Wildlife Refuge Complex. The other five coastal refuges include Bandon Marsh NWR, Cape Meares NWR, Nestucca Bay NWR, Siletz Bay NWR, and Three Arch Rocks NWR. The National Wildlife Refuge System includes more than 520 refuges covering more than 93 million acres nationwide. The National Wildlife Refuge System, administered by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, is the largest collection of lands dedicated to fish and wildlife protection and management in the world.

For further information, please contact Roy W. Lowe, Project Leader Oregon Coast National Wildlife Refuge Complex (541) 867-4550.