Laguna Atascosa National Wildlife Refuge


	Laguna Atascosa National Wildlife Refuge
	22817 Ocelot Road Los Fresnos, TX 78566 E-mail: Marion_Mason@fws.gov Phone Number: 956-748-3607
	Visit the Refuge's Web Site: http://www.fws.gov/refuge/laguna_atascosa/

Laguna Atascosa National Wildlife Refuge
On the most southern tip of Texas, along the shores of the Laguna Madre, dense patches of thorny brush rise among unique wind-blown clay dunes called “lomas.” In a region of Texas some call the last great habitat, thorn forest intermingles with freshwater wetlands, coastal prairies, mudflats and beaches. Here, the endangered ocelot silently hunts within the brushlands, white-tailed deer browse on a banquet of plants, Aplomado Falcons soar above the grasslands and nearly half of all the bird species found in the continental United States rest, feed, nest and or migrate.

Get Google map and directions to this refuge/WMD from a specified address:

Your full starting address AND town and state OR zip code

Google Maps opens in a new window

NOTE: When using this feature, you will be leaving the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service domain. We do not control the content or policies of the site you are about to visit. You should always check site policies before providing personal information or reusing content.

These driving directions are provided as a general guide only. No representation is made or warranty given as to their content, road conditions or route usability or expeditiousness. User assumes all risk of use.

Laguna Atascosa NWR provides a variety of habitats which supports an incredible diversity of wildlife. The thorny entanglement of dense brush habitat is home to such creatures as the endangered ocelot and Plain Chachalaca.

Learn More>>

When the Spanish explorer Alonzo Alvarez de Pineda arrived in the Rio Grande Valley in 1519 he found a landscape very different from what we see today. The area was abundant with wildlife, and three million acres of coastal prairies and brushlands covered the landscape. Doves darkened the sky, deer browsed along the edges of brushlands and ducks filled the bays near the coast.

Learn More>>

Environmental Education
Fishing
Hunting
Interpretation
Photography
Wildlife Observation
Learn More >>

The Laguna Atascosa National Wildlife Refuge uses various management techniques to ensure wildlife will always have habitat.

Irrigation and drainage have reduced the amount of water flowing into the Refuge so water is trapped in ponds, resacas (old oxbows of the Rio Grande), and the Refuge's namesake lake, Laguna Atascosa. These fresh waters are held between rains. Various birds require different depths to feed so levels are adjusted throughout the year to benefit both ducks and wading birds.

The Refuge farms various crops to benefit wintering geese and Sandhill Cranes. Annual grasses between plantings provide food and shelter for small birds and mammals, which are food for larger mammals and hawks. In addition, the Refuge plants old farm fields in native brush for ocelot and other wildlife.

While working to re-establish brushland where it belongs, the Refuge also maintains grasslands for those species that depend on them. Occasional prescribed burns increase the nutritional content of the grass and reduce invading brush.