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Attwater Prairie Chicken National Wildlife Refuge (NWR), located approximately 60 miles west of Houston, Texas, is one of the largest remnants of coastal prairie habitat remaining in southeast Texas and home to one of the last populations of the critically endangered Attwater's prairie- chicken, a ground-dwelling grouse of the coastal prairie ecosystem. Formerly occupying some 6 million acres of coastal prairie habitat, the Attwater's prairie-chicken was once one of the most abundant resident birds of the Texas and Louisiana tall grass prairie ecosystem. Presently, less than 200,000 fragmented acres of coastal prairie habitat remain, leaving the birds scattered among two Texas counties. The refuge is one of a handful of national wildlife refuges managed specifically for an endangered species; however, recovery activities for this imperiled bird and management of it's declining ecosystem go beyond the refuge's boundaries.
2009 Attwater’s Prairie Chicken Festival
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How
to Get There
The refuge is located 6.5 miles northeast of Eagle Lake, off FM 3013, or south
from Sealy on Highway 36 to FM 3013 and traveling west for 10 miles. Headquarters
is located 2 miles west of the main entrance on FM 3013.
Refuge Quick Facts
When was it established?
1972
How big is it? 10,528 acres
Why is it here? To preserve and restore coastal prairie habitat
for the critically endangered Attwater's prairie-chicken.
Food and Shelter: How Volunteers Are Helping to Save the Endangered Attwater’s Prairie Chicken
It is no secret that the Attwater’s prairie chicken (APC) is extremely endangered and on the brink of extinction, mainly due to environmental changes such as significant loss of habitat due to urbanization. The birds are dependent upon reintroduction from captivity, and the protection that the Attwater Prairie Chicken National Wildlife Refuge can provide. There are only two wild populations left, both of which live on wildlife refuges in Texas. This year however, thanks in part to the help of volunteers, the future of the APC is finally beginning to look brighter. More...
