UPDATE!
2008 SPRING TURKEY SEASON IS CLOSED DUE TO FLOODING!
White River National Wildlife Refuge will not be open for the 2008 spring turkey season due to flooding on White River National Wildlife Refuge. Over 90 percent of the refuge lands are currently flooded and with turkey and other wildlife being impacted by the high water, the refuge plans to close hunting to reduce further potential stress on animals that have been forced to reside in tree tops and the small pockets of refuge lands not flooded. It is predicted that the season will not reopen due to presence of flood waters, however, if there is a significant drop in water lever, refuge managers will access conditions and decide at that time to reopen.
For additional information contact Matt Conner at 870-282-8200.
CLICK HERE FOR FLOOD IMAGES OF REFUGE
White River National Wildlife Refuge was established in 1935 for the protection of migratory birds. The refuge lies in the floodplain of the White River near where it meets the mighty Mississippi River. Long and narrow, three to ten miles wide and almost ninety miles long, the refuge is one of the largest remaining bottomland hardwood forests in the Mississippi River Valley. The refuge's fertile forests and three hundred lakes are interlaced with streams, sloughs, and bayous. The result is a haven for a myriad of native wildlife and migratory birds.
White River National Wildlife Refuge is one of over 550 National Wildlife Refuges in the United States. Managed by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service in the Department of the Interior, the National Wildlife Refuges encompass over 95 million acres of land for wildlife.
The mission of the Refuge System is to administer a national network of lands and waters for the conservation, management, and where appropriate, restoration of the fish, wildlife, and plant resources and their habitats within the United States for the benefit of present and future generations of Americans.
