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Location Photo of White River NWR

The White River National Wildlife Refuge Office/Visitor Center is located in St. Charles, Arkansas about 15 miles east of DeWitt.

Hours

The Visitor Center is open from 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM Monday through Friday and 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM on Saturday and 1:00 PM to 5:00 PM on Sunday. The center is closed on holidays.

Entrance Fee

There is no entrance fee on to White River National Wildlife Refuge.  However, a refuge user permit is required for hunting, fishing, camping, and ATV use. To obtain a refuge user permit contact the office headquarters or stop by one of our five kiosks located at Ethel Bottoms, Jacks Bay, North Unit Road, Indian Bay, or Prairie Lakes on the east side.

History

Little girl fishing photoThe area which is now White River National Wildlife Refuge has a long and colorful history.  Hernando DeSoto landed near what is today St. Charles.  At that time it was an Indian village and later became a trading post as goods moved up and down the White River to the Mississippi River.  Not until the late 1800s and early 1900s did the population grow and settlers began to live along and on the river.  Timber harvest, commercial hunting, fishing, trapping, and digging freshwater mussels for their shells were the primary means to make a living, resulting in significant reductions in native wildlife and their habitats.  People working and living along this portion of the White River continued in this manner until the refuge was established.

Current Projects

Transportation Study

Bottomland Trail Proposal Fact Sheet

Mossy Lake Blowout and Repair Fact Sheet

 
Click for more information Click for habitat Click for information on hunting, fishing and wildlife observation Click for lists of birds, mammals, reptiles, and plants. Click for free maps of the refuge Click for information about educational programs Click for information on events Click for recent facts sheets about the refuge Click to read monthly columns by Ranger Matt Conner