Crab Orchard Photography Group
Bring your camera and dress for the outdoors (weather permitting) The Crab Orchard Photography Group meets on the third Wednesday of each month (except January 2019) from 8 to 11am. Meet your CONWR volunteer photographer/leader at the Visitor Center, then carpool and caravan to special locations in the Refuge to photograph the seasonal offerings such as wildflowers, butterflies, migrating birds, and other wonders of nature. The group will reconvene back at the Visitor Center to share pictures and talk about photography. No experience necessary! No reservations required! For more information contact the Refuge Visitor Center.
Agricultural Grazers and Hayers: the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is seeking up to eight cattle grazing cooperators and up to seven haying cooperators for a Cooperative Agriculture Agreement at Crab Orchard National Wildlife Refuge. Grazing and haying units vary in size from 86 acres to 274 acres and from 15 acres to 87 acres respectively. The cooperators will be expected to follow a wide range of special conditions and constraints. The selected Permittees will graze and/or hay lands on the refuge for a period of 3 years (2020-2022) as a cooperator. To submit a proposal, applicants must complete a Bid Sheet and FWS Form 3-1383-C (Attachments 5 & 6 in Application Package PDF). Applicants must address in their application how the applicant will meet the requirements outlined in the announcement. Bid application package deadline is 4:00 pm Friday, April 5, 2019. Click on the links below for a PDF version of the haying or grazing application packages. Printed copies of the application packages can be picked up at the Crab Orchard National Wildlife Refuge Visitor Center desk during open hours. A pre-bid meeting will be held on Thursday, March 21, 2019 at 6:00 p.m. at the Refuge Visitor Center Auditorium; attendance is not required to place a bid. The pre-bid meeting will be an open forum to answer questions from potential bidders. Site visits will be allowed with registration and by checking out a gate key at the Refuge Visitor Center. Registration and site visits must be conducted between the hours of 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Monday, March 18, 2019 through Friday, March 29, 2019. There is no limit to the number of site visits that can be made, however, keys must be returned each day to the Visitor Center by 4:00 p.m.
Permits