What We Do
The predominant management activities are law enforcement and resource protection aimed at protecting crucial habitat of the federally listed endangered gray (Myotis grisescens) and Indiana (Myotis sodalis) bats. Law enforcement patrols are conducted to insure that people are abiding by refuge regulations, particularly rules prohibiting entrance into the cave itself.
A majority of the refuge is on the western slope of Nat Mountain, located between Scottsboro and Huntsville, Alabama. The eastern-most section starts at about 1500 feet in elevation and the northwestern edge borders the Paint Rock River, a tributary of the Tennessee River, at about 590 feet. The higher elevations are dominated by hickory-oak-pine forest with bottomland hardwoods such as oak, basswood, maple, beech along the lower, wetter areas.
Law Enforcement
Law Enforcement is critical to every aspect of wildlife conservation. The mission of the Law Enforcement program is to support the administration of the National Wildlife Refuge System through management and protection of natural, historical, and cultural resources, property, and people on lands and waters of our National Wildlife Refuges.