National Wildlife Refuge System Celebrates 100th Birthday; Special Events Planned for Illinois

It began in March 1903 with a decisive, conservation-minded president, one man, and one tiny on east coast of Florida. Now, 100 years later, the National Wildlife Refuge System, managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, has emerged as one of the worlds conservation success stories, helping to protect wildlife and habitats on more than 540 refuges encompassing 95 million acres across the United States.

The refuge system was born March 14, 1903, when President Theodore Roosevelt ordered the protection of herons, egrets and pelicans on three-acre Pelican from poachers and aggressive market hunters. Paul Kroegel, who had been hired a year earlier by Florida Audubon Society to protect the islands birds and their eggs from hunters, was hired as the sanctuarys first warden and only employee.

Pelican National Wildlife Refuge will take the national spotlight March 14, 2003, when the Service joins with local communities and other partners to host special events commemorating the birthplace of the Refuge System and its Centennial. Special events "Celebrating a Century of Conservation&quotWill be held in Illinois and throughout nation during 2003.

Illinois National Wildlife Refuges feature a wide range of habitats, landscapes, and opportunities to enjoy wildlife. The Savanna District of the Upper Mississippi National Wildlife and Fish Refuge, the units of the Mark Twain National Wildlife Refuge Complex, and the refuges of the Illinois River National Wildlife Refuge complex all highlight the importance of large rivers to fish and wildlife. These refuges encompass river floodplain, pools, wetlands, bottomlands and uplands, all of which contribute to their use by huge numbers of migratory birds.

In the southern part of the state, Crab Orchard National Wildlife Refuge features prime upland habitat, optimum recreational opportunities and a wilderness area wilderness area
Wilderness areas are places untamed by humans. The Wilderness Act of 1964 allows Congress to designate wilderness areas for protection to ensure that America's pristine wild lands will not disappear. Wilderness areas can be part of national wildlife refuges, national parks, national forests or public lands managed by the Bureau of Land Management.

Learn more about wilderness area . Thousands of enthusiasts look to Crab Orchard as a destination for quality waterfowl hunting, fishing, and other popular activities. Just south of Crab Orchard is Cypress Creek National Wildlife Refuge, truly a gem in the National Wildlife Refuge System. Within the Cache River basin, Cypress Creek harbors the oldest living plants east of the Mississippi River