Swan Lake National Wildlife Refuge, located in north central Missouri near the town of Sumner, Mo., was closed today due to high water conditions on the Grand River. Several roads on the refuge are currently under water and in order to ensure the safety of the visiting public, all access gates and roads at the refuge have been closed to all public access.
It is unknown at this time how long the refuge will remain closed. Refuge staff will be closely monitoring the water levels at the refuge using boats and aircraft. Once the water has receded and the refuge staff have determined the public can safely visit the refuge, the refuge will again be opened for public access.
More information on Swan Lake National Wildlife Refuge can be found on its website at: http://www.fws.gov/midwest/SwanLake/
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is the principal Federal agency responsible for conserving, protecting and enhancing fish, wildlife and plants and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the American people. The Service manages the 96-million-acre National Wildlife Refuge System, which encompasses 545 national wildlife refuges, thousands of small wetlands and other special management areas. It also operates 69 national fish hatcheries, 64 fishery resources offices and 81 ecological services field stations. The agency enforces federal wildlife laws, administers the Endangered Species Act, manages migratory bird populations, restores nationally significant fisheries, conserves and restores wildlife habitat such as wetlands, and helps foreign and Native American tribal governments with their conservation efforts. It also oversees the Federal Assistance program, which distributes hundreds of millions of dollars in excise taxes on fishing and hunting equipment to state fish and wildlife agencies.
