Muleshoe National Wildlife Refuge

Muleshoe National Wildlife Refuge
Sandhill cranes at Muleshoe NWR photo by Wyman Meinzer
Map showing the location of Muleshoe National Wildlife Refuge
Muleshoe NWR
Location Bailey County, Texas
Nearest city Muleshoe, Texas
Coordinates 33°57′14″N 102°45′44″W / 33.95389°N 102.76222°W / 33.95389; -102.76222Coordinates: 33°57′14″N 102°45′44″W / 33.95389°N 102.76222°W / 33.95389; -102.76222
Area 6,440 acres (26.1 km2)
Established 1935
Governing body U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
www.fws.gov/refuge/muleshoe/

Muleshoe National Wildlife Refuge is a 6,440-acre (26.1 km2) wildlife refuge located about twenty miles (32 km) south of Muleshoe, Texas on Texas State Highway 214. It is the oldest National Wildlife Refuge in the U.S. state of Texas, having been established as the Muleshoe Migratory Waterfowl Refuge by executive order of President Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1935.[1] Roosevelt issued a proclamation in 1940 changing the name to the Muleshoe National Wildlife Refuge.[2] The refuge is a stop for migratory waterfowl flying between Canada and Mexico.

The refuge includes several intermittent salt lakes, some of which have been modified to extend their wet periods. Paul's Lake, on the east side of Highway 214, is spring fed, and hosts wildlife during times when the other lakes are dry. If sufficient water is present during the winter, the refuge hosts tens of thousands of sandhill cranes. The largest number of cranes ever recorded was 250,000, during February, 1981.

Other wildlife includes wood warblers, meadowlarks, raptors, burrowing owls, blacktailed prairie dogs, jackrabbits, cottontail rabbits, coyotes, and badgers.

The prairie ecosystem includes plant life such as wildflowers, grasses, yucca, cacti, and mesquite. Rangeland management techniques include controlled burning and grazing.

Northeast of White Lake is a small area of white gypsum dunes, similar to those found at White Sands National Monument in New Mexico, though these are much less expansive.

See also

Reference

  1. ↑ Lively, Jeanne F. "Muleshoe National Wildlife Refuge". Handbook of Texas Online. Texas State Historical Association. Retrieved 28 March 2018.
  2. ↑ "Proclamation 2416". Wikisource. Retrieved 28 March 2018.


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