The
Cache River National Wildlife Refuge is a 55,000 acre (223 km²) wildlife refuge in the state of
ArkansasArkansas is a state located in the southern region of the United States. Its name is an Algonquin name of the Quapaw Indians. Arkansas shares a border with six states, with its eastern border largely defined by the Mississippi River. Its diverse geography ranges from the mountainous regions of the...
managed by the
United States Fish and Wildlife ServiceThe United States Fish and Wildlife Service is the unit of the U.S. Department of the Interior dedicated to the management and preservation of wildlife.Units within the FWS include:* National Wildlife Refuge System* * Federal Duck Stamp...
. The refuge is one of the
Ramsar list of wetlands of international importanceThis is the list of wetlands of international importance as defined by the Ramsar Convention for the conservation and sustainable utilization of wetlands, recognizing the fundamental ecological functions of wetlands and their economic, cultural, scientific, and recreational value.The Convention...
under the
Ramsar ConventionThe Ramsar Convention is an international treaty for the conservation and sustainable utilization of wetlands, i.e., to stem the progressive encroachment on and loss of wetlands now and in the future, recognizing the fundamental ecological functions of wetlands and their economic, cultural,...
signed in 1971. It is also the most important wintering area for
duckDuck is the common name for a number of species in the Anatidae family of birds. The ducks are divided between several subfamilies listed in full in the Anatidae article; they do not represent a monophyletic group but a form taxon, since swans and geese are not considered ducks...
s and the largest remaining tract of contiguous
bottomland hardwood forestThe Bottomland hardwood forest is a type of deciduous hardwood forest found in broad lowland floodplains along large rivers and lakes. They are occasionally flooded, which builds up the alluvial soils required for the Gum, Oak and Bald Cyprus trees that typically grow in this type of biome...
on the North American continent. In 2005, a possible sighting of the thought to be extinct
Ivory-billed WoodpeckerThe Ivory-billed Woodpecker is one of several species whose numbers have dwindled to the point where it is uncertain whether any remain. The species is listed as critically endangered and possibly extinct by the International Union for Conservation of Nature...
brought attention to the refuge.
The Cache River National Wildlife Refuge runs along the flood-plain of the
Cache RiverThe Cache River is a tributary of the White River, 213 mi long, in northeastern Arkansas in the United States. Its headwaters also drain a small portion of southeastern Missouri...
for 70 miles (100 km) from the Cache River's mouth at
Clarendon, ArkansasClarendon is a city in Monroe County, Arkansas, United States. The population was 1,960 at the 2000 census. The city is the county seat of Monroe County.-Geography:Clarendon is located at ....
to the town of
Grubbs, ArkansasGrubbs is a town in Jackson County, Arkansas, United States. The population was 438 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Grubbs is located at .According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 1.4 km² , all land....
.
The
Cache River National Wildlife Refuge is a 55,000 acre (223 km²) wildlife refuge in the state of
ArkansasArkansas is a state located in the southern region of the United States. Its name is an Algonquin name of the Quapaw Indians. Arkansas shares a border with six states, with its eastern border largely defined by the Mississippi River. Its diverse geography ranges from the mountainous regions of the...
managed by the
United States Fish and Wildlife ServiceThe United States Fish and Wildlife Service is the unit of the U.S. Department of the Interior dedicated to the management and preservation of wildlife.Units within the FWS include:* National Wildlife Refuge System* * Federal Duck Stamp...
. The refuge is one of the
Ramsar list of wetlands of international importanceThis is the list of wetlands of international importance as defined by the Ramsar Convention for the conservation and sustainable utilization of wetlands, recognizing the fundamental ecological functions of wetlands and their economic, cultural, scientific, and recreational value.The Convention...
under the
Ramsar ConventionThe Ramsar Convention is an international treaty for the conservation and sustainable utilization of wetlands, i.e., to stem the progressive encroachment on and loss of wetlands now and in the future, recognizing the fundamental ecological functions of wetlands and their economic, cultural,...
signed in 1971. It is also the most important wintering area for
duckDuck is the common name for a number of species in the Anatidae family of birds. The ducks are divided between several subfamilies listed in full in the Anatidae article; they do not represent a monophyletic group but a form taxon, since swans and geese are not considered ducks...
s and the largest remaining tract of contiguous
bottomland hardwood forestThe Bottomland hardwood forest is a type of deciduous hardwood forest found in broad lowland floodplains along large rivers and lakes. They are occasionally flooded, which builds up the alluvial soils required for the Gum, Oak and Bald Cyprus trees that typically grow in this type of biome...
on the North American continent. In 2005, a possible sighting of the thought to be extinct
Ivory-billed WoodpeckerThe Ivory-billed Woodpecker is one of several species whose numbers have dwindled to the point where it is uncertain whether any remain. The species is listed as critically endangered and possibly extinct by the International Union for Conservation of Nature...
brought attention to the refuge.
Description
The Cache River National Wildlife Refuge runs along the flood-plain of the
Cache RiverThe Cache River is a tributary of the White River, 213 mi long, in northeastern Arkansas in the United States. Its headwaters also drain a small portion of southeastern Missouri...
for 70 miles (100 km) from the Cache River's mouth at
Clarendon, ArkansasClarendon is a city in Monroe County, Arkansas, United States. The population was 1,960 at the 2000 census. The city is the county seat of Monroe County.-Geography:Clarendon is located at ....
to the town of
Grubbs, ArkansasGrubbs is a town in Jackson County, Arkansas, United States. The population was 438 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Grubbs is located at .According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 1.4 km² , all land....
. The refuge encompasses land in the Arkansas counties of
JacksonJackson County is a county located in the U.S. state of Arkansas. As of 2000, the population is 18,418. The county seat is Newport. Jackson County is Arkansas's 23rd county, formed on November 5, 1829, and named for Andrew Jackson, the seventh President of the United States, who was president by...
,
WoodruffWoodruff County is a county located in the U.S. state of Arkansas. As of 2000, the population was 8,741. The county seat is Augusta. Woodruff County is Arkansas's 54th county, formed on November 26, 1862 and named for William E. Woodruff, founder of the state's first newspaper, the Arkansas...
,
PrairiePrairie County is a county located in the U.S. state of Arkansas. As of 2000, the population is 9,539. The county has two county seats, Des Arc and De Valls Bluff. Prairie County was formed on October 25, 1846, and named for the Grand Prairie of eastern Arkansas.-Geography:According to the U.S....
, and
MonroeMonroe County is a county located in the U.S. state of Arkansas. As of 2000, the population is 10,254. The county seat is Clarendon, while its largest city is Brinkley...
.
The refuge includes 33,000 acres (134 km²) of bottomland forest and
sloughThe word slough has several meanings related to wetland or aquatic features....
s. It also includes several
oxbow lakeAn oxbow lake is a U-shaped body of water formed when a wide meander from the mainstem of a river is cut off to create a lake. This landform is called an oxbow lake for the distinctive curved shape that results from this process. In Australia, an oxbow lake is called a billabong...
s, as well as 4,300 acres (17 km²) of croplands and 7,500 acres (30 km²) of reforested areas.
Since the establishment of the refuge in 1986 private land prices adjacent to the refuge have more than doubled. The refuge continues to grow as land is acquired on a "willing seller" basis over time. Other protected areas for wildlife co-exist with the Cache River National Wildlife Refuge along the Cache and
White RiverThe White River is a 722 mile long river that flows through the U.S. states of Arkansas and Missouri.-Course:The source of the White River is in the Boston Mountains of northwest Arkansas, in the Ozark-St. Francis National Forest southeast of Fayetteville...
s including the
Bald Knob National Wildlife RefugeThe Bald Knob National Wildlife Refuge is a 14,800 acre wildlife refuge located in White County, Arkansas managed by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service....
and the Hurricane Lake State Wildlife Management Area.
Wildlife
The refuge is home to over 50 species of mammals including
deerDeer are the ruminant mammals forming the family Cervidae. They include for example Moose, Red Deer, Reindeer, Roe and Chital. Animals from related families within the order Artiodactyla are often also considered to be deer – these include muntjac and water deer...
,
raccoonProcyon is a genus of nocturnal mammals, comprising three species commonly known as raccoons, in the family Procyonidae. The most widespread species, the Common Raccoon , is often known simply as "the" raccoon, as the two other raccoon species in the genus are native only to the tropics and are...
,
bobcatThe Bobcat is a North American mammal of the cat family, Felidae. With twelve recognized subspecies, it ranges from southern Canada to northern Mexico, including most of the continental United States. The Bobcat is an adaptable predator that inhabits wooded areas, as well as semi-desert, urban...
, and river otter. It also is home for nearly 240 species of birds including ducks,
geeseThe word Goose is the English name for a considerable number of birds, belonging to the family Anatidae. This family also includes swans, most of which are larger than true geese, and ducks, which are smaller....
, wading birds, and other assorted
migratoryBird migration is the regular seasonal journey undertaken by many species of birds. Bird movements include those made in response to changes in food availability, habitat or weather. These however are usually irregular or in only one direction and are termed variously as nomadism, invasions,...
birdBirds are winged, bipedal, endothermic , vertebrate animals that lay eggs. There are around 10,000 living species, making them the most numerous tetrapod vertebrates. They inhabit ecosystems across the globe, from the Arctic to the Antarctic. Birds range in size from the Bee Hummingbird to the ...
s. It is believed to be one of the few remaining habitats of the
Ivory-billed WoodpeckerThe Ivory-billed Woodpecker is one of several species whose numbers have dwindled to the point where it is uncertain whether any remain. The species is listed as critically endangered and possibly extinct by the International Union for Conservation of Nature...
, once thought to be extinct. The swampy bottomlands are also home to 48 species of
reptileReptiles, or members of the class Reptilia, are air-breathing, generally "cold-blooded" amniotes that generally have skin covered in scales or scutes. They are tetrapods and lay amniote eggs, whose embryos are surrounded by the amnion membrane...
s and amphibians.
Ivory-billed Woodpecker
On April 29, 2005, a team from Cornell Lab of Ornithology claimed they had taken a four-second video and recorded audio calls of the
Ivory-billed WoodpeckerThe Ivory-billed Woodpecker is one of several species whose numbers have dwindled to the point where it is uncertain whether any remain. The species is listed as critically endangered and possibly extinct by the International Union for Conservation of Nature...
, believed extinct for 60 years, in the refuge. The woodpecker has not been seen since and whether it was actually seen in 2005 remains a source of considerable debate. Much of the refuge was closed to the public following the announcement. After further research could not locate the woodpeckers, the refuge was reopened to the public in 2006.
External links