Overflow National Wildlife Refuge is a 12247 acres (49.6 km²) wildlife refuge in Ashley County, Arkansas managed by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service

United States Fish and Wildlife Service

The United States Fish and Wildlife Service is a federal government agency within the United States Department of the Interior dedicated to the management of fish, wildlife, and natural habitats...

.

Overflow National Wildlife Refuge was created in 1980. It lies 5 miles (8 km) west of Wilmot, Arkansas

Wilmot, Arkansas

Wilmot is a city in Ashley County, Arkansas, United States. The population was 786 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Wilmot is located at ....

. The western boundary of the refuge follows the contour along the Mississippi Alluvial Valley escarpment

Escarpment

An escarpment is a steep slope or long cliff that occurs from erosion or faulting and separates two relatively level areas of differing elevations.-Description and variants:...

 which separates the Mississippi River

Mississippi River

The Mississippi River is the largest river system in North America. Flowing entirely in the United States, this river rises in western Minnesota and meanders slowly southwards for to the Mississippi River Delta at the Gulf of Mexico. With its many tributaries, the Mississippi's watershed drains...

 delta from the Gulf Coastal Plain. The refuge also manages 2267 acres (9.2 km²) at the Oakwood Unit, also in Ashley County, to which there is no public access.

The refuge consists of 9247 acres (37.4 km²) of bottomland hardwood, 2620 acres (10.6 km²) of agricultural fields, and 200 acre (0.809372 km²) of upland pine-hardwood. It also contains a 230 acre (0.9307778 km²) old growth Sugar Maple

Sugar Maple

Acer saccharum is a species of maple native to the hardwood forests of northeastern North America, from Nova Scotia west to southern Ontario, and south to Georgia and Texas...

 and American Beech

American Beech

Fagus grandifolia, also known as American Beech or North american beech, is a species of beech native to eastern North America, from Nova Scotia west to southern Ontario in southeastern Canada, west to Wisconsin and south to eastern Texas and northern Florida in the United States. Trees in the...

 forest.

The refuge was established to protect the habitat

Habitat (ecology)

A habitat is an ecological or environmental area that is inhabited by a particular species of animal, plant or other type of organism...

 of various types of migratory

Bird migration

Bird 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. Sometimes, journeys are not termed "true migration" because they are irregular or in only one direction...

 waterfowl along the Mississippi Flyway

Mississippi Flyway

The Mississippi Flyway is a bird migration route that generally follows the Mississippi River in the United States and the Mackenzie River in Canada. The main endpoints of the flyway include central Canada and the region surrounding the Gulf of Mexico...

. It also provides a habitat for other birds, such as the American Bald Eagle

Bald Eagle

The Bald Eagle is a bird of prey found in North America. It is the national bird and symbol of the United States of America. This sea eagle has two known sub-species and forms a species pair with the White-tailed Eagle...

. Over 100,000 bird

Bird

Birds are feathered, winged, bipedal, endothermic , egg-laying, vertebrate animals. Around 10,000 living species and 188 families makes them the most speciose class of tetrapod vertebrates. They inhabit ecosystems across the globe, from the Arctic to the Antarctic. Extant birds range in size from...

s winter in the refuge.