Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge is a
National Wildlife Refuge in
Utah
Utah ( , ) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. Utah is a landlocked U.S. state bordered to its east by Colorado, to its northeast by Wyoming, to its north by Idaho, to its south by Arizona, and to it ...
, established in 1928. The refuge is part of a national system of fee ownership lands purchased from willing sellers, mostly private property owners.
The refuge encompasses the
Bear River and its
delta
Delta commonly refers to:
* Delta (letter) (Δ or δ), a letter of the Greek alphabet
* River delta, at a river mouth
* D ( NATO phonetic alphabet: "Delta")
* Delta Air Lines, US
* Delta variant of SARS-CoV-2 that causes COVID-19
Delta may also ...
where it flows into the northern part of the
Great Salt Lake in eastern
Box Elder County. It includes a variety of habitats, such as open water,
mudflats
Mudflats or mud flats, also known as tidal flats or, in Ireland, slob or slobs, are coastal wetlands that form in intertidal areas where sediments have been deposited by tides or rivers. A global analysis published in 2019 suggested that tidal fl ...
,
wetlands, and uplands. The refuge hosts millions of
migratory birds each year including species such as
bald eagle and
tundra swan
The tundra swan (''Cygnus columbianus'') is a small swan of the Holarctic. The two taxa within it are usually regarded as conspecific, but are also sometimes split into two species: Bewick's swan (''Cygnus bewickii'') of the Palaearctic and th ...
. There are more than of freshwater wetlands. The Refuge is approx. 80,000 acres of Federal and State lands that are managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The surrounding lands are occupied by multiple hunting clubs along the bird migration route.
The James V. Hansen Wildlife Education Center features interactive exhibits about the birds and wetlands of the Refuge and a 1/2-mile accessible walking trail a wetland habitat outside. Environmental education programs, symposiums and public events are offered.
There is a one-way 12 mile auto route through the Refuge, with an audio tour and map available for download through the official website.
Starting in 1983, rising floodwaters from the Great Salt Lake severely impacted the refuge. The flooding of the refuge is at the center of
Terry Tempest Williams
Terry Tempest Williams (born 8 September 1955), is an American writer, educator, conservationist, and activist. Williams' writing is rooted in the American West and has been significantly influenced by the arid landscape of Utah. Her work foc ...
's noted nonfiction book, ''
Refuge: An Unnatural History of Family and Place''. In 2006, a new wildlife education center off
Interstate 15
Interstate 15 (I-15) is a major Interstate Highway in the western United States, running through Southern California and the Intermountain West. I-15 begins near the Mexican border in San Diego County and stretches north to Alberta, Cana ...
opened to attract visitors once more.
See also
*
National Wildlife Refuge
*
List of National Wildlife Refuges
As of 2022, there are 588 National Wildlife Refuges in the United States, with the addition of the Green River National Wildlife Refuge. Refuges that have boundaries in multiple states are listed only in the state where the main visitor entrance i ...
References
External links
Bear River Migratory Bird RefugeOfficial Web site of the Blue Goose AllianceChristopher Chadbourne and Associates, Inc. Exhibit Design firm for the Education Center
National Wildlife Refuges in Utah
Protected areas of Box Elder County, Utah
Education in Box Elder County, Utah
Nature centers in Utah
1927 establishments in Utah
Wetlands of Utah
Landforms of Box Elder County, Utah
Bird migration
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