Ouray National Wildlife Refuge (also called Ouray National Waterfowl Refuge) is a

wildlife refuge A nature reserve (also known as a wildlife refuge, wildlife sanctuary, biosphere reserve or bioreserve, natural or nature preserve, or nature conservation area) is a protected area of importance for flora, fauna, or features of geological or ...

in central

Uintah County, Utah Uintah County ( ) is a county in the U.S. state of Utah. As of the 2020 United States Census the population was 35,620. Its county seat and largest city is Vernal. The county was named for the portion of the Ute Indian tribe that lived in th ...

in the northeastern part of the state. It is part of the National Wildlife Refuge system, located two miles northeast of the village of Ouray, southeast of the town of Randlett, and 30 miles (50 km) southwest of

Vernal Vernal, the county seat and largest city in Uintah County is in northeastern Utah, approximately east of Salt Lake City and west of the Colorado border. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 9,089. The population has since grown to ...

. Established in 1960, it straddles the

Green River Green River may refer to: Rivers Canada * Green River (British Columbia), a tributary of the Lillooet River *Green River, a tributary of the Saint John River, also known by its French name of Rivière Verte *Green River (Ontario), a tributary of ...

for , and covers . A portion of the refuge () is leased from the

Uintah and Ouray Indian Reservation The Uintah and Ouray Indian Reservation (, ) is located in northeastern Utah, United States. It is the homeland of the Ute Indian Tribe ( Ute dialect: Núuchi-u), and is the largest of three Indian reservations inhabited by members of the Ute Trib ...

. The refuge was created for the use of both local and migratory birds, and with funds provided by the sale of

Federal Duck Stamp The Federal Duck Stamp, formally known as the Migratory Bird Hunting and Conservation Stamp, is an adhesive stamp issued by the United States federal government that must be purchased prior to hunting for migratory waterfowl such as ducks and gee ...

s. The site of the refuge also holds the Ouray National Fish Hatchery, which was established in 1996 to help hatch

razorback sucker The razorback sucker (''Xyrauchen texanus'') is a suckerfish found in rivers and lakes in the southwestern United States. It can grow to in length and is recognisable by the keel between its head and dorsal fin. It used to inhabit much of the C ...

humpback chub The humpback chub (''Gila cypha'') is a federally protected fish that lived originally in fast waters of the Colorado River system in the United States. This species takes its name from the prominent hump between the head and dorsal fin, which i ...

s, Colorado pikeminnows and

Bonytail chub The bonytail chub or bonytail (''Gila elegans'') is a cyprinid freshwater fish native to the Colorado River basin of Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming in the southwestern United States; it has been extirpated fro ...

s. Precipitation is less than per annum.National Wildlife Refuge System (USFWS)
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References

External links

* *
USFWS Ouray National Wildlife Refuge Page

National Wildlife Refuges in Utah Green River (Colorado River tributary) Protected areas of Uintah County, Utah Protected areas on the Colorado River Protected areas established in 1960 1960 establishments in Utah {{Utah-protected-area-stub