Kirwin National Wildlife Refuge

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Kirwin National Wildlife Refuge (NWR), located near Glade, Kansas, was established in 1954 for the conservation, maintenance, and management of wildlife resources, particularly migratory birds.

The refuge is located in the rolling hills and narrow valley of the North Fork of the Solomon River in north-central Kansas. This region lies in an area where the tall grass prairies of the east meet the shortgrass plains of the west. As a result of this merging of prairies and plains, grasses and wildlife common to both habitats are found on the refuge. Beyond the grasslands, the refuge includes a wide variety of habitats including riparian forest, small wetlands, large open water, and cropland. This habitat diversity supports more than 300 species of birds, mammals, reptiles, amphibians, and fish.

Four federally listed and two state listed threatened species and endangered species birds use the refuge. In addition, twenty-eight birds of conservation concern use the refuge during migrations each year, and nine of these remain to nest on the refuge. When conditions are perfect, the Refuge can support approximately one million ducks and geese. Large numbers of shorebirds migrate through the refuge in late summer. Hundreds of great blue herons and double-crested cormorants nest in the flooded timber under high water conditions with endangered interior least terns nesting in times of low water. Greater prairie chickens and black-tailed prairie dogs are also found on the refuge.