Big Oaks National Wildlife Refuge
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Big Oaks National Wildlife Refuge is a 50,000-acre (202 km²) nature preserve in southeast Indiana, USA near Madison, Indiana. The refuge is the largest of Indiana's three, and is located in Jefferson, Jennings, and Ripley Counties.[1]
The refuge was formed in 2000 after a 1989 order to gradually close the Jefferson Proving Ground, a World War II era munitions testing facility, which was completed by 1995. The refuge is located north of the historic firing line and surrounds a 1,000-acre (4 km²) parcel operated by the Indiana Air National Guard. A zone used for firing tests remains off limit to the public due to the prohibitive cost of cleanup.[2]
According to the official webpage for the facility, "Due to the past use-history of the property as an ordnance testing facility, all visitors must view a safety video and sign an Acknowledgement of Danger form annually prior to entering the refuge."[1]
The official webpage asserts that "Over 200 species of birds and 46 species of mammals are found on the refuge."[1]
Public uses of the refuge include hunting (white-tailed deer and wild turkey), fishing and bird-watching.[3]
[edit] References
- ^ a b c Big Oaks National Wildlife Refuge: Introduction. U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. Retrieved on 2008-01-10.
- ^ Moss, Dale. "Proving Ground enjoying new life", Courier-Journal, 2003-01-26, pp. 1B (Indiana Edition).
- ^ Weslander, Eric. "Indiana wildlife refuge plan is outlined", Courier-Journal, pp. 1A.
