Grays Lake National Wildlife Refuge
| Grays Lake National Wildlife Refuge | |
|---|---|
|
IUCN category IV (habitat/species management area) | |
|
Cranes in Flight over Grays Lake National Wildlife Refuge. | |
  Map of the United States | |
| Location | Bonneville County, Caribou County, Idaho, United States |
| Nearest city | Soda Springs, Idaho |
| Coordinates | 43°03′47″N 111°25′37″W / 43.06297°N 111.42689°WCoordinates: 43°03′47″N 111°25′37″W / 43.06297°N 111.42689°W[1] |
| Area | 19,400 acres (79 km2) |
| Established | 1965 |
| Governing body | U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service |
| http://www.fws.gov/grayslake/ | |
Grays Lake National Wildlife Refuge has the largest hardstem bulrush marsh in North America. Located in a high mountain valley near Soda Springs in southeastern Idaho, the refuge and surrounding mountains offer incredible scenic vistas, wildflowers, and fall foliage displays. Lands adjacent to the 19,400-acre (79 km2) refuge are primarily wet meadows and grasslands. Grays Lake Refuge provides breeding habitat for over 200 species of mammals, birds, fish, and amphibians.
Geography
The refuge has a surface area of 20,125.08 acres (81.44 km² or 8,144 ha).[2]
Bird habitat
The refuge hosts a large nesting population of greater sandhill cranes; as many as 1200 individuals are counted in the valley during migration and staging times. The refuge is a birding destination, and a good area to view the rare trumpeter swans. This near-pristine montane wetland is being threatened by the same type of suburban/rural development that has so heavily impacted nearby Jackson Hole.
References
This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the United States Fish and Wildlife Service.