Hagerman National Wildlife Refuge
Encyclopedia
Hagerman National Wildlife Refuge, a haven for migratory birds and other wildlife, lies in northwestern Grayson County, Texas
, on the Big Mineral Arm of Lake Texoma
, on the Red River between Oklahoma
and Texas
. The refuge is made up of water, marsh, and upland habitat and visitors can hike, observe wildlife, hunt, and fish at various times throughout the year.
The main focus at Hagerman National Wildlife Refuge is providing a winter home for thousands of waterfowl
. Foremost among them are Canada geese
. During fall, winter, and spring, numbers can reach 7,500 or more. Other geese include white-fronted and snow geese, with a scattering of the smaller Ross' geese.
Hagerman National Wildlife Refuge is located in Grayson County, north-central Texas, approximately 10 miles (16.1 km) from the Sherman/Denison area (population 62,000). Several small towns are within 60 miles (96.6 km) of the refuge. The refuge receives an estimated 250,000 visits annually. Dallas, with a population of more than 1 million, is 75 miles (120.7 km) to the south. Including Dallas, Fort Worth, Arlington, and surrounding cities, more than 6 million people live within 100 miles (160.9 km) of the refuge.
Wildlife and Habitat
Hagerman National Wildlife Refuge is located in a transitional zone between two major vegetational areas known as the Blackland Prairies and the Eastern Cross Timbers. The Blackland Prairies, consisting of black, waxy, clay soils, are found to the east and south of the Refuge while the sandy soils of the Eastern Cross Timbers are located west of the Refuge. Of the 11320 acres (45.8 km²) that make up the Refuge, approximately 2600 acres (10.5 km²) are classified as wetlands and 7278 acres (29.5 km²) are uplands. Of the uplands, 3740 acres (15.1 km²) are grasslands, 1500 acres (6.1 km²) are woodlands, and 700 acres (2.8 km²) are croplands with 350 acres (1.4 km²) as administrative lands. Management of Refuge habitats involves a variety of techniques to control and enhance habitat conditions. The primary objective of habitat management is to provide wildlife species with diverse habitats to meet a variety of requirements for resting, feeding and nesting. Habitat is fundamental for self-sustaining populations of wildlife and plants as well as for functional ecosystems. The Refuge’s goal is to conserve wildlife species by protecting and restoring the habitat on which they depend.
The Refuge supports a diversity of plants and animals of the Red River Basin. These species, including plants, game and nongame vertebrates, and invertebrates, are important contributors to the overall biodiversity on the Refuge. Conservation of migratory birds is often considered the central connecting theme of the Refuge System. Approximately 50 species of waterfowl and other migratory gamebirds have been Service priorities since the 1930s. The Refuge was established primarily to provide habitat for “migratory birds and other wildlife,” such as ducks, shorebirds, geese and cranes. Species that depend on the Refuge, especially during the winter or as migratory bird stopover habitats include bald eagles, snow geese, Ross’ geese, Canada geese, and white-fronted geese. The Refuge has documented 316 species of birds, 34 species of mammals, 65 species of reptiles and amphibians, and 62 species of fish. Management of many of these species remains a collaborative effort with the
Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. The Refuge’s rich mixture of tall grass prairie, riverine bottomland hardwoods, and wetland habitats also support other rare and declining migratory birds, particularly neotropical songbirds and federally listed species. The Refuge also represents the largest tract of contiguous native habitat in Grayson County.
The Refuge is located within the Central Flyway, a route traveled annually by numerous species of waterfowl and migratory birds. The Refuge enjoys a reputation as a birding mecca in north-central Texas. Although a total of 316 bird species have been recorded on the Refuge since it was established in 1946, recent surveys show 273 different bird species regularly occur on the Refuge, of which 80 species nest and 193 are migratory. Painted buntings, cardinals, scissor-tailed flycatchers, blue grosbeaks, eastern meadowlarks, northern mockingbirds, blue jays, northern bobwhites, and red-bellied woodpeckers are common nesting birds. Neotropical migrants such as warblers, flycatchers, tanagers, orioles, sparrows, and others pass through the Refuge each spring and fall with many of these species remaining to nest. Game birds on the Refuge include mourning dove, northern bobwhite quail and wild turkey. Many declining species either occasionally or commonly occur on the Refuge including the American golden plover, prothonotary warbler, painted bunting and Hudsonian godwit. Other rarely seen birds that occur on the Refuge include the peregrine falcon, king rail, cinnamon teal, snowy plover, Bell’s vireo and least bittern. The Refuge attracts 15 species of raptors during the fall and spring migration period including ospreys, rough-legged and Swainson’s hawks, northern harrier, sharp-shinned and Coopers’ hawks. The Refuge provides excellent wintering habitat for bald eagles and several to many are seen each year, particularly along Lake Texoma. Nesting raptors include red-tailed and red-shouldered hawks, northern harriers, Mississippi kites, and American kestrels. Broad-winged hawks also occasionally nest on the Refuge. Other raptors infrequently observed on the Refuge include the golden eagle, peregrine, merlin, and prairie falcons.
Refuge Management Activities
The management objectives of the Refuge contribute to the objectives of the Central Flyway Management Program. The Refuge serves the objectives of its establishment by providing a protected roost site for geese and quality winter habitat to sustain the condition of migratory waterfowl for spring migration and reproductive success. Maintaining the health and condition of the birds wintering at the Refuge affects their spring migrational and reproductive successes each year. One of the Refuge’s outstanding features is the high concentrations of wintering and migratory waterfowl. Up to 7500 Canada geese, 10,000 snow geese, and several hundred white-fronted and Ross’ geese winter on the Refuge. Canada geese show up around October followed by snow geese in November. They remain until about March where they return to their northerly breeding grounds. Continental duck populations have recently rebounded from low levels in the 1980s and early 1990s primarily due to greatly improved habitat conditions in northern breeding areas and wetland conservation efforts in wintering areas. The greatest numbers of ducks are in the fall and spring with peak numbers sometimes approaching 20,000 in October. Long-legged wading birds attract almost as much attention on the Refuge as the waterfowl. Great blue herons, great egrets, snowy egrets, little blue herons and white ibis use refuge wetlands for foraging.
Agricultural practices on the Refuge are primarily aimed at providing forage for wintering geese. Refuge cropland use is planned and implemented to produce at least 150,000 pounds of “hot foods”, and about 175,000 pounds of browse to meet the forage requirements of geese, ducks, and other wildlife for the critical period of December and January. Approximately 700 acres (2.8 km²) of the Refuge are planted with winter wheat, millet, and corn. The crops are grown to be made available to wintering waterfowl and other wildlife from October through February. White-tailed deer also utilize these areas for food and cover. Refuge personnel and one cooperative farmer plant and manage about 600 acres (2.4 km²) annually, mostly in wheat, for wildlife including geese, deer, and turkey. Moist soil units are managed to provide habitat for waterfowl, wading birds, and shorebirds. Water levels are lowered during spring migrations to provide forage for shorebirds passing through. During summer, the MSU’s are drained to allow vegetation to grow. Reflooding occurs during late summer, early fall for wintering waterfowl that arrive beginning in late August. Up to 70,000 white pelicans use refuge waters during their annual spring and fall migrations.
Fire management activities on the Refuge consist of prescribed burning and the control of wildfires. The Refuge has one or two wildfires every few years, especially during times of drought. The frequency of fires depends upon annual rainfall. Some fires are caused by passing trains and lightning strikes, but occasional arson fires do occur. Adjacent landowners graze native grasslands and tame grass pastures very close to the ground, so chances of wildfires on private lands is low. Although fire is a natural part of prairie ecology, uncontrolled wildfire can threaten dwellings, livestock, haystacks, field forage and structures such as fences, sheds, feeders, etc. Refuge wildfires are not common and are generally suppressed. Prescribed burning is an important management tool
for maintaining the prairie and edge associations by 1) reducing grassland invasion by woody species, 2) reducing accumulated grassland litter, 3) stimulating the growth of warm season perennial grasses, and 4) to reduce flammable accumulations to reduce the wildfire hazard.
Why Is There Oil and Gas Production on the Refuge?
Shortly after the Refuge’s establishment in 1946, oil and gas resources were discovered on the Refuge. Exploration and drilling activities soon occurred on the Refuge and throughout the surrounding area. When the Corps of Engineers (COE) acquired the lands necessary for the Denison Dam Project, they did not purchase the mineral rights. As a result, the Refuge was established on surface lands owned by the COE with subsurface mineral rights remaining in private ownership. At the time the first well was drilled, no one had any idea of the coming magnitude of oil and gas activities that would eventually occur on the Refuge. From 1951 and for the next six years, oil and gas activities continued to increase. These were considered the “oil boom” years. Oil and gas activities are allowed to take place on Refuges for a number of reasons. On the majority of refuges, oil or gas activities occur where private entities, states, or native corporations, rather than the federal government, own the mineral rights. Owners of these mineral rights have the right to develop, produce, and transport the oil and gas resources located within a refuge. However, the Department of the Interior’s regulations require mineral owners “to the greatest extent practicable,” that “all exploration, development and production operations” be conducted in such a manner as to “prevent damage, erosion, pollution, or contamination to the lands, waters, facilities, and vegetation of the area.” Further, “so far as practicable, such operations must also be conducted without interference with the operation of the refuge or disturbance to the wildlife thereon”. Permits for oil and gas activities on the Refuge are issued by the COE. The Refuge reviews the permits before they are issued and is provided the opportunity to comment on any wildlife and habitat concerns. Special conditions are also included in the permits such as mitigation for habitat destruction, drilling fluids removal from the drilling site, and returning the site to as natural a condition as possible. Refuge personnel have gone to great lengths to establish positive working relationships with the oil companies resulting in their observance of Refuge rules and regulations to help protect fish and wildlife species and their habitats.
Recreational Opportunities
Providing recreational opportunities and educating and interpreting the unique natural features of the Refuge for visitors are important elements of the Service’s mission and the goals and objectives of the Refuge. In the Refuge Improvement Act of 1997, six wildlife-dependent recreational uses were determined priority public uses on national wildlife refuges. These are: hunting, fishing, wildlife observation and wildlife photography, environmental education and interpretation. These six uses, when compatible with the Refuge purpose, are the focus of the Refuge’s public use activities. It has been determined that the following public uses are compatible with the purpose for which the Refuge was established: limited dove, quail, squirrel, rabbit, and deer hunting; fishing; wildlife observation; photography; boating; hiking; picnicking; and berry, nut, and mushroom picking. There are three established picnic areas on the Refuge: Goode Unit, Big Mineral Day Use Area, and the Sandy Point Area. The refuge provides an auto tour route, Crow Hill Interpretive Trail including a wildlife observation platform, Harris Creek Trail, Meadow Pond Trail, Dead Woman Pond Trail, and other foot access areas. Special events are sometimes offered.
Friends of Hagerman
Friends of Hagerman, a not-for profit group organized to support the refuge, has more than 100 members and hosts free, monthly interpretive/educational programs that are attended by up to 150 people. They also conduct offsite outreach programs and are a strong voice of support in the community.
Grayson County, Texas
As of the census of 2000, there were 110,595 people, 42,849 households, and 30,208 families residing in the county. The population density was 118 people per square mile . There were 48,315 housing units at an average density of 52 per square mile...
, on the Big Mineral Arm of Lake Texoma
Lake Texoma
Lake Texoma is one of the largest reservoirs in the United States, the 12th largest Corps of Engineers lake, and the largest in USACE Tulsa District....
, on the Red River between Oklahoma
Oklahoma
Oklahoma is a state located in the South Central region of the United States of America. With an estimated 3,751,351 residents as of the 2010 census and a land area of 68,667 square miles , Oklahoma is the 28th most populous and 20th-largest state...
and Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
. The refuge is made up of water, marsh, and upland habitat and visitors can hike, observe wildlife, hunt, and fish at various times throughout the year.
The main focus at Hagerman National Wildlife Refuge is providing a winter home for thousands of waterfowl
Waterfowl
Waterfowl are certain wildfowl of the order Anseriformes, especially members of the family Anatidae, which includes ducks, geese, and swans....
. Foremost among them are Canada geese
Canada Goose
The Canada Goose is a wild goose belonging to the genus Branta, which is native to arctic and temperate regions of North America, having a black head and neck, white patches on the face, and a brownish-gray body....
. During fall, winter, and spring, numbers can reach 7,500 or more. Other geese include white-fronted and snow geese, with a scattering of the smaller Ross' geese.
Hagerman National Wildlife Refuge is located in Grayson County, north-central Texas, approximately 10 miles (16.1 km) from the Sherman/Denison area (population 62,000). Several small towns are within 60 miles (96.6 km) of the refuge. The refuge receives an estimated 250,000 visits annually. Dallas, with a population of more than 1 million, is 75 miles (120.7 km) to the south. Including Dallas, Fort Worth, Arlington, and surrounding cities, more than 6 million people live within 100 miles (160.9 km) of the refuge.
Wildlife and Habitat
Hagerman National Wildlife Refuge is located in a transitional zone between two major vegetational areas known as the Blackland Prairies and the Eastern Cross Timbers. The Blackland Prairies, consisting of black, waxy, clay soils, are found to the east and south of the Refuge while the sandy soils of the Eastern Cross Timbers are located west of the Refuge. Of the 11320 acres (45.8 km²) that make up the Refuge, approximately 2600 acres (10.5 km²) are classified as wetlands and 7278 acres (29.5 km²) are uplands. Of the uplands, 3740 acres (15.1 km²) are grasslands, 1500 acres (6.1 km²) are woodlands, and 700 acres (2.8 km²) are croplands with 350 acres (1.4 km²) as administrative lands. Management of Refuge habitats involves a variety of techniques to control and enhance habitat conditions. The primary objective of habitat management is to provide wildlife species with diverse habitats to meet a variety of requirements for resting, feeding and nesting. Habitat is fundamental for self-sustaining populations of wildlife and plants as well as for functional ecosystems. The Refuge’s goal is to conserve wildlife species by protecting and restoring the habitat on which they depend.
The Refuge supports a diversity of plants and animals of the Red River Basin. These species, including plants, game and nongame vertebrates, and invertebrates, are important contributors to the overall biodiversity on the Refuge. Conservation of migratory birds is often considered the central connecting theme of the Refuge System. Approximately 50 species of waterfowl and other migratory gamebirds have been Service priorities since the 1930s. The Refuge was established primarily to provide habitat for “migratory birds and other wildlife,” such as ducks, shorebirds, geese and cranes. Species that depend on the Refuge, especially during the winter or as migratory bird stopover habitats include bald eagles, snow geese, Ross’ geese, Canada geese, and white-fronted geese. The Refuge has documented 316 species of birds, 34 species of mammals, 65 species of reptiles and amphibians, and 62 species of fish. Management of many of these species remains a collaborative effort with the
Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. The Refuge’s rich mixture of tall grass prairie, riverine bottomland hardwoods, and wetland habitats also support other rare and declining migratory birds, particularly neotropical songbirds and federally listed species. The Refuge also represents the largest tract of contiguous native habitat in Grayson County.
The Refuge is located within the Central Flyway, a route traveled annually by numerous species of waterfowl and migratory birds. The Refuge enjoys a reputation as a birding mecca in north-central Texas. Although a total of 316 bird species have been recorded on the Refuge since it was established in 1946, recent surveys show 273 different bird species regularly occur on the Refuge, of which 80 species nest and 193 are migratory. Painted buntings, cardinals, scissor-tailed flycatchers, blue grosbeaks, eastern meadowlarks, northern mockingbirds, blue jays, northern bobwhites, and red-bellied woodpeckers are common nesting birds. Neotropical migrants such as warblers, flycatchers, tanagers, orioles, sparrows, and others pass through the Refuge each spring and fall with many of these species remaining to nest. Game birds on the Refuge include mourning dove, northern bobwhite quail and wild turkey. Many declining species either occasionally or commonly occur on the Refuge including the American golden plover, prothonotary warbler, painted bunting and Hudsonian godwit. Other rarely seen birds that occur on the Refuge include the peregrine falcon, king rail, cinnamon teal, snowy plover, Bell’s vireo and least bittern. The Refuge attracts 15 species of raptors during the fall and spring migration period including ospreys, rough-legged and Swainson’s hawks, northern harrier, sharp-shinned and Coopers’ hawks. The Refuge provides excellent wintering habitat for bald eagles and several to many are seen each year, particularly along Lake Texoma. Nesting raptors include red-tailed and red-shouldered hawks, northern harriers, Mississippi kites, and American kestrels. Broad-winged hawks also occasionally nest on the Refuge. Other raptors infrequently observed on the Refuge include the golden eagle, peregrine, merlin, and prairie falcons.
Refuge Management Activities
The management objectives of the Refuge contribute to the objectives of the Central Flyway Management Program. The Refuge serves the objectives of its establishment by providing a protected roost site for geese and quality winter habitat to sustain the condition of migratory waterfowl for spring migration and reproductive success. Maintaining the health and condition of the birds wintering at the Refuge affects their spring migrational and reproductive successes each year. One of the Refuge’s outstanding features is the high concentrations of wintering and migratory waterfowl. Up to 7500 Canada geese, 10,000 snow geese, and several hundred white-fronted and Ross’ geese winter on the Refuge. Canada geese show up around October followed by snow geese in November. They remain until about March where they return to their northerly breeding grounds. Continental duck populations have recently rebounded from low levels in the 1980s and early 1990s primarily due to greatly improved habitat conditions in northern breeding areas and wetland conservation efforts in wintering areas. The greatest numbers of ducks are in the fall and spring with peak numbers sometimes approaching 20,000 in October. Long-legged wading birds attract almost as much attention on the Refuge as the waterfowl. Great blue herons, great egrets, snowy egrets, little blue herons and white ibis use refuge wetlands for foraging.
Agricultural practices on the Refuge are primarily aimed at providing forage for wintering geese. Refuge cropland use is planned and implemented to produce at least 150,000 pounds of “hot foods”, and about 175,000 pounds of browse to meet the forage requirements of geese, ducks, and other wildlife for the critical period of December and January. Approximately 700 acres (2.8 km²) of the Refuge are planted with winter wheat, millet, and corn. The crops are grown to be made available to wintering waterfowl and other wildlife from October through February. White-tailed deer also utilize these areas for food and cover. Refuge personnel and one cooperative farmer plant and manage about 600 acres (2.4 km²) annually, mostly in wheat, for wildlife including geese, deer, and turkey. Moist soil units are managed to provide habitat for waterfowl, wading birds, and shorebirds. Water levels are lowered during spring migrations to provide forage for shorebirds passing through. During summer, the MSU’s are drained to allow vegetation to grow. Reflooding occurs during late summer, early fall for wintering waterfowl that arrive beginning in late August. Up to 70,000 white pelicans use refuge waters during their annual spring and fall migrations.
Fire management activities on the Refuge consist of prescribed burning and the control of wildfires. The Refuge has one or two wildfires every few years, especially during times of drought. The frequency of fires depends upon annual rainfall. Some fires are caused by passing trains and lightning strikes, but occasional arson fires do occur. Adjacent landowners graze native grasslands and tame grass pastures very close to the ground, so chances of wildfires on private lands is low. Although fire is a natural part of prairie ecology, uncontrolled wildfire can threaten dwellings, livestock, haystacks, field forage and structures such as fences, sheds, feeders, etc. Refuge wildfires are not common and are generally suppressed. Prescribed burning is an important management tool
for maintaining the prairie and edge associations by 1) reducing grassland invasion by woody species, 2) reducing accumulated grassland litter, 3) stimulating the growth of warm season perennial grasses, and 4) to reduce flammable accumulations to reduce the wildfire hazard.
Why Is There Oil and Gas Production on the Refuge?
Shortly after the Refuge’s establishment in 1946, oil and gas resources were discovered on the Refuge. Exploration and drilling activities soon occurred on the Refuge and throughout the surrounding area. When the Corps of Engineers (COE) acquired the lands necessary for the Denison Dam Project, they did not purchase the mineral rights. As a result, the Refuge was established on surface lands owned by the COE with subsurface mineral rights remaining in private ownership. At the time the first well was drilled, no one had any idea of the coming magnitude of oil and gas activities that would eventually occur on the Refuge. From 1951 and for the next six years, oil and gas activities continued to increase. These were considered the “oil boom” years. Oil and gas activities are allowed to take place on Refuges for a number of reasons. On the majority of refuges, oil or gas activities occur where private entities, states, or native corporations, rather than the federal government, own the mineral rights. Owners of these mineral rights have the right to develop, produce, and transport the oil and gas resources located within a refuge. However, the Department of the Interior’s regulations require mineral owners “to the greatest extent practicable,” that “all exploration, development and production operations” be conducted in such a manner as to “prevent damage, erosion, pollution, or contamination to the lands, waters, facilities, and vegetation of the area.” Further, “so far as practicable, such operations must also be conducted without interference with the operation of the refuge or disturbance to the wildlife thereon”. Permits for oil and gas activities on the Refuge are issued by the COE. The Refuge reviews the permits before they are issued and is provided the opportunity to comment on any wildlife and habitat concerns. Special conditions are also included in the permits such as mitigation for habitat destruction, drilling fluids removal from the drilling site, and returning the site to as natural a condition as possible. Refuge personnel have gone to great lengths to establish positive working relationships with the oil companies resulting in their observance of Refuge rules and regulations to help protect fish and wildlife species and their habitats.
Recreational Opportunities
Providing recreational opportunities and educating and interpreting the unique natural features of the Refuge for visitors are important elements of the Service’s mission and the goals and objectives of the Refuge. In the Refuge Improvement Act of 1997, six wildlife-dependent recreational uses were determined priority public uses on national wildlife refuges. These are: hunting, fishing, wildlife observation and wildlife photography, environmental education and interpretation. These six uses, when compatible with the Refuge purpose, are the focus of the Refuge’s public use activities. It has been determined that the following public uses are compatible with the purpose for which the Refuge was established: limited dove, quail, squirrel, rabbit, and deer hunting; fishing; wildlife observation; photography; boating; hiking; picnicking; and berry, nut, and mushroom picking. There are three established picnic areas on the Refuge: Goode Unit, Big Mineral Day Use Area, and the Sandy Point Area. The refuge provides an auto tour route, Crow Hill Interpretive Trail including a wildlife observation platform, Harris Creek Trail, Meadow Pond Trail, Dead Woman Pond Trail, and other foot access areas. Special events are sometimes offered.
Friends of Hagerman
Friends of Hagerman, a not-for profit group organized to support the refuge, has more than 100 members and hosts free, monthly interpretive/educational programs that are attended by up to 150 people. They also conduct offsite outreach programs and are a strong voice of support in the community.