Patoka River National Wildlife Refuge and Management Area
Encyclopedia
Patoka River
The Patoka River is a tributary of the Wabash River in southwestern Indiana in the United States. It drains a largely rural area of forested bottomland and agricultural lands among the hills north of Evansville.-Description:...
in Gibson and Pike Counties in Southwestern Indiana
Southwestern Indiana
Southwestern Indiana is a 11-county region of Indiana located at the southernmost and westernmost part of the state. As of the 2000 census, the region's combined population is 465,338. Evansville, Indiana's third largest city, is the primary hub for the region as well as the primary regional hub...
. It consists mostly of the main body refuge along nearly 40 miles of the river's course from just north of Francisco, Indiana
Francisco, Indiana
Francisco is a town in Center Township, Gibson County, Indiana, United States. The population was 459 at the 2010 census. It was founded in 1851...
to just west of Velpen, Indiana . Other areas include the Cane Ridge NWR managed by Duke Energy
Duke Energy
Duke Energy , headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, is an energy company with assets in the United States, Canada and Latin America.-Overview:...
and located immediately south of Gibson Lake
Gibson Lake (Indiana)
Gibson Lake is the cooling pond for Duke Energy Indiana's Gibson Generating Station. Measuring at around , it is the largest lake in Indiana built completely above ground, its shores consisting of rock levees on all but two of the lake's six sides both of which were also built up to build the power...
and the Gibson Generating Station
Gibson Generating Station
The Gibson Generating Station is a coal-burning power plant located at the northern end of northern Montgomery Township, Gibson County, Indiana, United States. It is close to the Wabash River, just opposite Mount Carmel, Illinois...
in northwestern Gibson County, nine miles east of the main body. Many species of birds nest or spend the winter in these areas, including the endangered Bald Eagle and Least Tern. In 2009, tier 1 of the Interstate 69
Interstate 69
Interstate 69 is an Interstate Highway in the United States. It exists in two parts: a completed highway from Indianapolis, Indiana, northeast to the Canadian border in Port Huron, Michigan, and a mostly proposed extension southwest to the Mexican border in Texas...
Project is expected to be built through this area immediately west of Oakland City
Oakland City, Indiana
Oakland City is the second-largest city but third-largest community in Gibson County, Indiana, United States, after the city of Princeton and the town of Fort Branch. It is the home of Oakland City University...
through a strip long been set aside when the original Interstate was built. Originally Interstate 69 was to go along a route similar to the current construction route. This has prompted some disturbances by the group Earth First, including "evicting" the project offices in Oakland City.