Theodore Roosevelt National Wildlife Refuge Complex
Encyclopedia
The Theodore Roosevelt National Wildlife Refuge Complex is the largest refuge complex in the state of Mississippi
Mississippi
Mississippi is a U.S. state located in the Southern United States. Jackson is the state capital and largest city. The name of the state derives from the Mississippi River, which flows along its western boundary, whose name comes from the Ojibwe word misi-ziibi...
. Over 100,000 acres (400 km2) of refuge lands on seven refuges, including 13,000 acres (53 km2) of refuge-managed Farmers Home Administration lands, provide vital habitat for fish and wildlife in the Delta region.
The complex includes seven refuges:
- Yazoo National Wildlife RefugeYazoo National Wildlife RefugeThe Yazoo National Wildlife Refuge is a 12,941 acre National Wildlife Refuge located in Washington County, Mississippi. Named after the Yazoo tribe, it was established to provide waterfowl and other migratory birds in the Mississippi Flyway with nesting, feeding, brooding, and resting habitat.The...
- Established 1936 - Hillside National Wildlife RefugeHillside National Wildlife RefugeHillside National Wildlife Refuge is an oasis of wildlife habitat surrounded by agriculture. Bounded on the east side by the unique loess bluffs of eastern Mississippi, this refuge was named to reflect its location at the base of the bluffs. The refuge was established in 1975 and provides...
- Established 1975 - Morgan Brake National Wildlife RefugeMorgan Brake National Wildlife RefugeMorgan Brake National Wildlife Refuge is one of seven refuges in the Theodore Roosevelt National Wildlife Refuge Complex. In addition to the typical bottomland habitats of the Mississippi Delta, Morgan Brake National Wildlife Refuge includes a unique mile of north-facing loess bluffs on the east...
- Established 1977 - Panther Swamp National Wildlife RefugePanther Swamp National Wildlife RefugePanther Swamp National Wildlife Refuge is one of seven refuges in the Theodore Roosevelt National Wildlife Refuge Complex in Mississippi. Established in 1978, Panther Swamp National Wildlife Refuge encompasses . Included in those acres is one of the largest blocks of bottomland forest in the lower...
- Established 1978 - Mathews Brake National Wildlife RefugeMathews Brake National Wildlife RefugeMathews Brake National Wildlife Refuge encompasses in west-central Mississippi. Established in 1980, the refuge is one of seven national wildlife refuges in the Theodore Roosevelt National Wildlife Refuge Complex. The primary habitat feature is Mathews Brake, the largest brake in Leflore County...
- Established 1980 - Holt Collier National Wildlife RefugeHolt Collier National Wildlife RefugeThe Holt Collier National Wildlife Refuge is a National Wildlife Refuge located near Darlove, Mississippi. The Refuge was named after Holt Collier, a Confederate veteran, cowboy, and tracker and was created in order to provide a habitat and resources for over 250 songbirds...
- Established 2004 - Theodore Roosevelt National Wildlife RefugeTheodore Roosevelt National Wildlife RefugeEstablished in 2004, the Theodore Roosevelt National Wildlife Refuge is part of the Theodore Roosevelt National Wildlife Refuge Complex in Mississippi. Although the acquisition boundary for Theodore Roosevelt National Wildlife Refuge has been proposed near Onward, Mississippi, the land exchanges...
- Established 2004
The Headquarters Office for Theodore Roosevelt National Wildlife Refuge Complex is located on Yazoo National Wildlife Refuge.
History
In January 2004, the Consolidated Appropriations Act changed the name of the Central Mississippi Refuges Complex to Theodore Roosevelt National Wildlife Refuge Complex. The legislation established two new refuges in the Complex – Holt Collier NWR and Theodore Roosevelt NWR, and included provisions to design and construct the Holt Collier Environmental Education and Interpretation Center in the south Delta region. The two new refuges were named to honor President Theodore RooseveltTheodore Roosevelt
Theodore "Teddy" Roosevelt was the 26th President of the United States . He is noted for his exuberant personality, range of interests and achievements, and his leadership of the Progressive Movement, as well as his "cowboy" persona and robust masculinity...
and the legendary African-American sportsman and hunting guide, Holt Collier
Holt Collier
Holt Collier was a noted African-American bear hunter and sportsman who contributed to popular culture by helping to create the Teddy Bear phenomenon.-Biography:...
.
Topography
Theodore Roosevelt National Wildlife Refuge Complex manages approximately 42,000 acres (170 km2) of bottomland hardwood forest in the Mississippi DeltaMississippi Delta
The Mississippi Delta is the distinctive northwest section of the U.S. state of Mississippi that lies between the Mississippi and Yazoo Rivers. The region has been called "The Most Southern Place on Earth" because of its unique racial, cultural, and economic history...
region. Refuge staff have reforested an additional 25,000 acres (100 km2) of former agricultural land, bringing the Complex’s total area of bottomland forest to 67,000 acres (270 km2).
More than 60 species of trees are known to occur on the Complex. The lowest areas on refuge lands contain bald cypress, buttonbush, and water tupelo
Water Tupelo
Nyssa aquatica, commonly called the water tupelo, cottongum, wild olive, large tupelo, sourgum, tupelo-gum, or water-gum, is a large, long-lived tree in the tupelo genus that grows in swamps and floodplains in the Southeastern United States.Nyssa aquatica trunks have a swollen base that tapers up...
, except on Yazoo National Wildlife Refuge, where water tupelo does not occur. Other woody species in permanent or semi-permanent flooded areas include swamp privet, water elm
Planera aquatica
Planera aquatica, or Water Elm is single species in the southeastern U.S.A., a small deciduous tree 10-15 m tall, closely related to the Elms but with a softly, prickly nut 10-15 mm diameter, instead of a winged seed. It grows, as the name suggests, on wet sites. The leaves are 3-7 cm long, with a...
, black willow
Black Willow
Salix nigra is a species of willow native to eastern North America, from New Brunswick and southern Ontario west to Minnesota, and south to northern Florida and Texas.-Description:...
and water locust
Water locust
Gleditsia aquatica, commonly called water locust, after its habitat of river swamps and slough margins.-External links:* Diagnostic photographs and information. Morton Arboretum acc. 432-54-1...
.
Prior to European settlement, the Lower Mississippi Valley was covered with over 24 million acres (97,000 km2) of bottomland hardwood forest that supported a rich diversity of fish and wildlife species. Historically, the dominant forest type was oak-gum-cypress. Canebrake
Canebrake
Canebrake is an English noun meaning an area of land with a thick dense growth of cane, sugarcane, exotic bamboo, or similar plant material.Canebrake may also refer to:Places in the United States of America:*Canebrake...
s covered the broader flats on slightly higher ground, forming extensive nearly pure stands beneath huge bottomland hardwood trees. Settlers began clearing the forest in the early 19th century. Today more than 75% of the forest coverage has been lost to land clearing operations for agriculture, transportation, industrialization, and urbanization. The remaining 4.8 million acres (19,000 km2) of forest are isolated islands of habitat surrounded by cotton, corn, rice, and bean fields. Most of the surviving forests now occupy low ground dominated by water tolerant species.
See also
- List of National Wildlife Refuges
- Holt Collier National Wildlife RefugeHolt Collier National Wildlife RefugeThe Holt Collier National Wildlife Refuge is a National Wildlife Refuge located near Darlove, Mississippi. The Refuge was named after Holt Collier, a Confederate veteran, cowboy, and tracker and was created in order to provide a habitat and resources for over 250 songbirds...
- Yazoo National Wildlife RefugeYazoo National Wildlife RefugeThe Yazoo National Wildlife Refuge is a 12,941 acre National Wildlife Refuge located in Washington County, Mississippi. Named after the Yazoo tribe, it was established to provide waterfowl and other migratory birds in the Mississippi Flyway with nesting, feeding, brooding, and resting habitat.The...