Take a North American Wildlife Safari
12-03-2008
At a National Wildlife Refuge Near You
Sleigh rides amidst thousands of elk wintering in Wyoming; trolley tours of bison roaming newly restored prairie in Colorado; a drive along lakes and marshes in Florida where alligators are commonly seen. These are just some of the opportunities national wildlife refuges offer visitors whowant to see charismatic wild animals in their natural habitats.
The National Wildlife Refuge System offers a host of opportunities for outdoor recreation—especially the chance to see wildlife up close, without crowds of tourists. Refuges are often just an hour’s drive from most major cities and there is at least one in every state. Here is a sampling of ideas for a North American viewing safari:
Winter Wonderlands
Sleigh Rides with Elk
For those who love the snows of a Wyoming winter, horse-drawn sleigh rides provide an intimate view of elk on the National Elk Refuge near Jackson. Some 8,000 elk—the world’s largest wintering concentration—descend from Grand Teton and Yellowstone national parks and other surrounding forest areas to pass the winter on the national wildlife refuge.
The refuge, created in 1912, was one of the first big game refuges established as a result of public interest in the survival of the Jackson elk herd. Today, the refuge continues to preserve much of the elks’ remaining winter range in the valley, approximately one-quarter of the original Jackson Hole winter range. Moose, bison and bighorn sheep also roam the refuge in winter, although catching a glimpse of one is more challenging.
For the 2008-2009 season, sleigh rides are scheduled daily from December 8, 2008, to April 1, 2009, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. (If snow is sparse, wagons substitute for sleighs.) For more information and a virtual sleigh ride, visit http://www.fws.gov/nationalelkrefuge/Index.htm.
Endangered Columbian White-Tailed Deer
Drive on the Julia Butler Hansen National Wildlife Refuge near the Columbia River in Washington at dusk or dawn, and you may catch sight of the endangered Columbian white-tailed deer, a subspecies of white-tailed deer. The refuge, located in Washington and Oregon, was created in 1972 specifically to protect and manage the endangered Columbian white-tailed deer. They are easiest to spot in winter, when grasses are lower and they are more likely to be out mid-day.
The deer suffered heavy losses from floods in 1996, and again in 2006. There are now about 300 deer on the refuge, and another estimated 300 on neighboring lands. While the subspecies differs genetically from other white-tailed deer, it looks the same, said refuge manager Joel David.
For more information on visiting the refuge, see http://www.fws.gov/pacific/refuges/field/WA_julia.htm.
Bison on the Colorado Range
When the Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge in Colorado reintroduced bison on the refuge in March 2007, visits to the refuge swelled. Little wonder.
The refuge is just 11 miles from downtown Denver, and surrounded by suburban neighborhoods and Denver International Airport. It offers two-hour wildlife viewing tours on a trolley bus at 10 a.m. Saturdays, Sundays and Wednesdays.
“Just about anybody on the tour has the opportunity to see the bison,” says Sherry James, visitor services manager. “Sometimes they’re very close. If we can’t see them from outside of their fenced enclosure, we go into their pasture.”
Bison are North America’s heaviest land mammal. Bulls are about 6 feet tall at their shoulder hump and weigh up to 2,400 pounds; cows weigh up to 1,000 pounds and stand 5 feet tall. In the early 1800s, tens of millions of bison blanketed the Midwest and western plains. By the end of that century, they were nearly decimated by sport shooting and habitat loss.
The herd reintroduced at Rocky Mountain Arsenal has grown from 16 to 24 bison. In the long term, the refuge plans to expand the herd to 250 and to continue restoring short grass prairie habitat to cover much of the 17,000-acre refuge, James says.
Wildlife viewing tours are free, but reservations are required. For information or reservations, call 303-289-0930. For information about Rocky Mountain Arsenal Refuge, visit http://www.fws.gov/rockymountainarsenal/
Minnesota’s Elusive Wolves
Elusive grey wolves live on two of the northernmost wildlife refuges in Minnesota: one wolf pack on the 61,500-acre Agassiz National Wildlife Refuge and two packs on the 42,724-acre Tamarac National Wildlife Refuge.
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