Grays Lake National Wildlife Refuge
Grays Lake National Wildlife Refuge | |
---|---|
IUCN category IV (habitat/species management area) | |
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°W[1]Coordinates: 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 |
Website | Grays Lake National Wildlife Refuge |
Grays Lake National Wildlife Refuge is a National Wildlife Refuge of the United States located in southeastern Idaho. It has the largest hardstem bulrush marsh in North America. Located in a high mountain valley near Soda Springs, the refuge and surrounding mountains offer scenic vistas, wildflowers, and fall foliage displays. Lands adjacent to the 19,400-acre (79 km2) refuge are primarily wet meadows and grasslands. The refuge provides breeding habitat for species of mammals including moose, elk, mule deer, muskrat, badger, and weasel.
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.
- IUCN Category IV
- National Wildlife Refuges in Idaho
- Protected areas of Bonneville County, Idaho
- Protected areas of Caribou County, Idaho
- Wetlands of Idaho
- Landforms of Bonneville County, Idaho
- Landforms of Caribou County, Idaho