Located in the middle of the Oklahoma panhandle, the 4,333-acre
Optima National Wildlife Refuge is made up of grasslands and wooded bottomland on the Coldwater Creek arm of the Army Corps of Engineers Optima Reservoir Project.

The panhandle area of Oklahoma is often referred to as "No Man's Land" because it was the last wild west frontier, making it a favorite location for outlaws. Homesteaders began settling in the panhandle in the mid 1880s and called the area Cimarron Territory. One of the earliest towns in the territory was Hardesty, founded in 1885. It was located about three and a half miles northeast of the present town of Hardesty. "Old" Hardesty was relocated in 1901. That same year, the railroad tracks were extended from Liberal, Kansas, to Texas and the town of Guymon was founded. Guymon grew steadily as did the other towns that sprang up in the area of the present-day refuge.

Meeting to Gather Input on Management of Two Oklahoma Wildlife Refuges

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will hold an open-house forum on Friday, October 26 from 3 to 7 p.m. in Butler to discuss its draft management plan for Washita and Optima National Wildlife Refuges.  The meeting will be at the Butler Community Center, located at the intersection of State Highways 33 and 34. More...

Habitat

Optima NWR is located in the central mixed-grass prairie. The bottomland habitat is dominated by mature cottonwood and tallgrass prairie species such as big bluestem, little bluestem and Iindian grass. Shortgrass prairie species such as buffalo grass, blue gramma, sandsage, and yucca are found at the higher elevations. This area offers a home to many species of native wildlife, and provides for a variety of wildlife dependent recreational opportunities.

How to Get There

Optima NWR is located two miles north of Hardesty, and approximately nineteen miles east of Guymon, on State Highway 3/Highway 412 in Texas County, Oklahoma.