2008 Federal Duck Stamp Contest Phone: 573-222-3589 |
Current News
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: MARCH 20, 2008
CONTACT:
Vergial Harp, 573-222-3589
Vergial_Harp@fws.gov
OPENING OF AUTO TOUR ROUTE POSTPONED
ON MINGO NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE
The Mingo Swamp is a great place to enjoy water and wildlife but too much water can be a problem even for a swamp at times. On Mingo National Wildlife Refuge, as with other areas in the region, recent flooding has caused extensive damage to many roads, bridges, and other facilities. While the newly built Boardwalk Nature Trail appears to have withstood the worst of the flood damage, other facilities haven’t faired so well.
One of the areas damaged extensively is the West Auto Tour Route where much of the roadway has been washed away and undermined in the Cow Creek and Stanley Creek Watersheds along with the Ditch 6 Roadway.
To assure public safety, the Auto Tour Route, scheduled for opening on April 1st will not be opened until complete assessments of damage and repairs can be made. These repairs may take several months according to Refuge Manger Ben Mense. “The safety of Refuge visitors is our first priority and we’ll do our best to open access when all problems are corrected.” Mense asked the public to be patient with Refuge staff and volunteers as repairs are made. He says routes may change or facilities may be closed for inspections or until safety hazards are repaired. “Right now, we just won’t know for sure until the water levels fully recede,” Mense adds. “It may be well into the summer months before the Refuge is fully operational again.”
In the meantime, the Refuge does remain open to the public and many Refuge events and activities continue through the spring. These activities include wildlife observation along Bluff Road, special events, hiking, fishing, bird watching, and photography. Beginning April 1st, the Refuge Visitor Center will also open on weekends: Saturdays, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Sundays, 12 noon to 4 p.m. For more information on refuge activities, closures, or safety concerns, please contact the Refuge Visitor Center located one mile north of Puxico on Highway 51. The telephone number is 573-222-3589.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is the principal Federal agency responsible for conserving, protecting and enhancing fish, wildlife and plants and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the American people. The Service manages the 96-million-acre National Wildlife Refuge System, which encompasses 545 national wildlife refuges, thousands of small wetlands and other special management areas. It also operates 69 national fish hatcheries, 64 fishery resource offices and 81 ecological services field stations. The agency enforces federal wildlife laws, administers the Endangered Species Act, manages migratory bird populations, restores nationally significant fisheries, conserves and restores wildlife habitat such as wetlands, and helps foreign governments with their conservation efforts. It also oversees the Federal Assistance program, which distributes hundreds of millions of dollars in excise taxes on fishing and hunting equipment to state fish and wildlife agencies.
