Clarks River National Wildlife Refuge


	Clarks River National Wildlife Refuge
	91 US Hwy 641N Benton KY , KY 42025 E-mail: clarksriver@fws.gov Phone Number: 270-527-5770
	Visit the Refuge's Web Site: http://www.fws.gov/southeast/clarksriver/	The wetland ecosystem of the Clarks River NWR consists of cypress sloughs and bottomland hardwood habitats.

Clarks River National Wildlife Refuge
Clarks River National Wildlife Refuge is a beautiful bottomland hardwood forest located in western Kentucky near Benton. The refuge lies along the East Fork of the Clarks River and is seasonal home to over 200 different species of migratory birds. The bottom lands are dominated with overcup oaks, bald cypress, and tupelo gum, and the slightly higher, better drained areas, are covered with willow oak, swamp chestnut oak, red oak, sweet gum, sycamore, ash and elm.

Getting There . . .
From Paducah, Kentucky, take I-24 east to exit 25, and go south on the Purchase Parkway. Take exit 43 off the Purchase Parkway and go right on Hwy. 348. Go to the intersection of Hwy 641 and turn left heading north on Hwy. 641. Go 1.2 miles and the Refuge Headquarters will be on the left at 91 U.S. Highway 641 North. The Refuge is open Monday through Friday except for Federal Holidays from 7:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Telephone number is 270-527-5770.

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The purpose of the refuge is to protect, enhance, and manage a valuable bottomland wetland ecosystem, along the East Fork of the Clarks River, for the benefit of waterfowl, neotropical migratory songbirds, forest wildlife, riverine species, and a wide array of other diverse species associated with bottomland hardwood communities.

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The Clarks River National Wildlife Refuge was first identified as a high priority site for protection in 1978 by the Services Bottomland Hardwood Preservation Program. In 1991, the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources asked the service to consider the site for protection as a unit of the National Wildlife Refuge System. Clarks River is the only National Wildlife Refuge located solely within the bounds of the State of Kentucky. The refuge was established in July of 1997, with a proposed acquisition boundary of 18,000 acres. The first tract of land was purchased in August of 1998, and the refuge currently consists of over 7,000 acres.

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The refuge currently manages about 60 acres of native grasslands to benefit white-tailed deer, turkey, quail, migratory songbirds and small mammals. More fields will be established as opportunity allows. The native warm-season grasses planted here include big bluestem, little bluestem, eastern gamagrass, sideoats grama, Indiangrass, and switchgrass. The grasslands will be maintained through fire or other appropriate means. The refuge also plants native warm-season grasses and wildlife food crops in borders around fields enrolled in the cooperative farming program.

Some areas of the refuge, once forested lands, were converted to agriculture and pasture decades ago. The refuge maintains many of these fields through a cooperative farming program. During drier years, soybean and corn crops are grown with good yields; however, crops planted early in the year are frequently lost to flooding. The refuge is in the process of identifying the fields that are most frequently flooded and therefore marginal or less productive. These fields will be retired from production and reforested to bottomland hardwood tree species. Cooperative farmers are also encouraged to use filter strips or buffers in active fields adjacent to the Clarks River or any of its tributaries. Approximately 725 acres are currently being cultivated through cooperative farming agreements to meet refuge biological objectives.

The refuge began reforestation of farmed wetlands in the winter of 2006. Approximately 50,000 seedlings were planted on about 120 acres. The species planted include American elm, bald cypress, bitternut hickory, shellbark hickory, northern pecan, hazel alder, persimmon and seven species of oaks. The seedlings may be planted by hand or by machine depending on site conditions. Other tree species are allowed to colonize the site naturally. More fields will be restored as opportunity allows. The refuge also plans to harvest about 640 acres of single-species hardwood plantations acquired from a previous owner and then restore those sites to a mixed species composition. The impacts to migratory songbirds and other wildlife will be monitored before, during, and after the restoration.

The majority of the refuge is forested wetlands that consist mostly of bottomland hardwood tree species. Other wetland habitat types include farmed wetlands, beaver ponds, riverine habitat and managed impoundments. A primary purpose of the refuge is to support the goals and objectives of the North American Waterfowl Management Plan. Four impoundments have been created since the refuge was established to enhance wildlife management opportunities. All four impoundments combined provide approximately 50 acres of manageable habitat in the form of standing agricultural crops and wetland plants grown through active moist soil management. At this time, the refuge is dependent on rainfall or overflow flooding from the Clarks River to fill all but one of its impoundments.