Delair Division is located in Pike County, Illinois, Pool 24. The closest town is Louisiana, Missouri, two miles northwest of the refuge. This division was purchased with funds from the sale of migratory waterfowl stamps. The division lies completely within the 52 mile long Sny Agricultural Levee District, and is separated from the river by the mainline Sny Levee. The sandy soil structure and low elevation permits constant seepage of water into the division from the river.
When originally acquired, the area was almost entirely cropland. Of the 440 acres set aside for farming, 90 acres are left idle each year to provide habitat for grassland birds, this also helps reduce sedimentation and the amount of chemicals used. The remaining 330 acres are cooperatively farmed annually - with corn, soybeans and winter wheat - to provide supplemental food for waterfowl.
The remaining 1,275 acres have been restored to marshes, lakes, forests and grasslands. Semi-permanent and permanent water bodies make up 480 acres of Delair, providing feeding and resting areas for waterfowl and many other wetland bird species. Water level management, mowing and discing, are used to create diverse vegetative habitat within the wetland units.
Some loss of bottomland timber has occurred due to the saturation of the soils from flooding. However, the south Sny Levee was one of very few levees between Rock Island and St. Louis which was not breached during the 1993 flood event. Therefore, timber within Delair was not as extensively damaged as other divisions. About 40 acres of cropland was retired in 1996 and planted with bottomland tree species.
In 1993, it became necessary to control the expanding deer population and a muzzle-loader deer hunt was initiated to assist with habitat management efforts. Although no waterfowl hunting opportunities exist on the division, intense duck hunting pressure surrounds the refuge, including IL DNR lease blinds on the Mississippi River.
Bald eagles (a federally threatened species) routinely nest on Delair. In addition to the bald eagles, a pair of barn owls (an Illinois state endangered bird) also has nested on the division.
Delair Division is closed to public entry at all times, as stipulated in the purchase agreements. However, school groups can use the area for environmental education purposes; contact Great Rivers NWR headquarters for an appointment. Another natural area nearby is the 
Ted Shanks Conservation Area managed by the Missouri Department of Conservation which offers a variety of outdoor activities.
Regulations
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