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Patoka River
National Wildlife Refuge
Contacting
the Refuge:
Complex Manager: Bill
McCoy
e-mail: Bill_McCoy@fws.gov
P.O.
Box 217
510 1/2 West Morton Street
Oakland City, IN 47660
Phone: 812-749-3199
Fax: 812-749-3059
TTY: 1-800-877-8339 (Federal Relay)
The refuge is located in Pike
and Gibson Counties, near Oakland City
Refuge
Brochure (157k pdf format)
Patoka River NWR Auto Tour
Auto Tour Map
Auto Tour Narrative (128k pdf format)
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Established: 1994
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502nd refuge within the National Wildlife Refuge System
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Indiana's second National Wildlife Refuge
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Refuge acres purchased: 6,149
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White River Wildlife Management Area: 219 acres
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Cane Ridge Wildlife Management Area: 488 acres
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Total acres authorized: 23,962
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Patoka River NWR includes both refuge and WMA designations within one contiguous boundary. This differentiation is necessary to avoid conflicts with the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act (SMCRA) and the area's surface coal mining industry. The designations have no implications for the management of these lands after they are purchased
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The outlying White River and Cane Ridge WMAs are not part of the SMCRA designation, but offer protection, management, conservation of wildlife and wildlife habitat
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River corridor project will encompass 30 miles of the Patoka River and 19 miles of oxbows with a total of 12,700 acres of existing wetlands
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Refuge provides some of the best wood duck production habitat in the state
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Refuge provides protected habitat for the largest nesting colony of the endangered least interior terns east of the Mississippi River
Financial Impact
of Refuge
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Three person staff
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22,000 visitors annually
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FY 2008 Budget: $372,318
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One of the most significant
bottomland hardwood forests remaining in the state
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Supports over 380 species
of wildlife, including the threatened bald eagle, endangered Indiana bat, and endangered least interior terns
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Provide resting, nesting
and feeding habitat for waterfowl, shorebirds and other migratory birds
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Provide habitat for
resident wildlife
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Protect endangered
and threatened species
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Provide for biodiversity
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Provide
public opportunities for outdoor recreation and environmental education
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Restore, protect and
manage the river corridor of bottomland hardwood wetlands
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Partner with others
to restore fish and wildlife habitat and improve water quality in southwest Indiana
Highlight
In cooperation with
the refuge, Ducks Unlimited, Duke Energy, Natural Resource Conservation Service, Indiana DNR, and other partners, secured a $1 million grant and an NRCS Wetland Reserve Program (WRP) easement to purchase 463 acres to create 193 acres of moist soil units and a 60-acre nesting pool for the endangered least interior tern
A second North American Wetland Conservation Act (NAWCA) partner grant was used to construct 61 acres of moist soil units on the Patoka River NWR
Priorities
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Secure land acquisition funding
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Enhance the refuge
biological program
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Enhance public use
program
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