History
Time Line
1903: As settlers moved into the area, ambitious projects were undertaken to divert great quantities of Bear River water for use by upstream settlements and farms. The marshes began to dry.
1920: Only two or three thousand acres of the original forty-five thousand acres of wetland were left. The loss of wetlands through drying was a serious problem affecting the survival of migrating birds.
1928: Avian botulism created gruesome scenes of hundreds of thousands of dead and dying birds. The public’s reaction to these deadly epidemics brought action, and Congress passed an act to make the Bear River delta a National Wildlife Refuge.
1931: 50 miles of dike and water control structures were completed.
1964: A record 79,000 ducklings were produced at Bear River Refuge.
1982: New Visitor Center was dedicated, and thousands of people came to see the wetlands and birds of the Bear River Delta.
1983: With years of record precipitation, Great Salt Lake began to rise. The rising water eventually overtook refuge dikes, contaminating the fresh water habitats with saline lake water,
destroying the new visitor center and other structures. In short, the refuge was rendered
inoperable.
1990: The waters of Great Salt Lake receded, and dikes and the remains of buildings became visible. Refuge employees, aided by scores of volunteers, began working to restore the refuge.
1993: New critical breeding habitat was added to the refuge. This grassland area near Interstate 15 offers habitat for nesting waterfowl.
1997: Over 1.5 million cubic yards of dirt was moved to restore and improve the old dikes.
2000: The habitat recovered and began supporting millions of birds. Bear River again became a very crucial component of the Great Salt Lake Ecosystem.
2003: The National Wildlife Refuge System celebrated its centennial.
Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge celebrated its 75th birthday.
2006: The new visitor education center and office
complex opened
.
