Overflow National Wildlife Refuge

Overflow National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) is a 13,973 acre (56.55 km2) national wildlife refuge in Ashley County, Arkansas. Overflow NWR is one of three refuges forming an administrative complex, which also includes Felsenthal NWR and Pond Creek NWR to the west.[2]

Overflow National Wildlife Refuge
IUCN category IV (habitat/species management area)
Map showing the location of Overflow National Wildlife Refuge
Map showing the location of Overflow National Wildlife Refuge
Map of the United States
LocationAshley County, Arkansas, United States
Nearest cityWilmot, Arkansas
Coordinates33°04′00″N 91°40′30″W[1]
Area13,973 acres (56.55 km2)
Established1980
Governing bodyU.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
WebsiteOverflow National Wildlife Refuge

Habitat and Wildlife

Overflow National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) was established in 1980 to protect one of the last remaining bottomland hardwood forests in the Mississippi Alluvial Plains.[3] These forests are considered vital for wintering migratory waterfowl populations in the Mississippi Flyway. The refuge is composed of nearly 14,000 acres of bottomland hardwood forests, shrub wetlands, moist-soil units, and upland pine-hardwood forests.[4] It also contains a 230-acre (0.9 km2) old growth Sugar Maple and American Beech forest.[5]

Overflow NWR has been recognized as a state-wide Important Bird Area by the National Audubon Society.[6] Carefully timed flooding of the bottomlands and moist-soil units stimulates the growth of native wetland plants, insects, crustaceans, and mollusks.[7] These high energy foods are crucial for the survival of migratory waterfowl and shorebirds.

References
  1. "Overflow National Wildlife Refuge". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior.
  2. "About Us: Other Facilities in this Complex". Felsenthal National Wildlife Refuge. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Retrieved 3 June 2022.
  3. "About Us". Overflow National Wildlife Refuge. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Retrieved 3 June 2022.
  4. Felsenthal and Overflow National Wildlife Refuges Comprehensive Conservation Plan (PDF). Atlanta, Georgia: U.S. Department of the Interior Fish and Wildlife Service Southeast Region. October 2010. p. 16. Retrieved 3 June 2022.
  5. Davis, Mary (2005). Old Growth in the East: Arkansas (PDF). www.primalnature.org. pp. 7–8. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2009-02-25. Retrieved 3 June 2022.
  6. "Overflow National Wildlife Refuge". Audubon. National Audubon Society. Retrieved 3 June 2022.
  7. Felsenthal and Overflow National Wildlife Refuges Comprehensive Conservation Plan (PDF). Atlanta, Georgia: U.S. Department of the Interior Fish and Wildlife Service Southeast Region. October 2010. p. 44. Retrieved 3 June 2022.
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