News
The Ferguson House Chapter is Finally Closed
Presidential Ponderings by Jim Meyer – On Monday, February 1st, the final chapter in the restoration of the Ferguson House was completed. A large black, gabbro boulder, which had been cut and engraved with information about the Ferguson House, was placed in front of the building for all to see and enjoy. This story began…
Read More2020 Year In Review By Board President Emeritus Jim Stone
Photo by S. Hodge As 2020 comes to a close, we need to take a moment to reflect on this past year. With the global pandemic, record-breaking weather events due to climate change, unprecedented wildfires and social unrest from injustices faced by people of color, this past year has led many to despair. While members…
Read MoreRefuge Preparing for Controlled Hunts
Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge will temporarily close portions of the public use area on select days in November, December, and January to conduct controlled hunts. These hunts, which are conducted in cooperation with the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation, are an important part of the deer and elk management on the Refuge. Biologists utilize hunting…
Read MoreRefuge Begins Roadwork on Highway 49
Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge will begin a roadwork project to conduct necessary road maintenance by resurfacing and repairing damaged sections of existing asphalt starting November 17, 2020, and continuing through February 2021. This project will result in single lane closures along sections of Highway 49 between the West Gate and the Visitor Center. Visitors will…
Read MoreAudubon Magazine Article Highlights Lack of Funding Impact on Wildlife Refuges
Full article available online at: https://www.audubon.org/magazine/fall-2020/overwhelmed-and-understaffed-our-national-wildlife
Read MoreRefuge Joins the Bison Conservation Initiative, Ends Auction
Earlier this year, Secretary of the Interior David Bernhardt announced the 2020 Bison Conservation Initiative (BCI), and reaffirmed the Department of the Interior (DOI) commitment to conservation and restoration of wild American bison. The initiative will coordinate conservation strategies and approaches for the wild American bison over the next 10 years. The DOI and its partners have…
Read MoreRefuge Announces the Cancellation of Fall Interpretive Tours
News Release: In keeping with guidance from the White House and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and acting out of an abundance of caution, Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge is cancelling its fall interpretive tours. These highly popular tours traditionally provide visitors the opportunity to view Rocky Mountain Elk and colorful fall foliage on…
Read MoreHeat Restrictions Lifted
FWS News Release: The Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge (Refuge) issued a Heat Advisory on July 9, 2020, as a result of seasonally hot weather conditions coupled with a series of increasingly complex search and rescue operations for hikes with heat exhaustion. Effective July 20, 2020, the Refuge is lifting those restrictions. Wichita Mountains is open…
Read MoreRefuge Update
The US Fish & Wildlife Service is working on plans to resume full operations at various refuges throughout the System, when it is safe to do so. Those plans will undoubtedly be rolled out incrementally and not at all refuges at one time. Locally, the Fire Crew and a portion of the maintenance crew are…
Read MoreFOW Presidential Ponderings
The COVID-19 pandemic has drastically changed the way we live our lives. Work has changed, school has changed, social interactions have changed, and the very livelihood of so many of our family, friends and neighbors has been affected. Our world has been upended. The Wichita Mountains NWR has had to adjust and initiate changes, as…
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