National Wildlife Refuges
- Chautauqua National Wildlife Refuge
- Crab Orchard National Wildlife Refuge
- Cypress Creek National Wildlife Refuge
- Emiquon National Wildlife Refuge
- Illinois River National Wildlife and Fish Refuge
- Kankakee National Wildlife Refuge
- Hackmatack National Wildlife Refuge
- Middle Mississippi River National Wildlife Refuge
- Meredosia National Wildlife Refuge
- Savanna District, Upper Mississippi National Wildlife and Fish Refuge
- Two Rivers National Wildlife Refuge
Hackmatack National Wildlife Refuge
We worked with allies in the creation of our nation's 561st National Wildlife Refuge in McHenry County and southern Wisconsin to protect and restore rare remnant oak savannas, tall grass prairie, wetlands and other natural features threatened by development. The refuge is the first located in the Chicago Metro region; it is also convenient for visitors from the Rockford Metro area as well as Milwaukee and Madison in Wisconsin.
The new refuge will protect and restore our beautiful oak savanna and tall grass prairie landscape, among the most rare ecosystems on the planet.
Cypress Creek National Wildlife Refuge
Cypress Creek National Wildlife Refuge is located in southern Illinois just north of the confluence of the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers. Approximately 16,000 acres of the 35,320 acres delineated within the refuge boundary have been purchased. The refuge provides valuable habitat for a diversity of waterfowl and other migratory birds, resident wildlife, and endangered and threatened species. It is also part of a larger 60,000 acre boundary delineated by the Cache River Wetlands Joint Venture Project. To date, approximately 35,000 acres have been protected and are managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Illinois Department of Natural Resources, and The Nature Conservancy (Grassy Slough Preserve).
More information about the Cache River.
Threats to the area include a proposed Interstate or high-speed, multi-lane, limited access highway for truck transport between Cape Girardeau, Missouri and Paducah, Kentucky. Contact us for information on how you can get involved in making sure a super highway is not built through this unique and fragile habitat.