Cache River National Wildlife Refuge

The Cache River National Wildlife Refuge runs along the flood-plain of the Cache River for 70 miles (100 km) from the Cache River's mouth at Clarendon, Arkansas to the town of Grubbs, Arkansas . The refuge encompasses land in the Arkansas counties of Jackson , Woodruff , Prairie , and Monroe .

The refuge is one of the Ramsar List Of Wetlands Of International Importance under the Ramsar Convention signed in 1971. It is also the most important wintering area for Duck s and the largest remaining tract of contiguous bottomland hardwood forest on the North American continent.

The refuge includes 33,000 acres (134 km&²) of bottomland forest and Slough s. It also includes several Oxbow Lake s, as well as 4,300 acres (17 km&²) of croplands and 7,500 acres (30 km&²) of reforested areas.

The refuge is home to over 50 species of mammals including Deer , Raccoon , Bobcat , and river otter. It also is home for nearly 240 species of birds including ducks, Geese , wading birds, and other assorted Migratory Bird s. It is believed to be one of the only remaining habitats of the Ivory-billed Woodpecker , once thought to be extinct. The swampy bottomlands are also home to 48 species of Reptile s and Amphibians .

Since the establishment of the refuge in 1986 private land prices adjacent to the refuge have more than doubled. The refuge continues to grow as land is acquired on a "willing seller" basis over time.

Other protected areas for wildlife co-exist with the Cache River National Wildlife Refuge along the Cache and White River s including the Bald Knob National Wildlife Refuge and the Hurricane Lake State Wildlife Management Area .

On April 29 , 2005 , officials announced that the Ivory-billed Woodpecker, believed extinct for 60 years, has been sighted in the Cache River National Wildlife Refuge.

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