Speeding down Highway 21, just four miles west of Necedah, one comes face to face with the Great Central Wisconsin Swamp, the largest wetland bog in the state. The lowland extensive forest habitat is home to threatened, endangered and rare species. Wild places like these have been preserved by the National Wildlife Refuge System for 100 years.
On March 14, 1903, President Roosevelt signed an executive order establishing Pelican Island as the first federal bird reservation. He proceeded to establish a network of 55 bird reservations and national game preservations for wildlife. This became the forerunner to the National Wildlife Refuge System.
Today, there are more than 500 wildlife refuges in the United States. Celebrating a centennial of wildlife conservation, each refuge is unique and plays its own essential part in wildlife conservation.
\Most refuges in the national system are to protect terrain for wildlife ... areas that can be maintained in their natural state,"" said Don Hollway, a refuge volunteer.
These national wildlife refuges actively participate in preserving natural habitats and protecting species of animals that might have otherwise become extinct by now.
The Necedah National Wildlife Refuge is a host site to reestablishing the population of whooping cranes, birds that came close to extinction a few years ago. Currently, there are less than 400 whooping cranes in the world.
As part of the national wildlife refuge centennial celebration, the national wildlife refuge at Whittlesey Creek is trying to reestablish the Coaster Brook Trout in Lake Superior. In August of this year, the trout were stocked at Whittlesey Creek, marking the first of several stockings that will take place over the next six years.
""Because there is so little wetlands along the coast of Lake Superior, they are important to provide for plant and invertebrate populations,"" said Pam Dryer, project leader for the Whittlesey Creek National Wildlife Refuge.
Wildlife refuges are the spawning grounds for trout, landing grounds for migratory birds like the whooping crane, home to many kinds of prairie plants and habitats for rare species like the Karner blue butterfly, Massasauga rattlesnake and Blanding's turtle.
The refuges are open to the public to hunt, fish, observe, berry-pick and hike. However, non-wildlife -dependent activities like ice skating and picnicking are prohibited. For further information, visit http://midwest.fws.gov.
