Big Oaks National Wildlife Refuge

Big Oaks National Wildlife Refuge
IUCN category IV (habitat/species management area)
Map of the United States
Location	Ripley County, Jefferson County, Jennings County, Indiana, United States
Nearest city	Madison, Indiana
Coordinates	38°57′00″N 85°24′00″W / 38.95000°N 85.40000°W / 38.95000; -85.40000Coordinates: 38°57′00″N 85°24′00″W / 38.95000°N 85.40000°W / 38.95000; -85.40000
Area	50,000 acres (200 km²)
Established	2000
Governing body	U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Website	Big Oaks National Wildlife Refuge

Big Oaks National Wildlife Refuge is a 50,000-acre (202 km²) nature preserve in southeast Indiana, United States near Madison, Indiana. The refuge is the largest of Indiana's three, and is located in parts of Ripley, Jefferson, and Jennings counties.^[1]

The refuge was formed in 2000 after a 1989 order to gradually close the Jefferson Proving Ground, a World War II era munitions testing facility, which was completed by 1995. The refuge is located north of the historic firing line and surrounds a 1,000-acre (4 km²) parcel operated by the Indiana Air National Guard. A zone used for firing tests remains off limit to the public due to the prohibitive cost of cleanup.^[2]

Due to the past use-history of the property as an ordnance testing facility, all visitors must view a safety video and sign an Acknowledgement of Danger form annually prior to entering the refuge.^[1]

Over 200 species of birds and 46 species of mammals are found on the refuge.^[1]

Public uses of the refuge include hunting (white-tailed deer and wild turkey), fishing, and bird-watching.^[3]

Collin's Ford Bridge, Marble Creek Bridge, Oakdale School, also known as Building 401, and Old Timbers are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.^[4]

References

1 2 3 "Big Oaks National Wildlife Refuge: Introduction". U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. Archived from the original on 6 February 2008. Retrieved 2008-01-10.
↑ Moss, Dale (2003-01-26). "Proving Ground enjoying new life". Courier-Journal. pp. 1B (Indiana Edition).
↑ Weslander, Eric (2000-06-16). "Indiana wildlife refuge plan is outlined". Courier-Journal. pp. 1A.
↑ National Park Service (2010-07-09). "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service.

This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the United States Fish and Wildlife Service.

External links

Big Oaks National Wildlife Refuge, U.S. Fish and Wildlife (official page)

Protected areas of Indiana

National Park Service	George Rogers Clark National Historical Park Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore Lincoln Boyhood National Memorial

National Forest	Hoosier

National Wildlife Refuges	Big Oaks Muscatatuck Patoka River

National Natural Landmarks	Cowles Bog Hanging Rock and Wabash Reef Harrison Spring Marengo Cave Ohio Coral Reef Orangeville Rise Pinhook Bog Portland Arch Nature Preserve Rocky Hollow Falls Canyon Nature Preserve Wesley Chapel Gulf Wesselman Woods Nature Preserve

State Parks	Brown County Chain O'Lakes Charlestown Clifty Falls Falls of the Ohio Fort Harrison Harmonie Indiana Dunes Lincoln McCormick's Creek Mounds O'Bannon Woods Ouabache Pokagon Potato Creek Prophetstown Shades Shakamak Spring Mill Summit Lake Tippecanoe River Turkey Run Versailles White River Whitewater Memorial

State Forests and Recreation Areas	Clark Deam Lake Ferdinand Greene–Sullivan Harrison–Crawford Jackson–Washington Martin Morgan–Monroe Owen–Putnam Pike Salamonie River Selmier Starve Hollow Yellowwood

Indiana Department of Natural Resources

National Wildlife Refuges of the United States

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