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Patoka River National Wildlife Refuge
Welcome to 502nd National Wildlife Refuge in the United States, the Patoka River National Wildlife Refuge, a wetland oasis sprawling across Pike and Gibson Counties in southwest Indiana near Oakland City. This is one of the most significant bottomland hardwood forest habitats still standing in the Midwestern United States.
Refuge History: This region's landscape was carved out by glacial retreat at the end of the last ice age over 10,000 years ago. Closer to it's source, the Patoka River has a steep drop of roughly 12 feet per mile but further downstream she only drops about 6 inches per mile. Many of the region's first white settlers cleared much of the land to set up farms. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries much of the region's coal was mined in order to heat homes and power steamboats. In 1920, a 17 mile ditch with a price tag of 500K was constructed in order to drain the land for agricultural purposes. The project was a failure and many small farmers had to file for bankruptcy. From the 1920's onward, strip mining for coal was a very common activity in the region. In 1987, the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act was passed and since that time over $20 million has been spent reclaiming the lands. In 1994 the Patoka River National Wildlife Refuge was established and many efforts to heal the scars of coal mining have been going on since that time.
Wildlife: Patoka River National Wildlife Refuge helps protect the home of numerous wild critters including northern copperbelly watersnakes, blue herons, bald eagles, Indiana bats, and many others. Please treat their home with respect.
For the lover of the outdoors Patoka River National Wildlife Refuge boasts waters stocked with bluegill, bass, crappie, and sunfish. Come on out and have a blast!
Location:
Patoka River National Wildlife Refuge
Indiana United States
38.323680, -87.382164