Attwater Prairie Chicken National Wildlife Refuge
| Attwater Prairie Chicken National Wildlife Refuge | |
|---|---|
|
IUCN category IV (habitat/species management area)
|
|
Attwater's prairie chicken
|
|
 Map of the United States
|
|
| Location | Colorado County, Texas, United States |
| Nearest city | Sealy, Texas |
| Coordinates | 29°39′36″N 96°16′23″W / 29.66000°N 96.27306°WCoordinates: 29°39′36″N 96°16′23″W / 29.66000°N 96.27306°W |
| Area | 10,528 acres (42.61 km2) |
| Established | 1972 |
| Governing body | U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service |
| Website | Attwater Prairie Chicken National Wildlife Refuge |
| Designated | 1968 |
Attwater Prairie Chicken National Wildlife Refuge, is a federally protected refugium encompassing one of the largest remnants of coastal prairie habitat remaining in southeast Texas, United States and home to one of the last populations of the critically endangered Attwater's prairie chicken, a ground-dwelling grouse of the coastal prairie ecosystem.
The 10,528 acre (43 km²) refuge, located in eastern Colorado County, approximately 60 miles (100 km) west of Houston, Texas, was established in 1972, and is one of a handful of national wildlife refuges managed specifically for an endangered species.
In the mid-1960s, the World Wildlife Fund purchased 3,500 acres (14 km2) of land to preserve some remaining coastal prairie for the Attwater's Prairie Chicken. The land was transferred to the United States Fish and Wildlife Service in 1972, which brought the refuge up to its current acreage.
Many of the Attwater's prairie chickens in the refuge are hatched at captive breeding programs at Fossil Rim Wildlife Center, Texas A&M University, SeaWorld San Antonio, Abilene Zoo, Caldwell Zoo, Houston Zoo and San Antonio Zoo. Chicks are fitted with a radio transmitter and released at the refuge once they are capable of independent survival.
...
Wikipedia