Wheeler National Wildlife Refuge
| Wheeler National Wildlife Refuge | |
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IUCN category IV (habitat/species management area)
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| Location | Morgan, Limestone, and Madison counties, Alabama, United States |
| Nearest city | Decatur, Alabama |
| Coordinates | 34°33′28″N 86°57′06″W / 34.55778°N 86.95167°WCoordinates: 34°33′28″N 86°57′06″W / 34.55778°N 86.95167°W |
| Area | 34,430.66 acres (139.3359 km2) |
| Established | 1938 |
| Visitors | 700,000 (in 2003) |
| Governing body | U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service |
| Website | Wheeler NWR |
The Wheeler National Wildlife Refuge is a 35,000 acre (142 km2) National Wildlife Refuge located along the Tennessee River near Decatur, Alabama. Named after Major General Joseph Wheeler, it was established to provide a habitat for wintering and migrating birds in the eastern United States.
Of the 35,000 acres (142 km2) of the refuge, about 4,085 acres (16.5 km2) are located within Redstone Arsenal. Approximately 1,500 acres (6 km2) of the Redstone Arsenal land is administered by the Marshall Space Flight Center. The facility has a sixteen-person staff with a $1,694,000 annual budget.
Wheeler NWR is charged with the administration of four other National Wildlife Refuges including Fern Cave, Key Cave, Sauta Cave, and the Watercress Darter National Wildlife Refuge. Until recently, Wheeler NWR also administered the Cahaba River National Wildlife Refuge (now administered by the Mountain Longleaf National Wildlife Refuge).
In 1934, the Tennessee Valley Authority began purchasing land as a bed for and buffer strip for Wheeler Reservoir. By 1936, the Tennessee River was impounded for flood control with the nearby Wheeler Dam providing hydroelectric power.
In 1938, the Refuge was established by Executive Order of President Franklin D. Roosevelt and became the first National Wildlife Refuge to be overlain on a multi-purpose reservoir. TVA impounded shallow backwater areas of the reservoir to control the mosquito population. By pumping these areas dry in the spring and summer, the mosquito breeding habitat was eliminated.
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Wikipedia