White River National Wildlife Refuge
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The White River National Wildlife Refuge is a 160,000 acre (647 km²) wildlife refuge located in Desha, Monroe, Phillips, and Arkansas counties in the state of Arkansas. The refuge is managed by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service.
White River National Wildlife Refuge was created in 1935. The refuge is 3 to 10 miles (5 to 15 km) wide and encompassing 90 miles (145 km) of the lower 100 miles (160 km) of the White River. It also includes 3 miles (5 km) of the Arkansas Post Canal which is part of the Army Corps of Engineers' McClellan-Kerr Navigation System on the Arkansas River.
The refuge has the largest concentration of wintering mallard ducks in the Mississippi Flyway. It also has large concentrations of snow and Canada geese. The refuge is home to a population of black bears and four active bald eagle nests. It is believed to host one of the last populations of the Ivory-billed Woodpecker, a bird once thought to be extinct.
The refuge has 356 natural and man-made lakes which make up 4,000 acres (16 km²) of the refuge. There are 154,000 acres (623 km²) of forestland, 900 acres (3.6 km²) of agricultural land, and 1,000 acres (4 km²) of grassland.
The refuge is classified as a Wetland of International Importance.