Felsenthal National Wildlife Refuge

Felsenthal National Wildlife Refuge is located 50 miles south of Fordyce on US Highway 82. This low lying area is dissected by an intricate system of rivers, creeks, sloughs, buttonbush swamps, and lakes throughout a vast bottomland hardwood forest that gradually rises to an upland forest community. Historically, periodic flooding of the "bottoms" during winter and spring provided excellent wintering waterfowl habitat. These wetlands, in combination with the pine and upland hardwood forest on the higher ridges, support a wide diversity of native plants and animals.

Three other refuges scattered across south Arkansas are also managed as part of this refuge complex. Overflow NWR, located to the east in the Mississippi River Delta, is a wetland complex consisting of seasonally flooded bottomland hardwood forests, managed impoundments, and croplands. The Oakwood Unit, which also lies within the Delta, consists of managed impoundments and recently reforested farmland. Cossatot NWR, located along the Texas/Oklahoma border, is entirely forested with bottomland hardwoods and protects one of the last remaining hardwood tracts in the Red River Basin. These refuges provide needed habitat protection for the extremely valuable, rapidly disappearing wetland hardwood forest community.

Wildlife

Felsenthal NWR lies within the Mississippi Flyway - the "highway in the sky" from nesting grounds to wintering areas through middle North America used by vast numbers of migrating waterfowl, shorebirds, neotropical songbirds, and birds of prey waterfowl began arriving in September with blue-wing teal, mallards, black ducks, gadwall, and ring-neck ducks among the 20 species that winter here. The handsome wood duck, a year-round resident, nests in tree cavities and in nest boxes placed throughout the hardwood forest.

During the spring, summer, and through early fall, Felsenthal NWR is haven for a variety of other migrant birds. A myriad of songbirds and shorebirds stop briefly in the fall and spring to replenish energy reserves for the long journey to and from wintering areas in Central and South America, while other birds, such as Northern parula, prothonotary warbler, and American redstart utilize the refuge for nesting. Almost 100 species of birds are known to nest in the area.

Endangered Wildlife

The red-cockaded woodpecker, a small resident bird, is an endangered species. This woodpecker prefers open, park-like timber stands where it drills nesting cavities in mature pine trees. In these upland areas, trees with cavities are marked with white bands. Artificial nest inserts are placed in mature pine trees to supplement natural cavity trees and to encourage establishment of new colonies. Forest management practices, such as selective cutting and intensive prescribed burning, are the primary management tools used to improve and maintain a home for this endangered bird.

Felsenthal Refuge is home to bald eagles during the winter as these magnificent birds follow waterfowl down the flyway. In the future, these birds may begin nesting here since the Felsenthal Pool has created what appears to be optimum habitat.

Felsenthal NWR is on the northern edge of the American alligator's range. Although no longer on the endangered list, this ancient reptile is still considered threatened in Arkansas. This resident makes its home in the thousands of acres of shallow water wetlands. Alligators have been known to nest on the refuge.

For More Information

Felsenthal National Wildlife Refuge
P.O. Box 1157
Crossett, AR 71635
(870) 364-3167

The City of Fordyce
101 S. Main Street
Fordyce, AR 71742
(870) 352-2198
(870) 352-8610 ( fax)
E-mail: cityoffordyce@alltel.net