Grays Lake National Wildlife Refuge facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Grays Lake National Wildlife Refuge |
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IUCN Category IV (Habitat/Species Management Area)
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 Grays Lake National Wildlife Refuge
Location in the United States
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| Location | Bonneville County, Caribou County, Idaho, United States |
| Nearest city | Soda Springs, Idaho |
| Area | 19,400 acres (79 km2) |
| Established | 1965 |
| Governing body | U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service |
| Website | Grays Lake National Wildlife Refuge |
Grays Lake National Wildlife Refuge is a National Wildlife Refuge of the United States located in southeastern Idaho. It has the largest hardstem bulrush marsh in North America. Located in a high mountain valley near Soda Springs, the refuge and surrounding mountains offer scenic vistas, wildflowers, and fall foliage displays. Lands adjacent to the 19,400-acre (79 km2) refuge are primarily wet meadows and grasslands. The refuge provides breeding habitat for species of mammals including moose, elk, mule deer, muskrat, badger, and weasel.
Geography
The refuge has a surface area of 20,125.08 acres (81.44 km² or 8,144 ha).
Bird habitat
The refuge hosts a large nesting population of greater sandhill cranes; as many as 1200 individuals are counted in the valley during migration and staging times. The refuge is a birding destination, and a good area to view the rare trumpeter swans. This near-pristine montane wetland is being threatened by the same type of suburban/rural development that has so heavily impacted nearby Jackson Hole.
