Buffalo Lake National Wildlife Refuge
Encyclopedia
Not to be confused with Buffalo Lake National Wildlife Refuge (North Dakota)
Once buffalo grazed the shortgrass prairie
seen today at Buffalo Lake National Wildlife Refuge in Randall County of the Texas Panhandle
. Once a lake reflected the clouds. The buffalo
vanished. The lake has dried. But the shortgrass prairie remains as one of the best in the high plains grassland ecosystem.
In fact, this prairie is so important that 175 acre (0.7082005 km²) of it carries the designation of National Natural Landmark
. Most everywhere else, these native grassland
s fell to the plow and with them their wildlife. Here, visitors may still see black-tailed prairie dog
s perched on mounds and burrowing owl
s blink in broad daylight.
The shortgrass prairies spill into marsh
es, woodland
s, riparian habitat, croplands, and water-carved canyon
walls that together form 7664 acres (31 km²) of homes for migratory and year-round wildlife.
Buffalo Lake National Wildlife Refuge (North Dakota)
Not to be confused with Buffalo Lake National Wildlife Refuge in TexasBuffalo Lake National Wildlife Refuge is a National Wildlife Refuge in Pierce County, North Dakota. It is managed under J. Clark Salyer National Wildlife Refuge....
Once buffalo grazed the shortgrass prairie
Shortgrass prairie
The shortgrass prairie ecosystem of the North American Great Plains is a prairie that includes lands from the eastern foothills of the Rocky Mountains east to Nebraska and Saskatchewan, including rangelands in Alberta, Wyoming, Montana, North, South Dakota, and Kansas, and extending to the south...
seen today at Buffalo Lake National Wildlife Refuge in Randall County of the Texas Panhandle
Texas Panhandle
The Texas Panhandle is a region of the U.S. state of Texas consisting of the northernmost 26 counties in the state. The panhandle is a rectangular area bordered by New Mexico to the west and Oklahoma to the north and east...
. Once a lake reflected the clouds. The buffalo
American Bison
The American bison , also commonly known as the American buffalo, is a North American species of bison that once roamed the grasslands of North America in massive herds...
vanished. The lake has dried. But the shortgrass prairie remains as one of the best in the high plains grassland ecosystem.
In fact, this prairie is so important that 175 acre (0.7082005 km²) of it carries the designation of National Natural Landmark
National Natural Landmark
The National Natural Landmark program recognizes and encourages the conservation of outstanding examples of the natural history of the United States. It is the only natural areas program of national scope that identifies and recognizes the best examples of biological and geological features in...
. Most everywhere else, these native grassland
Grassland
Grasslands are areas where the vegetation is dominated by grasses and other herbaceous plants . However, sedge and rush families can also be found. Grasslands occur naturally on all continents except Antarctica...
s fell to the plow and with them their wildlife. Here, visitors may still see black-tailed prairie dog
Black-tailed Prairie Dog
The black-tailed prairie dog , is a rodent of the family Sciuridae found in the Great Plains of North America from about the USA-Canada border to the USA-Mexico border. Unlike some other prairie dogs, these animals do not truly hibernate. The black-tailed prairie dog can be seen aboveground in...
s perched on mounds and burrowing owl
Burrowing Owl
The Burrowing Owl is a tiny but long-legged owl found throughout open landscapes of North and South America. Burrowing Owls can be found in grasslands, rangelands, agricultural areas, deserts, or any other open dry area with low vegetation. They nest and roost in burrows, such as those excavated...
s blink in broad daylight.
The shortgrass prairies spill into marsh
Marsh
In geography, a marsh, or morass, is a type of wetland that is subject to frequent or continuous flood. Typically the water is shallow and features grasses, rushes, reeds, typhas, sedges, other herbaceous plants, and moss....
es, woodland
Woodland
Ecologically, a woodland is a low-density forest forming open habitats with plenty of sunlight and limited shade. Woodlands may support an understory of shrubs and herbaceous plants including grasses. Woodland may form a transition to shrubland under drier conditions or during early stages of...
s, riparian habitat, croplands, and water-carved canyon
Canyon
A canyon or gorge is a deep ravine between cliffs often carved from the landscape by a river. Rivers have a natural tendency to reach a baseline elevation, which is the same elevation as the body of water it will eventually drain into. This forms a canyon. Most canyons were formed by a process of...
walls that together form 7664 acres (31 km²) of homes for migratory and year-round wildlife.
See also
- Grulla National Wildlife RefugeGrulla National Wildlife RefugeGrulla National Wildlife Refuge is located primarily in eastern New Mexico in Roosevelt County, southwest of the intersection of State Highway 88 and the Texas - New Mexico border about 25 miles southeast of Portales, New Mexico and southeast of the tiny community of Arch...
- Muleshoe National Wildlife RefugeMuleshoe National Wildlife RefugeMuleshoe National Wildlife Refuge is the oldest National Wildlife Refuge in the state of Texas, having been established in 1935. It is located about twenty miles south of Muleshoe, the seat of Bailey County...
- Rita Blanca National GrasslandRita Blanca National GrasslandRita Blanca National Grassland is a National Grassland located in northern Dallam County, Texas, in the Texas Panhandle, and in southern Cimarron County, Oklahoma, in the western Oklahoma Panhandle, USA. It is not one solid block of government owned land but rather several small blocks of...
- Palo Duro CanyonPalo Duro CanyonPalo Duro Canyon is a canyon system of the Caprock Escarpment located in the Texas Panhandle near the city of Amarillo, Texas, United States. As the second largest canyon in the United States, it is roughly long and has an average width of , but reaches a width of at places. Its depth is around...
- Caprock Canyons State Park and TrailwayCaprock Canyons State Park and TrailwayCaprock Canyons State Park and Trailway is a Texas state park on the Caprock Escarpment in Briscoe County, Texas, United States, approximately southeast of Amarillo...
- McKittrick CanyonMcKittrick CanyonMcKittrick Canyon is a scenic canyon within the Guadalupe Mountains of West Texas. The steep towering walls of McKittrick Canyon protect a rich riparian oasis in the midst of the Chihuahuan Desert....