Minidoka National Wildlife Refuge
Encyclopedia
Minidoka National Wildlife Refuge is located on the Snake River
Plain in south-central Idaho
, 12 miles (19.3 km) northeast of Rupert
. It includes about 80 miles (128.7 km) of shoreline around Lake Walcott
, from Minidoka Dam
upstream about 25 miles (40.2 km).
About half of the refuge's acreage is open water and wetlands. In this arid landscape, these resources serve as an oasis drawing numerous wildlife species from miles around. Many species use the bulrush
and cattail habitat that lines the lake's small bays. Others use the willow
s, cottonwoods, and other trees growing near shorelines. The rest of the refuge is low, rolling uplands covered by sagebrush
, grass
es, and isolated juniper
patches among scattered outcrops of basalt
.
The climate is semi-arid with about 11 inches of precipitation per year, much of it falling as snow during the winter. Summers are hot and dry with highly variable rain during thunderstorms. Winters are generally moderate but windy. The elevation is about 4200 feet (1,280.2 m).
Undisturbed habitats are critical to colonial nesting birds, especially American white pelican
, and molting waterfowl
. Nowhere else in southeastern Idaho can such habitat be found in this quantity or quality. The refuge uplands are a mix of rock, sand, and shallow soil habitat that supports a diversity of small mammals, reptiles, and invertebrates. The basalt lava flows provide habitat for some of the more diverse reptile fauna in Idaho.
The Idaho dunes tiger beetle, a species of special concern, is found on refuge sand dunes, while the Utah valvata, an endangered snail, inhabits the reservoir. Both sage and sharptailed grouse occupy refuge habitat that is becoming increasingly important in the face of petitions to list these species.
More than 100 years ago, settlers on the Oregon Trail
passed just south of the refuge; some crossed on an alternate route through the refuge. Today, thousands of visitors come to Lake Walcott State Park, located within the boundary of Minidoka Refuge, to camp, picnic, hike, observe wildlife, hunt waterfowl, boat, and fish. Sensitive wildlife areas are closed to recreational use.
The refuge has a surface area of 20751.76 acres (83.98 km²).
Snake River
The Snake is a major river of the greater Pacific Northwest in the United States. At long, it is the largest tributary of the Columbia River, the largest North American river that empties into the Pacific Ocean...
Plain in south-central Idaho
Idaho
Idaho is a state in the Rocky Mountain area of the United States. The state's largest city and capital is Boise. Residents are called "Idahoans". Idaho was admitted to the Union on July 3, 1890, as the 43rd state....
, 12 miles (19.3 km) northeast of Rupert
Rupert, Idaho
Rupert is the county seat and largest city of Minidoka County, Idaho, United States. It is part of the Burley, Idaho Micropolitan Statistical Area...
. It includes about 80 miles (128.7 km) of shoreline around Lake Walcott
Lake Walcott
Lake Walcott is a reservoir in south central Idaho in the northwestern United States, impounded by Minidoka Dam. The damming of the Snake River by the Minidoka Project formed the 11,000 acre lake beginning in 1909. "Bird Island" is an island in the lake. Lake Walcott is used for water-sports and...
, from Minidoka Dam
Minidoka Dam
The Minidoka Dam is an earthfill dam on the Snake River in south central Idaho. The dam, originally completed in 1906, is east of Rupert on county highway 400; it is 86 feet high and nearly a mile in length, with a wide overflow spillway section. The dam and power plant were listed on the...
upstream about 25 miles (40.2 km).
About half of the refuge's acreage is open water and wetlands. In this arid landscape, these resources serve as an oasis drawing numerous wildlife species from miles around. Many species use the bulrush
Bulrush
-Wetland plants:* Bolboschoenus, a genus in the sedge family * Cyperus, a genus in the sedge family * Scirpus, a genus in the sedge family * Schoenoplectus, a genus in the sedge family...
and cattail habitat that lines the lake's small bays. Others use the willow
Willow
Willows, sallows, and osiers form the genus Salix, around 400 species of deciduous trees and shrubs, found primarily on moist soils in cold and temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere...
s, cottonwoods, and other trees growing near shorelines. The rest of the refuge is low, rolling uplands covered by sagebrush
Sagebrush
Sagebrush is a common name of a number of shrubby plant species in the genus Artemisia native to western North America;Or, the sagebrush steppe ecoregion, having one or more kinds of sagebrush, bunchgrasses and others;...
, grass
Grass
Grasses, or more technically graminoids, are monocotyledonous, usually herbaceous plants with narrow leaves growing from the base. They include the "true grasses", of the Poaceae family, as well as the sedges and the rushes . The true grasses include cereals, bamboo and the grasses of lawns ...
es, and isolated juniper
Juniper
Junipers are coniferous plants in the genus Juniperus of the cypress family Cupressaceae. Depending on taxonomic viewpoint, there are between 50-67 species of juniper, widely distributed throughout the northern hemisphere, from the Arctic, south to tropical Africa in the Old World, and to the...
patches among scattered outcrops of basalt
Basalt
Basalt is a common extrusive volcanic rock. It is usually grey to black and fine-grained due to rapid cooling of lava at the surface of a planet. It may be porphyritic containing larger crystals in a fine matrix, or vesicular, or frothy scoria. Unweathered basalt is black or grey...
.
The climate is semi-arid with about 11 inches of precipitation per year, much of it falling as snow during the winter. Summers are hot and dry with highly variable rain during thunderstorms. Winters are generally moderate but windy. The elevation is about 4200 feet (1,280.2 m).
Undisturbed habitats are critical to colonial nesting birds, especially American white pelican
American White Pelican
The American White Pelican is a large aquatic bird from the order Pelecaniformes. It breeds in interior North America, moving south and to the coasts, as far as Central America, in winter....
, and molting waterfowl
Waterfowl
Waterfowl are certain wildfowl of the order Anseriformes, especially members of the family Anatidae, which includes ducks, geese, and swans....
. Nowhere else in southeastern Idaho can such habitat be found in this quantity or quality. The refuge uplands are a mix of rock, sand, and shallow soil habitat that supports a diversity of small mammals, reptiles, and invertebrates. The basalt lava flows provide habitat for some of the more diverse reptile fauna in Idaho.
The Idaho dunes tiger beetle, a species of special concern, is found on refuge sand dunes, while the Utah valvata, an endangered snail, inhabits the reservoir. Both sage and sharptailed grouse occupy refuge habitat that is becoming increasingly important in the face of petitions to list these species.
More than 100 years ago, settlers on the Oregon Trail
Oregon Trail
The Oregon Trail is a historic east-west wagon route that connected the Missouri River to valleys in Oregon and locations in between.After 1840 steam-powered riverboats and steamboats traversing up and down the Ohio, Mississippi and Missouri rivers sped settlement and development in the flat...
passed just south of the refuge; some crossed on an alternate route through the refuge. Today, thousands of visitors come to Lake Walcott State Park, located within the boundary of Minidoka Refuge, to camp, picnic, hike, observe wildlife, hunt waterfowl, boat, and fish. Sensitive wildlife areas are closed to recreational use.
The refuge has a surface area of 20751.76 acres (83.98 km²).