A Little Magic Every Day: Wichita Mountains National Wildlife Refuge

East -- blink that was New Mexico.
East -- blink that was Texas.
East -- um, I guess we are in Oklahoma. Um.

Our destination was the Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge -- a truly unique spot among the nation's wildlife refuges. Established in 1901 as a Forest Reserve, the purpose was to set aside "the mountains" from the area being opened for settlement in a land auction. In 1905, the area was re-designated as a Forest and Game Preserve--and the game of the day: bison!

Like in OOPS -- the bison is about extinct, so let's move a few from the Bronx Zoo (to great hooplah) and see if bison can live in a controlled "wild" setting. It worked and today the herd is maintained at about 650 head. Bison are culled each year and auctioned.

Well, once the bison were established it was decided to try bringing back the elk. The first elk were brought in from the Jackson Hole area, apparently the local elk were truly extinct. The herd here now is about 700 strong. Elk are hunted via a special lottery each year.

Texas longhorn cattle were next and returned to the refuge in the mid 1920s. They never were wild but, so many longhorns had been breed to mix the longhorns with better "meat" cattle so few pure breeds remained. Congress set aside funds to start the herd. Imagine that NOW! The herd is about 300 strong.

There are other animals of the plains here; prairie dogs for one. Scurrying all over their towns.

The refuge has also done significant work to bring the black capped vireo to a more stable population (from endangered).

The Refuge is beautiful -- craggy granite peaks, vast prairie grasslands, many small creeks and lakes. Herds of animals just wandering around -- and on the weekends: lots of folks having fun! We are too early for the spring wildflowers (yikes there is a frost warning up!!!) so maybe down the road I will see the prairie in bloom.