Salt Plains National Wildlife Refuge - Refuge Description

Refuge Description

The Salt Plains were a favorite hunting ground for American Indians. Bison and other game came to the area to eat the salt and the heavily-wooded and well-watered area along the Salt Fork River was like an oasis in the surrounding grassland of the Great Plains. Salt Plains refuge is divided into almost equal areas of non-vegetated salt flat, open water, and vegetated land. Marshes, woods, grassland, and cropland dot the refuge. Management tools used to enhance the habitat for wildlife include farming, grazing, prescribed burns, construction of ponds, and wetland draining and flooding.

The refuge was created to be a resting and breeding ground for migratory waterfowl especially during fall and spring. The entire refuge is designated critical habitat for the endangered Whooping Crane, mostly seen during fall migration, but also in the spring. In addition, the refuge is home to endangered least terns, threatened snowy plovers, threatened bald eagles, peregrine falcons and more. Large populations of American White Pelicans migrate through in August/September, staying on the Great Salt Plains Reservoir. Great Salt Plains is one of the most important habitats for shorebirds in the Western hemisphere.

The Ralstin Island Rookery (closed to the public) boasts being Oklahoma's largest Rookery. The island of 7 acres (30,000 m2) hosts more than 30,000 birds during breeding season. Over 30 species nest in the colony, including the white-faced ibis, great blue herons and most notably, the tricolored heron.