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This page brought to you by:
REFUGE AREAS
REOPEN AFTER WINTER CLOSURE
Area anglers and wildlife enthusiast will be glad to know several areas
will soon reopen after winter closures.
The seasonally closed roads and bays at the Tennessee and Cross Creeks
National Wildlife Refuge will re-open as of Wednesday, March 16th. These
areas have been closed during winter to lessen disturbance to wintering
waterfowl on both these refuges.
Locally, popular areas such as Swamp Creek, the sector west of Sulphur
Well Island and Bennett’s Creeks will open up to boating and fishing on
the TNWR.
At Cross Creeks NWR wildlife can be viewed at the refuge office and
visitor center, just out the back door on their observation deck, along
the refuge roads or at their 1.2 mile Woodpecker Trail. To find this area
with your GPS use the address 643 Wildlife Road in Dover.
At Tennessee NWR just south of New Johnsonville, the Blue Goose Boulevard
Wildlife Drive just off Refuge Lane in the Duck River Bottoms will be a
phenomenal show just after opening. This 2 mile wildlife observation drive
features a green tree reservoir, flooded fields and mud flats that attract
a wide number of birds. Near the wildlife drive, an observation deck
called Pintail Point Observation Deck is accessible just off of Haul Road
providing a photography blind opportunity. To find this area with your
GPS, use the address 550 Refuge Lane in New Johnsonville.
Another good location to view wildlife is at the back patio of the new
visitor center which offers excellent views of wildlife overlooking a
gorgeous bay of Kentucky Lake. With mounted spotting scopes and staff or
volunteer guides nearby, many people find this a great place to start on
the refuge. The visitor center is open 8-4 Monday – Saturday and features
a state of the art wildlife exhibits. Entrance to the visitor center is
free. The visitor center is located at 1371 Wildlife Drive in Springville.
The V.L. Childs Observation Deck is located just one mile from the visitor
center and is a favorite place to view wildlife anytime of the year. Many
people start at the visitor center, visit the V.L. Childs Observation Deck
and continue to view wildlife as they drive through the refuge towards
Swayne Point. Also located near the visitor center is the 2.5 mile Britton
Ford hiking trail which leads visitors through a forested area of the
refuge.
On the Big Sandy Peninsula, just north of the town of Big Sandy, the
Bennett’s Creek Observation Deck is fully accessible. This 120 foot
boardwalk leading to a raised observation deck overlooks a bay of Kentucky
Lake and two refuge impoundments. Sitting on this deck listening to the
ducks chatter offers a peaceful moment that’s hard to beat. Near the deck
is the 1.1 mile Chickasaw National Recreation Trail, a great trail to view
a diversity of habitats, see the ruins of an old grist mill and walk
through the remains of a homestead site of long ago.
Even though a good number of the waterfowl have left us, there are still
plenty coming through to experience. And as they return north, soon the
summer migratory birds will come. These birds include the shorebirds and
neotropical migratory songbirds such as the indigo bunting, prothonotary
warbler, white-eyed vireos, orchard orioles, yellow-billed cuckoos and
wood thrushes. Oh what a wonderful time to come visit the refuge!
For more information call 731-642-2091.
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