Laguna Atascosa National Wildlife Refuge
National Wildlife Refuge near Harlingen, Texas
Laguna Atascosa National Wildlife Refuge | |
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IUCN category
IV (habitat/species management area)
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Map of
Texas
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Location | Cameron / Willacy counties, Texas , United States |
Nearest city | Harlingen, Texas |
Coordinates | 26°17′01″N 97°23′06″W / 26.28361°N 97.38500°W / 26.28361; -97.38500 |
Area | 98,000 acres (400 km 2 ) [1] |
Established | 29 March 1946 [1] |
Visitors | +200,000 (in 2003) |
Governing body | United States Fish and Wildlife Service |
Website | Laguna Atascosa National Wildlife Refuge |
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/f3/Ocelot_%28Leopardus_pardalis%29_Laguna_Atascosa_National_Wildlife_Refuge%2C_Texas.jpg/220px-Ocelot_%28Leopardus_pardalis%29_Laguna_Atascosa_National_Wildlife_Refuge%2C_Texas.jpg)
Laguna Atascosa National Wildlife Refuge is the largest protected area of natural habitat left in the Lower Rio Grande Valley . The 98,000-acre (400 km 2 ) refuge is located almost entirely in Cameron County, Texas (near Harlingen ), although a very small part of its northernmost point extends into southern Willacy County . [2]
Fauna
The Peregrine Fund began reintroducing captive-bred northern aplomado falcons ( Falco femoralis septentrionalis ) to the refuge in 1985, which had been nearly extirpated from the Southwestern United States ; today, it is home to 26 pairs. Nine other endangered or threatened species inhabit the refuge, such as the Texas ocelot ( Leopardus pardalis albescens ) and (formerly) the Gulf Coast jaguarundi ( Herpailurus yagouaroundi ), rare wild cats . [3] Programs at the refuge include vegetation and wetland restoration. [4]
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d8/Spanish_Dagger_%28Yucca_treculeana%29%2C_Laguna_Atascosa_National_Wildlife_Refuge%2C_Cameron_County%2C_Texas%2C_USA_%2812_April_2016%29.jpg/220px-Spanish_Dagger_%28Yucca_treculeana%29%2C_Laguna_Atascosa_National_Wildlife_Refuge%2C_Cameron_County%2C_Texas%2C_USA_%2812_April_2016%29.jpg)
See also
- Hilary Swarts , ocelot biologist at Laguna Atascosa
References
- 1 2 "Texas GEMS - Laguna Atascosa National Wildlife Refuge (LANWR)" . Texas Gulf Ecological Management Sites . Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. 2003-05-07. Archived from the original on 2010-01-25 . Retrieved 2009-12-29 .
- ↑ "Laguna Atascosa National Wildlife Refuge | Map" . U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service . Retrieved 2022-04-11 .
- ↑ "Endangered Species" . Laguna Atascosa National Wildlife Refuge . United States Fish and Wildlife Service . Retrieved 2009-12-29 .
- ↑ "Management" . Laguna Atascosa National Wildlife Refuge . United States Fish and Wildlife Service . Retrieved 2009-12-29 .
External links
Media related to
Laguna Atascosa National Wildlife Refuge
at Wikimedia Commons
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