Wheeler National Wild Life Refuge at Visitor Center

• National Wildlife Refuge System

  The National Wildlife Refuge System is a network of United States lands and waters managed specifically for wildlife. 

  Units of the system stretch across the continent from the icy north shores of Alaska to the balmy Florida Keys and beyond to tropical islands in the Caribbean and the South Pacific.

  
  

  
  

  "Born of Necessity...Managed with Care"

  
  

  U. S. Fish & Wildlife Service
  The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is responsible for protecting and conserving our country's wild birds, mammals, and fish for the enjoyment of all people. Cooperating with states and other countries, the Fish and Wildlife Service carries out several programs to preserve our priceless wildlife heritage.
  
  
  Refuges
  Migratory Birds
  Fisheries 
  Federal Aid 
  Law Enforcement
  Ecological Services
  
  U. S. Department of the Interior

  
  

  Wheeler National Wildlife Refuge 
  Established in 1938, Wheeler Wildlife Refuge protects and manages 35,000 acres of wetlands and forests for wildlife and provides various recreational opportunities for visitors.
  
  Waterfowl and wildlife
  Thousands of migratory waterfowl each fall, including 26 species of ducks and four species of geese, arrive at the refuge to overwinter. Sandhill cranes are numbering in the thousands, and it is also winter here.
  
  More than 500 wildlife species, including songbirds, wading birds, hawks, deer, turtles, and snakes, inhabit the refuge. Twelve of these species are federally listed as threatened or endangered.
  
  Habitat
  Wheeler Wildlife Refuge comprises diverse habitat types, including bottomland hardwoods, wetlands, pine uplands, shoreline or riparian woodlands, agricultural fields, and backwater embayments. These habitats provide excellent feeding, resting, and roosting sites for wintering waterfowl and Sandhill cranes, as well as nesting sites for migratory songbirds and many species of resident wildlife.
  
  Wildlife Management
  Local farmers cultivate several thousand acres of cropland on a share agreement. During harvest, a portion of the crop is left in the field as a food source for waterfowl and other wildlife. Each fall, the refuge plants wheat to provide green browse for wintering geese.
  
  Water control structures are used in wet areas to control water levels. This type of management provides food for waterfowl by encouraging the growth of native plants in moist areas.
  
  Refuge Lands Within Redstone Arsenal
  Highways
  Secondary Roads
  Refuge Boundary
  Visitor Center
  Wildlife Observation
  Boating
  Flint Creek Environmental Area & Universally Accessible Fishing Pier
  
  Recreational Opportunity
  The Visitor Center offers wildlife exhibits, a gift shop, a large auditorium, two walking trails, special events, and refuge information.
  
  The Wildlife Observation Building, located a short walk from the Visitor Center, offers a unique setting for viewing wildlife. December through February, when large concentrations of waterfowl and Sandhill cranes are in the area, is a good time for viewing, especially just before sunset.
  
  Fishing is a very popular activity on the refuge. Six improved boat launch areas provide access to miles of water in Wheeler Reservoir and adjacent creeks where bass, crappie, bream, and catfish are often caught.
  
  Hunting for deer, squirrel, rabbit, opossum, raccoon, feral hog, and quail is allowed on Wheeler NWR. Special regulations apply, and a refuge hunting permit is required. Waterfowl hunting is not permitted on the refuge.
  
  Wildlife Photography is encouraged on the refuge. One fully enclosed, permanent bend near the observation pond may be reserved for a special use permit.
  
  Environmental Education/Interpretation is an essential program at Wheeler NWR. Organized groups may reserve dates for presentations, wildlife tours, and outdoor classroom activities.
  
  Nature Trails, ranging in length from 200 yards to 3 miles, provide opportunities to observe birds and other wildlife. The Visitor Center has maps and additional information.
  
  The Visitor Center is open daily. The hours are from March through September 9–4 P.M., Tuesday through Saturday. Closed Sunday and Monday
  Phone:256-350-6639
  Website: www.fws.gov/wheeler

Seagrass, Soup of the Sea and Migratory Birds

Soup of the Sea

Plankton are organisms that drift with currents. Plankton can be plant-like phytoplankton or animal-like zooplankton. Most plankton are small, but even larger organisms are considered plankton if they live their lives drifting with currents. Plankton is found in freshwater and saltwater worldwide and is essential to humans. 

Thank your plankton

Imagine your favorite seafood - shrimp, crab, oysters, fish ... thanks to phytoplankton, we can enjoy this mouthwatering cuisine from the sea. Phytoplankton provides two essential things for animals (including us) to live. One is food. Like plants on land, they use sunlight and nutrients to produce food. They're the base of the food chain in the ocean. Many tiny animals eat phytoplankton and, in turn, get eaten by larger animals up the food chain. Without plankton, we would not have seafood. 

Now, take a deep breath. The second essential ingredient produced by phytoplankton is oxygen. Estimates vary, but most scientists agree that phytoplankton make up a significant portion of Earth's atmosphere. 

There's a zoo out there.

Zooplankton eat. Many eat phytoplankton, and many eat smaller zooplankton. They are an essential part of the food chain. A shark may never eat plankton and has no idea it exists, but it depends on plankton for all of its food. 

Many zooplankters go through a metamorphosis. Some of them are plankton for part of their lives and then grow large enough to swim against currents or settle to the bottom. Those are called meroplankton. Holoplankton are plankton their whole lives.

You might recognize the adult forms of many meroplankters. See if you can match the adult forms with their planktonic forms below.

Broth of the Bay

Look up at Mobile Bay. These are some of the planktonic organisms that are common in the Bay. 

Plankton is collected with special nets like this one. The nets have tiny holes and are pulled along the water's surface. 

Crabs go through metamorphosis, much like butterflies or frogs. The megalops is one of the larval stages of crabs. 

Bristle worms get their name from their many bristles that are used for movement. They are related to earthworms. 

Dinoflagellates are phytoplankton. Some of them can glow like fireflies. Some produce toxins that can harm humans when there are many dinoflagellates in the water.

Diatoms are phytoplankton. They produce glass-like skeletons that are used in a variety of products. The grit in your toothpaste might come from diatoms. 

This is a nauplius, a larval stage common to many crustaceans, including barnacles. 

Copepods are thought to be the most abundant animals on Earth. 

They are found in salt and fresh water, as well as in damp soil. 

They are powerful for their size.

Saving and Restoring our Seagrasses

Threats to Seagrass

Nearly 80% of all seagrasses in coastal Alabama have been lost since the 1950s. 

A constant threat to seagrass beds is scarring created by boats' propellers and anchors. When boaters navigate across shallow areas or anchor. In seagrass beds, deep scars can form that take years to heal, leading to erosion and further seagrass loss. Poor water quality is also a significant factor that poses a serious threat to seagrass health. For example, excessive sediments in the water limit the light penetration necessary for plant survival.

How can we protect our seagrasses?

What are we doing?

To help propeller scars heal and protect seagrass beds from further scarring, local partners are implementing protection and restoration projects throughout lower Perdido Bay, including Little Lagoon, the island near Perdido Pass, and Ole River.

No motor and sensitive seagrass area signs will identify seagrass beds to help boaters navigate through or around shallow water sites containing seagrass. 

The scientist is using bird stakes to attract local waterfowl, whose guano deposits will provide natural fertilizer for the propeller scars, promoting the growth and expansion of surrounding seagrass.  

What can you do?

Be aware of idle or raised motors and poles when navigating through shallow areas.

Set anchors in sandy areas, avoiding seagrass beds.

Obey No Motor Zone or Sensitive Seagrass areas signs: wade, troll, pole, or kayak when navigating through these areas to your favorite fishing or beach spot. 

Seagrasses Coastal Nursery Habitats

What are seagrasses

Seagrasses are flowering plants that live in the shallow waters of every continent except Antarctica. 

Seagrass beds containing shoal grass and turtle grass are found in Alabama's calm and shallow coastal waters. 

Why are seagrasses important?

Seagrass beds provide food and protection for juvenile fish and shellfish, including many economically important species such as speckled trout, redfish, blue crabs, and shrimp. 

Many types of waterfowl feed on seagrasses, as do threatened and endangered species, such as manatees and green turtles.

Seagrasses help stabilize bottom sediment, filter runoff, and absorb nutrients from surrounding landscapes. 

Alabama's Coastal Connection

Migratory Birds

In search of food and shelter

Each fall, millions of birds leave North America and cross the Gulf of Mexico to spend the winter in South and Central America and the islands of the Caribbean. In the spring, they make the return flight to their Northern American breeding grounds. Alabama's Gulf Coast provides a critical rest stop for these travelers. Stopover areas are a key element in maintaining bird populations. 

With increased development along the entire Gulf Coast, tracts of diverse, forested lands such as these are disappearing. 

Migratory and resident birds use this diverse landscape for foraging, resting, and evading predators. Birds must find enough food to provide energy for the long-distance flight to nesting sites far north. Migratory butterflies depend on food such as pawpaw and passion fruit for larval growth. Songbirds feed on insects and berries, while shorebirds hunt for invertebrates in the mudflats. 

The western end of the Fort Morgan peninsula is an important stopover site for migratory birds and has become a nationally known hotspot for birders. When adverse weather forces birds to the ground during a spring "fallout," the birding can be spectacular, although treacherous for the exhausted birds that must find a safe place to recover. 

Commonly seen bird species during migration include vireos, warblers, flycatchers, buntings, and hummingbirds. The Monarch butterfly migration can also be breathtaking in the fall, when weather conditions are favorable. 

Alabama's Coastal Connection 

Permeable Parking 

A better way to go 

Combined sewer systems are remnants of the country's early infrastructure, and so are typically found in older communities. Combined sewer systems are designed to collect rainwater runoff, domestic sewage, and industrial wastewater in the same pipe. Most of the time, combined sewer systems convey all wastewater to a sewage treatment plant, where it is treated and then discharged into a water body. Heavy rainfall adds stormwater, causing the wastewater volume in a combined sewer system to exceed its capacity.

Combined sewer systems are designed to overflow occasionally and discharge excess untreated wastewater directly to nearby streams, rivers, or other water bodies. 

These combined sewer overflows also contain untreated human and industrial waste, toxic materials, and debris. 

The expansion of impermeable surfaces associated with urban sprawl and automobiles has so increased the stormwater volumes that the combined systems are being separated at great expense. The result is that stormwater runoff that used to receive treatment at the plants is now delivered to receiving streams and coastal estuaries, such as Mobile Bay.

Water running off roads, bridges, and parking lots has been estimated to be the largest source of untreated wastewater in this country. Even twenty years ago, the Federal Highway Administration estimated that 25 million tons of rubber wear off the nation's tires every week, -50 tons/week in Alabama. Since rubber is biodegradable, biodegradation consumes oxygen when it occurs in streams and estuaries. Also of concern are the heavy metals found in steel-belted radial tires, oil, antifreeze, or even transmission fluid. 

The parking lot at the Estuarium allows all stormwater and associated contaminants to percolate down through the gravel, providing an enormous surface area for microbial treatment of the waste, returning it to the water and carbon dioxide. Any contaminated waste that remains cannot reach the shallow freshwater aquifers that feed either the Bay or the Dauphin Island community wells because an impermeable membrane four feet down traps it and sends it through a filter system that removes the hydrocarbon contaminants. The water and any system overflows then flow into a detention pond, where vegetation, including standard cane and other plants, removes nutrients that contribute to low dissolved oxygen levels in the Bay.