Wheeler National Wildlife Refuge at Flint Creek

National Wildlife Refuge
Wheeler 
How Can You Help?

1. Dispose of fishing lines, hooks, and trash in the bins and containers provided. 

2. Pick up any trash you see. 

3. If you pack it in, you can pack it out.

4. Volunteer with the Wildlife Refuge for clean-up events. 

Reminder: artifact collecting is not permitted.

Contact Information 
Refuge Headquarters
256-353-7243
Visitor Center - 256-350-6639
In case of an emergency, call 911

Wheeler National Wildlife Refuge
U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service 
Refuge Lands Within Redstone Arsenal
Highways
Roads
Refuge Boundary
Visitor Center
Wildlife Observation
Boating
Flint Creek Environmental 
Area & Universally Accessible Fishing Pier U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Our History 
1838
Trail of Tears: The discovery of gold in Georgia and thirst for land expansion prompted the U.S. Government and white communities to force the Cherokee nation from their ancestral lands. During the summer and winter of 1838, the first three detachments driven west traveled by water on the Tennessee River from Ross's Landing near present-day Chattanooga. They followed the river through Alabama and West Tennessee before merging with other rivers and eventually arriving in Oklahoma.

1933
TVA ACT: In May of 1933, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt signed the Tennessee Valley Authority Act, creating the TVA. The Tennessee Valley Authority was designed to modernize the region, using experts and electricity to combat problems in the area. A primary part of the plan was to produce electricity and provide flood relief by constructing a series of dams along the Tennessee River and its tributaries.

1934
TVA COMES TO Town TVA acquired land in the middle third of the valley in 1934-35 to serve as a bed for and buffer around Wheeler Reservoir. Interested individuals and organizations urged that the government take advantage of the newly constructed reservoir to replace the waterfowl habitat.

1938 
AN EXPERIMENT: On July 7, 1938, President Franklin Roosevelt set aside the middle third of the new reservoir as an experimental national wildlife refuge to see if multi-purpose reservoirs could be made attractive to waterfowl. The reservoir and new refuge were named for General Joseph Wheeler, who lived near Decatur.

1950 
POLLUTION: Rachel Carson's 1962 classic, Silent Spring, documented the serious environmental problems caused by pesticide pollution, including those in the Flint Creek Watershed. In the late summer of 1950, farmers experiencing a very wet season reapplied pesticides to their crops multiple times because they kept washing off in the frequent rains. These high volumes of pesticides washed into Flint Creek, killing most of the fish.

Present 
HERE AND NOW, significantly impacted by its controversial history, this section of the Tennessee River and Flint Creek is vastly different from what they were over 170 years ago when the Cherokee traveled west. Industries have sprung up, dams have been built, commercial water traffic is considerable, and recreational boating facilities have developed. Wheeler National Wildlife Refuge is one of the few remaining areas along the river dedicated to conserving the character of our wild and natural heritage.
U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Flint Creek 
Flint Creek is a slow-flowing, meandering stream influenced by the fluctuating water levels of Wheeler Reservoir. The creek and its tributaries comprise 150 miles of streams that drain over 291,000 acres of land in Morgan, Lawrence, and Cullman counties. Its headwaters are in northern Cullman County, and the creek flows into Morgan County, where it converges with West Flint Creek near U.S. Highway 31. As it confluences with the Tennessee River at mile 308.5

Fishing and Land 
The Flint Creek shoreline offers a wide variety of hardwoods, bluffs, farms, and wildlife, while the stream itself is home to crappie, bream, bass, catfish, and a few yellow perch. Much of the land surrounding the creek is within the TVA Reservation and Wheeler National Wildlife Refuge, making it accessible to the public. Improved boat launching areas are available at Hickory Hills and Hwy 31 South. An improved launch area suitable for small boats and canoes is located south of U.S. Highway 67. This universally accessible pier was built so everyone can enjoy what the watershed has to offer.

Watershed Project 
The Flint Creek Watershed Project is a multiagency cooperative led by local leaders and watershed residents. In 1996, a Watershed Conservancy District was established, and plans were developed with assistance from two federal agencies, five Alabama state agencies, and three local soil and water conservation districts. This project has implemented a variety of projects, including agricultural demonstrations, well sampling programs, on-site wastewater demonstrations, and riparian zone management efforts. Public outreach activities include household hazardous waste days and pesticide disposal.