U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service St. Catherine Creek National Wildlife Refuge

Refuge Facts ■ Provide habitat and protection for ■ Established: 1990. endangered and threatened species including the peregrine falcon, ■ Acres: 24,445, with a potential size bald eagle, big-eared bat and the of 34,256 acres. alligator. ■ Other management: conservation ■ Provide habitat for natural easements - seven in five counties, diversity of wildlife and plant totaling 3,935 acres; fee title tracts species. - two in three counties, totaling 460 photo:USFWS acres. ■ Provide opportunities for wildlife-oriented recreation and ■ Refuge located in the western environmental education when section of Adams County in compatible with other refuge southwest Mississippi, seven miles objectives. south of Natchez, Mississippi. The western boundary of the refuge Management Tools is the Mississippi River with the ■ Water management for waterfowl, eastern boundary following the wood storks and wading bird

photo:USFWS bluffs and the southern boundary, rookeries. the Homochitto River. ■ Cooperative farming. Natural History ■ ■ Habitat within St. Catherine Creek Prescribed fire. NWR offers a myriad of ecological ■ Mechanical/chemical control of niches for wildlife. noxious plants. ■ Cypress swamps and hardwood ■ Deer management with public forests teeming with oak, gum, elm, hunting. ash and cottonwood comprise 30 percent of the refuge. ■ Education/interpretation. ■ Ten percent of the acreage is open ■ Law enforcement. water, while the remaining area photo:USFWS consists of cleared land and land ■ Partnerships. created due to the meandering of Public Use Opportunities the Mississippi River. ■ Trails. ■ Rains and backwater flooding fill ■ Fishing. depressions and basins in low areas creating optimum wintering ground ■ Wildlife observation. for waterfowl. Natural water bodies ■ and a multitude of beaver ponds Photography. create ideal habitat for wading ■ Hunting. birds, shore birds, and summer photo:USFWS nesting wood ducks. ■ Auto tour route (under Bob Strader, Project Leader construction). St. Catherine Creek NWR Financial Impact of Refuge PO Box 217 ■ Five-person staff. Calendar of Events February: squirrel, rabbit and 76 Pintail Lane ■ 33,000 visitors annually. Sibley, MS 39165 raccoon hunting, fishing opens. Phone: 601/442 6696 Refuge Objectives March: Watchable Wildlife Program Fax: 601/446 8990 ■ Provide and maintain optimum E-mail: [email protected] habitat for migratory waterfowl April: Lottery youth turkey hunt. Website: http://www.fws.gov/ consistent with the overall objectives May: Migratory Bird Day. saintcatherinecreek of the Mississippi Flyway. August: Natchez Birding Festival. U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service

October: National Wildlife Do you hire youth during the off Refuge Week. season to work on the refuge? This refuge has participated in the October-November: archery deer eight-week Youth Conservation hunting, squirrel and rabbit hunting. Corps Program. Three to four high November-January: primitive school students between the ages weapon and archery deer hunting. of 15-18 are randomly chosen from the local private and public high November: youth gun hunt for deer. school systems to participate in this program. Enrollees complete an December-January: waterfowl assortment of projects ranging from hunting. painting, boundary marking, yard Questions and Answers maintenance and sign maintenance. Do you have hunting programs Field trips are planned to show them available to the public? what wildlife habitat management is Yes, our hunting season begins in all about. October of each year with archery deer hunting. It is followed by primitive deer hunting. We have a small game hunt for squirrel and rabbit (steel shot only)and waterfowl hunting on Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays until noon that coincides with the state seasons (steel shot only). We also have a lottery turkey hunt for youth hunters age 10-15 in the spring of each year. Do you allow fishing on St. Catherine Creek NWR? Yes, our fishing season opens each year on February 1 and ends in mid- November. We allow fishing on several bodies of water located on the refuge, including Butler Lake, Salt Lake, Gilliard Lake, The Swamp, and the River Road Unit. Do you have any special activities for persons with disabilities? Yes, we have a special hunting season for wheelchair-dependent hunters during the months of November and December. Persons must pre- register to reserve a hunting blind for specific dates. This hunt has been well received with the use numbers increasing each year. Do you allow school groups and birders to tour the refuge? Yes, we have an annual birding tour during the month of August that is hosted by the Jackson Audobon Society. We also welcome school groups and boy scout and girl scout troops to tour the refuge and take special advantage of our nature trail. Refuge personnel make arrangements and set up auto or hiking tours.