U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service Buffalo Lake National Wildlife Refuge Welcome: Once buffalo grazed the shortgrass The 7,66^-acre Buffalo Shortgrass Prairie prairies you see today at Buffalo Landmark Lake National Wildlife Refuge in the Texas Panhandle. Once a lake Lake National Wildlife reflected the clouds. The buffalo have vanished. The lake has dried. Refuge is one of more But the shortgrass prairie remains as one of the best in the high plains than 500 refuges grassland ecosystem. throughout the United States managed by the Fish and Wildlife Service. The National Wildlife Refuge System is the only national system of lands dedicated to conserving Umbarger Dam In fact, this prairie is so important and the Past that 175 acres of it carries the designation of National Natural our wildlife heritage Landmark. Over 4,000 acres of grasslands are the best you'll see for people today and anywhere in the area. Most everywhere else, these native grasslands fell to the plow and with for generations yet them their wildlife. Here, you'll still see black-tailed prairie dogs perched to come. on mounds and burrowing owls blinking in broad daylight. The shortgrass prairies spill into marshes, woodlands, riparian habitat, croplands, and water-carved canyon walls that together form 7,664 acres of homes for migratory and year-round wildlife. (Above, top) Double Rainbow over Buffalo Lake; (Above, left) Tiger Swallowtail Butterfly; (Left) Yucca. Photos by Lynn Nymeyer Wildlife: Looking Red-tailed hawks hunt rodents over Wintering The whistles and quacks of visiting in All the Right the grasslands, occasionally joined Waterfowl at waterfowl fill the frosty winter air. Places by golden eagles. Bald eagles arrive Stewart Marsh Look for flocks of mallards, green- during the winter and tend to stay Moist Soil winged teal, northern pintail, closer to water in search of fish or Management shoveler, and maybe a heron or two. waterfowl. Trees clustered along the Unit shore act as beacons for migrating songbirds in spring and fall. Finding wildlife at the refuge takes some habitat know how. Scissor-tail Flycatcher. Photo by J. Beall Growth in Moist Soil Unit. Photo by Lynn Nymeyer Prairie Dogs, The rolling grasslands harbor a 100- Burrowing Owls, acre, black-tailed prairie dog town. and Plovers Where there are prairie dogs, you'll also find burrowing owls that depend on the dog towns for burrows. Migratory After years of observation and During spring, the rare mountain Songbird Shelter recording, birdwatchers have tallied plover might be seen in vegetation some 300 species of birds at the kept clipped and short by prairie refuge. Buffalo Lake NWR rests in dogs. Grasshopper sparrows, the Central Flyway, a route through Cassin's sparrows, lark sparrows, the central U.S. followed by and lark buntings find food and migratory birds winging between shelter here. Ferruginous hawks tropical wintering and U.S. nesting glide by and even a peregrine falcon areas. Warblers, flycatchers, might streak overhead in search of tanagers, orioles, and sparrows pass an easy meal. through the refuge each spring and fall, and many remain to nest in the Wildlife to Anywhere in any season on the shoreline trees. See Anytime refuge, you might spot mule and white-tailed deer, pheasants, Buffalo Lake NWR joins a web of bobwhite quail, cottontail rabbits, protected places vital to the survival and coyotes. Wild of migratory songbirds. Many turkeys tend to species have shown serious declines stay closer to the in recent years. woodlands. Lending a Hand Whether it's for Wildlife tending to trees, restoring vigor to grasslands, flooding Stewart Marsh Moist Soil (Above) Kestrel; Management Units, or planting Fighting Turkeys. (Right) Bobwhite wildlife food crops, the refuge staff Photo by Lynn Quail. Photos by takes an active role in improving the Nymeyer Lynn Nymeyer refuge wildlife habitats. Caring for Elm and cottonwood beside the Wildlife Watching Tips Trees dry lakebed offer a lush oasis for songbirds in the arid Texas Morning and evening are the best Panhandle. Originally planted by times to see wildlife. the U.S. Forest Service, the refuge staff now monitors the trees' health In warmer climates, little and occasionally controls is moving on hot summer encroaching salt cedar. afternoons or on windy days. Grazing the Shortgrass prairie ecosystems once Observe from the sidelines. Grassland depended on American bison grazing Leave "abandoned" young to keep grasses healthy. Today, the animals alone. A parent is refuge seeks to replicate the bison probably close by waiting for you way of grazing as closely as possible. to leave. Don't offer snacks; your Cattle graze intensely for a short lunch could disrupt wild digestive time and each grazed pasture systems. receives a year's rest before cattle return. Cars make good observation blinds. Drive slowly, stopping to Ducks over Moist scan places wildlife might hide. Soil Unit. Photo by Use binoculars or a long lens for a Lynn Nymeyer closer look. Try sitting quietly in one good ..... location. Let wildlife get used to your presence. Many animals that have hidden will reappear once they think you are gone. Walk quietly in designated areas, being aware of sounds and smells. Often you will hear more than you will The refuge staff floods moist soil see. Flooding for Waterfowl management units every spring. As they slowly dry, aquatic plants Teach children quiet observation. favored by waterfowl take hold. Other wildlife watchers will Just before ducks touch down in the appreciate your consideration. fall, the staff floods the marsh again. The result? Water birds seeking a Look for animal signs. Tracks, rest stop find food and shelter scat, feathers, and nests left waiting for them. Artificial ponds behind often tell interesting and water tanks offer additional stories. water sources for wildlife. Sharing Food Farmers and wildlife both reap Crops rewards from cooperative farming in the dry lake bottom. Local farmers keep two-thirds of the crop and the remainder stays on the refuge for wildlife food. The lakebed is farmed in a patchwork of croplands and native plants. Together, they offer nesting and winter cover for wildlife. Buffalo Lake National Wildlife Refuge History: Why is Back in 1937, Buffalo Lake pooled Take a 5-mile A leisurely morning or afternoon the Lake Dry? behind Umbarger Dam, built as part Wildlife Drive drive through grasslands, of the Bankhead-Jones Farm Tenant woodlands, a dry playa, and farm Act of 1937. Water in a dry land fields offers excellent chances for instantly attracted waterfowl along spotting wildlife. Along this out- the Central Flyway. The Soil and-back drive (which turns around Conservation Service first managed at Stewart Marsh), you'll see the the lake for water conservation, most birds during spring and fall recreation, and as a wildlife migration. Deer wander out into the sanctuary. The U.S. Fish and open during winter to nibble plants Wildlife Service took over on and leftover crops. The route passes November 6,1958, recognizing the a "Windmill for Wildlife" exhibit, value for wildlife. featuring a working windmill. Take time to visit the observation deck Tierra Blanca Creek and natural and photo blind. springs fed Buffalo Lake until the 1970s. Irrigation and urban water Hike to a Prairie Visit a prairie dog town and learn pumping sapped the water table Dog Town about their social life from and, simultaneously, the rains interpretive signs along the half- decreased. Tierra Blanca Creek mile trail. Prairie dogs are active dried up and eventually so did during daylight hours but will Buffalo Lake. After a torrential scurry to their burrows when rain filled the lake to capacity in disturbed. If you remain still and 1978, Umbarger Dam was quiet the prairie dogs may soon condemned and the lake drained. reappear, allowing you to watch them. Keep a sharp lookout for In 1992, the Fish and Wildlife burrowing owls here too. You'll Service replaced Umbarger find the trail just 2 miles south Dam with a modern flood control of the Highway 1714 intersection. structure. Major storms occasionally flood Tierra Blanca Creek, but water Stroll the This half-mile trail follows tree- quality suffers from upstream cattle Cottonwood shaded canyon walls along the feedlots. The refuge releases any Canyon northwest shore, a favorite riparian water in the lake and instead Binding Trail destination for songbirds. Take manages the dry lakebed for along the refuge bird checklist, wildlife habitat. carry your camera and binoculars, and see how many species you can Things to Do at For an overview of the refuge, start find. Restrooms, benches, and an the Refuge out with the refuge auto tour. Two interpretive trailhead sign enhance easy trails take you into the heart of the refuge's most popular trail, some of the best located near the entry gate. habitats here- prairie and woodlands. Stop in at the refuge (Above, top) headquarters to Thundercloud over Headquarters; pick up a bird (Above) Snow in checklist and (Above) Windmill. Picnic Area; find out the Photo by Lynn (Right) Prickly latest on wildlife Nymeyer. Pear. Photos by sightings and (Right) Coyote, Lynn Nymeyer events. USFWS Photo Photography Whether focusing on a spring Horse Trailer Horse trailer parking for loading and Best Bets wildflower or aiming a long lens Parking unloading is available at the end of toward a flight of ducks, the auto tour road (in the grassed photographers will find plenty of area inside the turn around loop). material here. Best bets for Horses may not be loaded or photography include the auto tour unloaded and trailers parked at any route, the scenic overlook and other area of the refuge. observation blind, and designated hiking trails. Water for Horses The refuge does not provide watering facilities for horses.