Union Slough National Wildlife Refuge

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Union Slough National Wildlife Refuge
IUCN category IV (habitat/species management area)
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Location Kossuth County, Iowa, United States
Nearest city Bancroft, Iowa
Coordinates 43°16′54″N94°06′54″W / 43.28162°N 94.11495°W / 43.28162; -94.11495 [1] Coordinates: 43°16′54″N94°06′54″W / 43.28162°N 94.11495°W / 43.28162; -94.11495 [2]
Area 3,334 acres (13.49 km2)
Established 1938
Governing body U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Website Union Slough National Wildlife Refuge

Union Slough National Wildlife Refuge, located in Kossuth County, Iowa, was established in 1938 to provide a refuge and breeding ground for waterfowl and other migratory birds. The actual slough is all that remains of a pre-glacial riverbed, and its name is derived from the connection or "union" of two watersheds: the Blue Earth River of Minnesota and the East Fork of the Des Moines River. The terrain is nearly flat, allowing the flow of the water to be determined by the direction of the wind at times.

Kossuth County, Iowa County in the United States

Kossuth County is a county in the U.S. state of Iowa. As of the 2010 census, the population was 15,543. The county seat is Algona.

Iowa State of the United States of America

Iowa is a state in the Midwestern United States, bordered by the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west. It is bordered by six states; Wisconsin to the northeast, Illinois to the east, Missouri to the south, Nebraska to the west, South Dakota to the northwest and Minnesota to the north.

Slough (hydrology) term in hydrology

A slough is a wetland, usually a swamp or shallow lake, often a backwater to a larger body of water. Water tends to be stagnant or may flow slowly on a seasonal basis.

The refuge is on the eastern edge of the tallgrass prairie region of the Northern Great Plains, an area known for its agriculture. This 3,334-acre (13.49 km2) refuge surrounded by a sea of corn and soybeans provides vital habitat for a variety of plants and animals dependent upon tallgrass prairie and wetland habitats.

Tallgrass prairie ecosystem native to central North America

The Tallgrass prairie is an ecosystem native to central North America. Natural and anthropogenic fire, as well as grazing by large mammals, were historically agents of periodic disturbance, which regulates tree encroachment, recycles nutrients to the soil, and catalyzes some seed dispersal and germination processes. Prior to widespread use of the steel plow, which enabled conversion to agricultural land use, tallgrass prairies expanded throughout the American Midwest and smaller portions of southern central Canada, from the transitional ecotones out of eastern North American forests, west to a climatic threshold based on precipitation and soils, to the southern reaches of the Flint Hills in Oklahoma, to a transition into forest in Manitoba.

Maize Cereal grain

Maize, also known as corn, is a cereal grain first domesticated by indigenous peoples in southern Mexico about 10,000 years ago. The leafy stalk of the plant produces pollen inflorescences and separate ovuliferous inflorescences called ears that yield kernels or seeds, which are fruits.

Soybean legume grown for its edible bean with many uses

The soybean, or soya bean, is a species of legume native to East Asia, widely grown for its edible bean, which has numerous uses.

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References

  1. "Union Slough National Wildlife Refuge". Geographic Names Information System . United States Geological Survey.
  2. "Union Slough National Wildlife Refuge". Geographic Names Information System . United States Geological Survey.

PD-icon.svg This article incorporates  public domain material from websites or documents ofthe United States Fish and Wildlife Service .

United States Fish and Wildlife Service US Federal Government agency

The United States Fish and Wildlife Service is an agency of the US Federal Government within the US Department of the Interior dedicated to the management of fish, wildlife, and natural habitats. The mission of the agency is "working with others to conserve, protect, and enhance fish, wildlife, plants and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the American people."