Kellys Slough National Wildlife Refuge

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Kellys Slough National Wildlife Refuge
IUCN category IV (habitat/species management area)
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Map of the United States
Location Grand Forks County, North Dakota, United States
Nearest city Emerado, North Dakota
Coordinates 47°58′21″N97°16′39″W / 47.97248°N 97.27758°W / 47.97248; -97.27758 [1] Coordinates: 47°58′21″N97°16′39″W / 47.97248°N 97.27758°W / 47.97248; -97.27758 [2]
Area 1,270 acres (5.1 km2)
Established 1936
Governing body U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Website Kellys Slough National Wildlife Refuge

Kellys Slough National Wildlife Refuge was established to develop and manage a system of wetlands and grasslands that is unique to the Red River Valley. The Refuge supports a diversity of wetland and grassland wildlife, while providing for wildlife-dependent recreation, interpretation, and education. Kellys Slough National Wildlife Refuge is located in the heart of the Red River Valley. The Refuge contains an intermittent stream that flows into the Turtle River, a tributary of the Red River. The Refuge covers portions of Blooming, Lakeville and Rye Townships of Grand Forks County.

Wetland A land area that is permanently or seasonally saturated with water

A wetland is a distinct ecosystem that is inundated by water, either permanently or seasonally, where oxygen-free processes prevail. The primary factor that distinguishes wetlands from other land forms or water bodies is the characteristic vegetation of aquatic plants, adapted to the unique hydric soil. Wetlands play a number of functions, including water purification, water storage, processing of carbon and other nutrients, stabilization of shorelines, and support of plants and animals. Wetlands are also considered the most biologically diverse of all ecosystems, serving as home to a wide range of plant and animal life. Whether any individual wetland performs these functions, and the degree to which it performs them, depends on characteristics of that wetland and the lands and waters near it. Methods for rapidly assessing these functions, wetland ecological health, and general wetland condition have been developed in many regions and have contributed to wetland conservation partly by raising public awareness of the functions and the ecosystem services some wetlands provide.

Red River Valley

The Red River Valley is a region in central North America that is drained by the Red River of the North; it is part of both Canada and the United States. Forming the border between Minnesota and North Dakota when these territories were admitted as states in the United States, this fertile valley has been important to the economies of these states and to Manitoba, Canada.

Turtle River (North Dakota) river in North Dakota

The Turtle River is a 74.9-mile-long (120.5 km) tributary of the Red River of the North in northeastern North Dakota in the United States. It flows for almost its entire length in Grand Forks County. Via the Red River, Lake Winnipeg and the Nelson River, the Turtle River is part of the watershed of Hudson Bay.

The refuge was established in 1936 and contains a total of 1,270 acres (5.1 km2). [3]

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References

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."