The earliest frontiersmen came into the area in the late 1700’s. By the 1840’s, homesteaders had established farms throughout the area that now makes up the Refuge. Utilizing the abundances of game, homesteaders dined on buffalo, deer, quail and passenger pigeons.
By the 1930’s, land in this area that once supported wildlife was depleted through extensive agriculture and logging practices. With the loss of habitats some wildlife species became displaced. In 1936, the Resettlement Administration acquired 32,000 acres of this depleted land along the Crab Orchard Creek. This became known as the Crab Orchard Creek Project. The original plans called for the construction of three lakes for recreational use and as an industrial water supply.
The War Department purchased an additional 12,000 acres of land and established the Illinois Ordinance Plant (Ordill) at the start of World War II in 1941. They immediately started a crash development plan for this plant. This land was of importance to the site of this plant because of the geographic location, water supply, and federal ownership of Crab Orchard Lake. Explosives were the prime product which for safety reasons caused different phases of the operation to be isolated from others. The Ordill plant was scattered on more than 20,000 acres of land.
The final design of the Ordnance Plant circled the entire east end of Crab Orchard Lake. This development included 14 different areas which ranged from 40 to 640 or more acres in size. Roads, railroads, telephone, power, water, and sewage lines joined the area.
The plant had a peak wartime employment of 10,000 workers and a monthly production of 250,000 105 MM shells, 175,000 155 MM shells, and 70,150 500 pound bombs.
Operations of the Illinois Ordnance Plant were suspended on August 14, 1945. After the war, the entire Crab Orchard Creek Project and Illinois Ordnance Plant was transferred to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service on August 5, 1947. With this Crab Orchard National Wildlife Refuge was established. The chief provisions of the act that initiated Crab Orchard stipulated that the area be developed for wildlife conservation, recreation, agriculture and industry.
When it passed the 1997 National Wildlife Refuge System Improvement Act, Congress established hunting, fishing, wildlife observation and photography, and environmental education and interpretation as “priority public uses” where compatible with the mission and purpose of an individual refuge. These wildlife-dependent public uses are sometimes referred to as the “Big 6.”
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The Crab Orchard National Wildlife Refuge is one of over 545 refuges across the United States and was established in 1947.
The Crab Orchard National Wildlife Refuge, located in western Williamson County, near Marion, Illinois, encompasses approximately 44,000 acres which consists of prairies, forests, and lakes.
The emphasis at the Refuge is on protecting and restoring habitat and providing opportunities for the public to enjoy and learn about the surroundings.
A drive through the National Wildlife Refuge will offer many exciting opportunities of seeing a multitude of wildlife in their natural habitat.
White-tailed deer and wild turkeys roam the lands and populate the Refuge. Each of these native animals is harvested each season through permitted hunting in several locations throughout the Refuge.
The mission of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is to “Conserve, protect, and enhance fish and wildlife and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the American people.”
Located west of Marion, Illinois, on the northern edge of the Ozark foothills, Crab Orchard National Wildlife Refuge is one of the largest refuges in the Great Lakes/Big Rivers Region. The 43,890-acre Refuge includes three man-made lakes, including Crab Orchard, Little Grassy and Devil’s Kitchen, totaling 8,700 surface acres. The Refuge landscape also includes hardwood and pine forests, croplands, grasslands, wetlands, rolling hills, and rugged terrain with slopes of 24 percent. The 4,050-acre Crab Orchard Wilderness, the first wilderness area designated in the State of Illinois, is within the Refuge.
The Crab Orchard National Wildlife Refuge in Williamson County hosts an estimated 1.2 million visitors annually, and its recreation programs contribute more than 525 million to the local tourism economy.
Public use opportunities at the Refuge include an auto tour route, hiking trails, hunting, fishing, wildlife observation and photography, environmental education and I interpretation, boating, swimming, camping, and picnicking.
Crab Orchard National Wildlife Refuge has four primary purposes in its mission:
Wildlife conservation: The Refuge exists to protect, enhance, and manage natural resources and the Refuge landscape through an ecosystem approach that sustains optimum populations of migratory waterfowl, native fish and wildlife species, and threatened and endangered wildlife.
Agriculture: The Refuge seeks to provide opportunities for and encourage agricultural uses that help attain wildlife conservation goals, benefit the local economy, and are compatible with other Refuge purposes.
Industry: The Refuge manages an industrial complex fully utilized by compatible tenants that conform to prescribed safety, health, environmental, and maintenance standards.
Recreation: The Refuge provides safe and equitable public use programs and facilities so that visitors have a wholesome, enjoyable recreational experience and gain an appreciation for fish and wildlife resources, natural and cultural history, outdoor ethics, and environmental awareness.
Nor every division of Crab Orchard NWR is open to all six of the priority public uses. The refuge manager uses sound professional judgment in determining compatible uses, and the Refuge System Improvement Act established a formal process for determining what uses are permitted.
We encourage everyone to come out and enjoy the refuge. However, certain regulations are necessary to protect wildlife and preserve the beauty of the area. Crab Orchard NWR abides by a federal fee schedule which requires all recreation users to have a pass on all vehicles and boats using the Refuge. Please refer to chart below for recreational fees and schedules.
Crab Orchard NWR is being cared for today and preserved for future generations by the American people. This dual objective—use and preservation—comes at a price: Protecting our natural and cultural heritage while ensuring that everyone visiting these areas has a safe, enjoyable educational experience costs money. This is why in 2004. The U.S. Department of the Interior implemented the Federal Land Recreation Enhancement Act in three of its agencies—the National Park Service, the Bureau of Land Management, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. This program will help spread some of the costs for managing these lands among those who use them.
The Federal Land Recreation Enhancement Act will allow a very significant portion of the fees collected at public areas to be spent directly on behalf of that area. This means that the money you spend on your vehicle and boat passes will stay right here at Crab Orchard NWR. The fees will be used for a wide variety of improvements at various locations on the Refuge. Past fees have helped us improve a wide variety of areas including: West End and Greenbriar boat ramps, Wolf Creek Causeway fishing piers, Devils Kitchen Lake Line 13 courtesy dock, and Pigeon Creek Environmental Education complex. Future improvements include the parking areas at Devils Kitchen Lake Line 13 and 6, and the expansion of the northeast boat ramp at Little Grassy Like.
For more information, visit their site at Crab Orchard National Wildlife Refuge.
(Marion Living Magazine, March 2007)