Salt Plains National Wildlife Refuge

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Salt Plains National Wildlife Refuge
IUCN category IV (habitat/species management area)
The Salt Plains near the Crystal digging area
Salt PlainsShow map of OklahomaSalt PlainsShow map of the United States
Location	Alfalfa County, Oklahoma
Nearest city	Jet
Coordinates	36°45′01″N 98°13′27″W / 36.750314°N 98.224259°W / 36.750314; -98.224259
Area	32,080 acres (129.8 km)
Established	1930
Governing body	United States Fish and Wildlife Service
Website	Salt Plains National Wildlife Refuge

U.S. National Natural Landmark
Designated	June 1983

The Salt Plains National Wildlife Refuge is part of the United States system of national wildlife refuges. It is located in Alfalfa County in northern Oklahoma, north of Jet (pop. 230), along Great Salt Plains Lake, which is formed by a dam on the Salt Fork of the Arkansas River.

The refuge was established March 26, 1930, by executive order of President Herbert Hoover, and contains 32,080 acres (130 km) of protected land as habitat to about 312 species of birds and 30 species of mammals. It was designated a national natural landmark in June 1983.

Refuge description

The Salt Plains were a favorite hunting ground for American Indians. Bison and other game came to the area to eat the salt and the heavily wooded and well-watered area along the Salt Fork River was like an oasis in the surrounding grassland of the Great Plains. Salt Plains refuge is divided into almost equal areas of nonvegetated salt flat, open water, and vegetated land. Marshes, woods, grasslands, and croplands dot the refuge. Management tools used to enhance the habitat for wildlife include farming, grazing, prescribed burns, construction of ponds, and wetland draining and flooding.

The refuge was created to be a resting and breeding ground for migratory waterfowl especially during fall and spring. The entire refuge is designated as critical habitat for the endangered whooping crane, which is mostly seen during fall migration. In addition, the refuge is home to endangered least terns, threatened snowy plovers, threatened bald eagles, and peregrine falcons. Large populations of American white pelicans migrate through between August and September, staying on the Great Salt Plains Reservoir. Great Salt Plains is one of the most important habitats for shorebirds in the Western Hemisphere.

Ralstin Island

Ralstin Island (closed to the public) is an important rookery in the Great Salt Plains Lake. The island was originally 25 acres (100,000 m), but has eroded to about 6 acres (20,000 m). It hosts more than 30,000 birds during breeding season. Over 30 species nest in the colony, including the white-faced ibis, great blue herons, and most notably, the tricolored heron.

History of the Great Salt Plains

Osage control of Great Salt Plains

According to Historian Louis F. Burns, the Osage Indians used the salt found in the Great Salt Plains to bleach deer-skins and the Great Salt Plains gave the Osages a surplus of salt to trade with other tribes. According to Burns, the Osage were firmly in control of the Great Salt Plains by 1760 and because of a favorable combination of geographical factors, the Osages became the dominant force in mid—America. "In a one hundred twenty-five year period, 1678-1803, the Osages performed a feat no other American Indians duplicated," writes Burns. "They stopped the west-ward expansion of the Euro-American peoples and simultaneously tripled the size of their own domain."

Sibley Expedition

George Champlin Sibley was appointed head trader at the Indian Factory at Fort Osage, Missouri, when it opened in 1808. While at Fort Osage, Sibley quickly engaged in creating relationships with the neighboring Osage tribes. In May 1811 Sibley's expedition left Fort Osage to examine the hunting grounds of the Osage. In 1811 his expedition was said to be the first white men to visit the plains. Sibley's expedition, leaving from Fort Osage, Missouri was guided by an Osage Indian named Sans Orielle. Sibley named the area the Grand Saline. Sibley cut short his expedition when informed by reports that bands of Comanche were nearby. Sibley returned to Fort Osage on July 11, 1811 and reported that the salt deposits would eventually prove commercially profitable.

Native American usage

The Great Salt Plains have been the scene of many Indian Councils, both of war and peace. Because animals flocked to the area for the salt, the Great Salt Plains made for excellent hunting and it became obvious that any tribe that controlled the Salt Plains would have to contend with intrusions by other tribes. Therefore the Treaty of New Echota signed in 1835, provided the Cherokee Nation with ownership of the Cherokee Outlet but declared that the saline areas were to be accessible to use by other tribes. In drafting the treaty the United States Government withheld the Salt Plains area with the provision that, "The right is reserved to the United States to allow other tribes of red men to get salt on the Great Salt Plains in common with the Cherokee Tribe."

Chemical weapons discovery

In 2007, a Boy Scout digging for crystals uncovered a collection of 7.5-inch vials containing chemical agents such as mustard gas, lewisite, chloropicrin, and phosgene. The vials were part of World War II-era military chemical agent identification sets. The burial of vials was standard procedure for removing them from service at that time. No record of a disposal site was reported at the salt plains. Crystal digging was suspended from April 2007 until April 2009, while the risk of allowing digging again was evaluated; 171 vials and at least a dozen incendiary devices were removed from the location. The salt plains were also used as a bombing and strafing range during World War II. Remnants of this use are still left on the plains.

Recreation

Driving tour: The Harold F. Miller Auto Tour begins near the nature center. It is 2.5 miles (4 km) long and ends at Highway 11. The dirt road passes by ponds and fields where crops for wildlife are cultivated. White-tailed deer and other wildlife are common. A trail of 0.25 miles (400 m) leads to Casey Marsh Tower, where waterfowl are abundant and bald eagles can be seen in fall and winter.

Hiking: The Sandpiper Trail begins near the nature center and refuge office and leads 0.35 miles (600 m) to the edge of the salt flats and a birding observation platform. The Eagle Roost Nature Trail is a 1.25-mile (2.0 km) loop also beginning near the nature center. The trail goes through wooded and open areas, beneath towering cottonwood trees, past marshes and ponds, and to a shore and waterfowl watching area on Sand Creek Bay.

Selenite crystals: A designated area of the 11,000 acres (45 km) of salt flats at the refuge has gypsum concentrations high enough to grow selenite, a crystalline form of gypsum. The selenite crystals found there have an hourglass-shaped sand inclusion that is not known to occur in selenite crystals found elsewhere in the world. Digging for crystals is allowed, but only from April 1 through October 15 to protect this vital Whooping Crane habitat.

A hole dug in the Digging Area
Many selenite crystals found in a single day
Blade / penetration twins type of selenite crystal

Hunting: About 1,250 acres (5 km) of the refuge north of Highway 11 are open for hunting. State laws apply, except deer may be hunted by permit only. Hunting is permitted for pheasant, northern bobwhite quail, mourning dove, ducks, geese, and sandhill cranes.

Fishing: According to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the extreme drought of 2011 and 2012 has almost ended fishing as a recreational activity at the refuge. These conditions caused very large fish kills in the reservoir and restocking has been suspended. Fishing downstream of the dam is still permitted, but is greatly affected by local precipitation and the flow of the Great Salt River.

Information that follows indicate the practices in force prior to the 2011 drought, and may no longer apply: Fishing is permitted from April 1 to October 15 on most of the refuge. Closed areas are marked by buoys or signs. Fishing in Bonham Pond is permitted only for children under 14 and mobility-handicapped persons and is catch-and-release. Salt Plains Lake is noted for large channel and other catfish. Other game fish include striped bass, largemouth bass, crappie, white bass, panfish, and walleye. State laws apply for bag limits and seasons, and the use of boats in the river and creeks is prohibited.

References

"National Natural Landmarks - National Natural Landmarks (U.S. National Park Service)". www.nps.gov. Retrieved March 26, 2019. Year designated: 1983
Salt Plains - Brochures
Salt Plains - Welcome
"List of Sites". www.whsrn.org. Western Hemisphere Shorebird Reserve Network. Archived from the original on July 29, 2010. Retrieved June 7, 2023.
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. "Salt Plains National Wildlife Refuge." Retrieved April 20, 2013.
The History of the Osage" by Louis F. Burns. ISBN 9780817350185
^ Corps of Engineers. "History of Great Salt Plains Lake" retrieved May 25, 2021
^ Oklahoma Historical Society. "GREAT SALT PLAINS" retrieved May 25, 2021.
^ Oklahoma Historical Society. "Sibley Expeditions" retrieved May 25, 2021.
^ "Crystal dig to open Saturday", Enid News & Eagle, April 18, 2009
Fitzgerald, Scott, "Salt Plains beds yield 130-plus chemical vials", Enid News & Eagle, May 1, 2007
Fitzgerald, Scott, "Incendiary devices found near chemicals at Salt Plains dig area", Enid News & Eagle, May 4, 2007
Barron, Robert, "Officials speculate chemical at Salt Plains could be mustard gas", Enid News & Eagle, April 26, 2007
"Scout unearths chemical; Salt Plains crystal beds under guard, are off-limits to public", Enid News & Eagle, April 24, 2007
^ "Salt Plains NWR Nature Trails". Archived from the original on February 6, 2007.
"Salt Plains - Selenite Crystals". U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. Retrieved May 9, 2016.
"Salt Plains - Crystal Digging". U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. Retrieved May 9, 2016.
Hunting at Salt Plains
US Army Corps of Engineers:Great Salt Plains Recreation. "Great Salt Plains Lake." Accessed April 20, 2015.
Fishing at Salt Plains

This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the United States Fish and Wildlife Service.

External links

Informational videos

Official Great Salt Plains videos have been created and are hosted on YouTube. They are part of a short series, which includes:

Protected areas of Oklahoma

Federal

National Historic Sites	Fort Smith Washita Battlefield
National Forests	Ouachita
National Recreation Areas	Chickasaw
USFS National Recreation Areas	Winding Stair Mountain
National Scenic Areas	Beech Creek
National Grasslands	Black Kettle Rita Blanca
National Memorials	Oklahoma City
National Wildlife Refuges	Deep Fork Little River Optima Ozark Plateau Salt Plains Sequoyah Tishomingo Washita Wichita Mountains

State

State Parks	Alabaster Caverns Arrowhead Beavers Bend Black Mesa Boiling Springs Cherokee Landing Clayton Lake Fort Cobb Foss Gloss Mountain Great Plains Great Salt Plains Greenleaf Keystone Lake Eufaula Lake Murray Lake Texoma Lake Thunderbird Lake Wister Little Sahara McGee Creek Natural Falls Osage Hills Quartz Mountain Raymond Gary Robbers Cave Roman Nose Sequoyah Sequoyah Bay Talimena Tenkiller
Grand Lake State Park areas	Bernice Cherokee Disney/Little Blue Honey Creek Spavinaw Twin Bridges
Wildlife Management Areas	Altus-Lugert Arbuckle Springs Atoka Thomas A. Bamberger Sr. Barren Fork Beaver River Beaver River - McFarland Unit Blue River Broken Bow Hal and Fern Cooper Honobia Creek McCurtain County Pine Creek Pushmataha
Other	Arcadia Conservation Education Area Atoka Public Hunting Area Black Mesa Nature Preserve Hugo Lake
Oklahoma Historical Society	Cabin Creek Battlefield Fort Gibson Historic Site Fort Supply Historic Site Fort Towson Historic Site Honey Springs Battlefield Hunter’s Home Pawnee Bill Ranch and Museum Spiro Mounds Archaeological Center White Hair Memorial Will Rogers Birthplace Ranch
Oklahoma Commissioners of the Land Office	Manages land for revenue to fund schools

Local

Former state parks	Adair Park Beaver Dunes Park Boggy Depot Park (Choctaw Nation) Brushy Lake Park Crowder Lake University Park Dripping Springs Park Heavener Runestone Park Lake Eucha Park Okmulgee Park Red Rock Canyon Adventure Snowdale (closed) Wah-Sha-She Park Walnut Creek (closed)

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