NATIONAL ELK REFUGE

Description
National Elk Refuge, located in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, was established in 1912 to provide winter habitat and preserve the Jackson elk herd. The Refuge's nearly 25,000 acres provide a winter home for one of the largest wintering concentrations of elk, with nearly 7,500 animals annually. These animals also participate in one of the longest herd migrations of elk in the lower United States on their way to and from National Elk Refuge. In addition to elk, the largest free roaming bison herd in the National Wildlife Refuge System, about 700 animals, winters at the Refuge. A wide variety of habitats are found on the Refuge, including grassy meadows, marshes, timbered areas, sagebrush, and rocky outcroppings. A variety of waterfowl, including trumpeter swans, can be seen on nearly 1,600 acres of open water and marsh lands. At least 47 different mammals and nearly 175 different species of birds have been observed on the Refuge. Between November and May, the wildlife concentrations and diversity are so spectacular that this Refuge has been called the "Winter Serengeti.