NEBRASKA: BOYER CHUTE NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE
Site Description & Location
Boyer Chute National Wildlife Refuge was established on August 11, 1992, under the authority of the Fish & Wildlife Act and the Emergency Wetland Resource Act. It lies three miles east of the farming community of Fort Calhoun, Nebraska. The current refuge boundary is situated west and alongside the Missouri River in Washington County, ten miles north of Omaha, Nebraska. The Authorized acquisition boundary also extends across the river into Pottawattamie County, Iowa.
This 3,200-acre refuge lies in the wide, fertile floodplain of the Missouri River valley on former river meanders. It will connect DeSoto NWR and Wilson Island State Park to the north with the Neale Woods Center (a privately owned Nature Center) to the South. The focal point of the refuge is Boyer Chute, a "first of its kind" restored side-channel of the Missouri River.
Ecological Values
The purpose of the Refuge is to restore, preserve, and maintain fish and wildlife habitat, with special emphasis to threatened and endangered species, migratory birds, and preservation of the natural biodiversity of the Missouri River floodplain. It is not to be considered as another waterfowl refuge. However, it will serve as an important migration stopover for ducks and geese. As the mosaic of riparian forest and grasslands are restored, the refuge will attract a wide variety of neotropical migratory species. It also serves as an important habitat and nursery ground for riverine species of fish.
The Refuge is a joint federal and local conservation partnership designed to restore a portion of the Missouri River habitat that flows through the 2 1/2 mile long chute and parallels the main flow of the river. Riparian woodland, tallgrass prairie, and palustrine and riverine wetlands are the major wildlife habitats that are being restored and protected. Approximately 400 acres are temporarily managed as croplands awaiting restoration. Over 1,500 acres of tallgrass prairie and wet meadows have been restored or preserved. These habitats benefit Missouri River fishes, migratory birds, endangered species and resident wildlife. This important habitat is a potential Important Bird Area in the state.
Public Use
Proactive outreach introduces more and more people to the Fish and Wildlife Service. The refuge promotes recreational activities including fishing, picnicking, hiking, interpretation, wildlife viewing, environmental education and photography. This affords the growing visiting public the chance to enjoy the wildlife and associated habitats of the restored floodplain forest and adjacent grasslands. Visitors can use four nature trails and two education pavilion shelters located along 2 miles of graveled roads along the Chute. Parking areas, rest rooms, and fishing piers are handicapped accessible.
Threats
Threats to the integrity of the refuge come from several fronts. Urban Sprawl from the Greater Omaha Metropolis is ever increasing. Land prices are acutely inflated due to the desire to move out of the big city. The clearing of land for trophy houses along the river is creating significant riparian habitat loss. Cottonwood regeneration is at an all-time low along the Missouri River corridor causing serious declines in use by bald eagles and innumerable other species. Invasive species such as purple loosestrife become more of a threat every day because landowners along the river are not controlling growing populations. Progeny from the invasives are then transported to the refuge where they become established. The physical incising of the Missouri River channel into itself is effectively "drying out" the river valley. Floodplain side-channels and associated wetlands have become non-functional as a result.
Acquisition Status
An LWCF appropriation of $1 million is needed to replenish the depleted funding for Boyer Chute NWR acquisition and acquire these tracts.
Public Support
Boyer Chute NWR is a joint federal, state and local partnership with Corps of Engineers, Papio-Missouri River Natural Resources District, the NE Game and Parks Commission, Natural Resources Conservation Services, Ducks Unlimited, Back to the River, Inc., Friends of Boyer Chute and DeSoto NWR, Midwest Interpretive Association, Fontenelle Nature Association, and the Upper Mississippi Joint Venture of the North American Waterfowl Management Plan.
Habitat
River
Wetlands
Tallgrass Prairie
Wet Meadows
Species
The Refuge provides a home or seasonal resting are for 83 species of fish, 15 species of amphibians, 29 species of reptiles, 60 species of macroinvertebrates, 40 species of mammals, and at last count 259 species of birds. Habitat is also suitable to the endangered Pallid sturgeon, Interior Least Tern, Piping Plover and American Burying Beetle. Also, Wood Thrushes, Red-Headed Woodpeckers, Short eared Owls, Harris, Grasshopper and Henslow's Sparrows, Dickcissels, Bald Eagles, Lapland Longspurs, Common Snipe, Lesser and Greater Yellowlegs, Spotted and Upland Sandpipers, Orange Crowned, Palm, Black & White, Tennessee and Nashville Warblers, Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers, Northern Goshawks, Merlins, Green, Yellow-Crowned Night and Great Blue Herons, Hooded and Common Mergansers
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