Camas National Wildlife Refuge | |
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IUCN category IV (habitat/species management area) | |
Map of the United States | |
Location | Jefferson County, Idaho, United States |
Nearest city | Hamer, Idaho |
Coordinates | 43°57′05″N 112°14′57″W / 43.95129°N 112.24914°W[1] |
Area | 10,578 acres (42.81 km2) |
Established | 1937 |
Governing body | U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service |
Website | Camas National Wildlife Refuge |
About half of the Camas National Wildlife Refuge in southeastern Idaho consists of lakes, ponds, and marshlands; the remainder is grass sagebrush uplands, meadows, and farm fields. Camas Creek flows through the length of the refuge.
Mammal species that inhabit this refuge are coyote, pronghorn, moose, elk, porcupine, white-tailed deer, cottontail rabbit, muskrat, and weasel.
Water management is a critical component of Camas Refuge operations. An extensive system of canals, dikes, wells, ponds, and water-control structures is used to manipulate water for the benefit of wildlife, with an emphasis on nesting waterfowl. Haying and prescribed fire are used to manipulate vegetation in some fields, and small grain crops are grown to provide supplemental feed for geese and cranes and to keep them from damaging private croplands.