Crab Orchard National Wildlife Refuge

Crab Orchard National Wildlife Refuge
IUCN category IV (habitat/species management area)
Crab Orchard Lake, Crab Orchard National Wildlife Refuge, September 2019
Map showing the location of Crab Orchard National Wildlife Refuge
Map showing the location of Crab Orchard National Wildlife Refuge
Map of the U.S. state of Illinois showing the location of Crab Orchard National Wildlife Refuge
LocationWilliamson, Jackson, and Union counties, Illinois, USA
Nearest cityMarion, Illinois
Coordinates37°42′00″N 89°03′33″W / 37.70000°N 89.05917°W / 37.70000; -89.05917
Area43,890 acres (177.62 km2)
Established1947
Governing bodyU.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
WebsiteCrab Orchard National Wildlife Refuge

Crab Orchard National Wildlife Refuge is a 43,890 acre (180 km2) National Wildlife Refuge primarily in southwestern Williamson County, but with small extensions into adjacent eastern Jackson and northeastern Union counties of southern Illinois, in the United States. Its land and water contain a wide diversity of flora and fauna. It centers on Crab Orchard Lake. Major habitat types on the refuge include hardwood forest, agricultural land, grazing units, brushland, wetlands, and lakes. Other major bodies of water on the refuge are Devil's Kitchen Lake and Little Grassy Lake.