BIG OAKS NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE CLOSES PUBLIC USE FOR BRIDGE REPAIR

Refuge office will remain open during the closure of the bridge

Big Oaks National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) will close public use on September 8^th, 9^th, 11^th, and 15^th and re-open on September 16^th for Old Timbers Lodge Day.  The stone arch bridge on the East Perimeter Road is having stone masonry work that necessitates road and bridge closure during this period. The refuge office will be open for sales of permits and regular safety briefings during this public use closure on these days from 7:00 AM to 4:30 PM.   

Lodge Day will still be held on Saturday, September 16^th. The refuge and Big Oaks Conservation Society is hosting an open house at the historic Old Timbers Lodge from 1 PM to 6 PM.  Access to the Lodge will be from gate 8 on Big Oaks National Wildlife Refuge (NWR); Gate 8 is about 1 mile south of New Marion on Old Michigan Road. The Society will offer tours of the Lodge and provide light refreshments; refuge staff will offer short tours of portions of Big Oaks NWR.  The Society will also provide information about their mission and volunteer opportunities at Big Oaks National Wildlife Refuge and at Old Timbers Lodge. Other local conservation groups will have informational booths set up for visitors to discover outdoor opportunities in the surrounding communities. 

For further information about the refuge, check out the refuge website (http://www.fws.gov/midwest/bigoaks). Big Oaks NWR consists of approximately 50,000 acres on the former Jefferson Proving Ground located in Jennings, Ripley, and Jefferson Counties in southeastern Indiana. The refuge is managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and provides public use opportunities, such as hunting, fishing, wildlife observation and photography, interpretation and environmental education. The refuge has one of the largest contiguous forest blocks in the southeastern part of the state as well as one of the largest grassland complexes in the state, both of which provide wonderful wildlife viewing opportunities to refuge visitors. Recreational fishing is allowed in the 165-acre Old Timbers Lake on Mondays, Fridays, and the 2^nd and 4^th Saturdays. 

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is the principal Federal agency responsible for conserving, protecting and enhancing fish, wildlife and plants and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the American people. The Service manages the 150-million-acre National Wildlife Refuge System, which encompasses 567 national wildlife refuges, thousands of small wetlands, and other special management areas. It also operates 70 national fish hatcheries, 64 fishery resource offices and 78 ecological services field stations. The agency enforces Federal wildlife laws, administers the Endangered Species Act, manages migratory bird populations, restores nationally significant fisheries, conserves and restores wildlife habitat such as wetlands, and helps foreign governments with their conservation efforts. It also oversees the Federal Aid program that distributes hundreds of millions of dollars in excise taxes on fishing and hunting equipment to state fish and wildlife agencies.