Quivera National Wildlife Refuge

For untold years, the ancient Big and Little Salt Marshes have attracted thousands of migrating waterfowl, providing them with food, cover, and a place to rest during exhausting flights between breeding and wintering areas. Indians and early settlers hunted the waterfowl in these marshes, and shortly after the turn of the century, commercial hunting provided wagonloads of waterfowl to Kansas City restaurants and other eastern points.

With the decline of commercial hunting came the establishment of hunting clubs whose acquisition of private lands helped preserve valuable waterfowl habitat from further development. Moreover, these clubs worked to improve the habitat -- among their attempts is the channel permitting Rattlesnake Creek to flow directly into Little Salt Marsh. Additional canals were dug later, proving the entire area with a more dependable water supply.

Today these marshlands remain a major stopover for thousands of migrating birds.

To: Stafford County
To: St. John