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Morgan Brake
National Wildlife Refuge
1562 Providence Road
Cruger, MS   38924
E-mail: yazoo@fws.gov
Phone Number: 662-235-4989
Visit the Refuge's Web Site:
http://www.fws.gov/morganbrake/		 Morgan Brake NWR - ... where the Mississippi Delta meets the loess bluffs...
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  Overview
Morgan Brake National Wildlife Refuge

Welcome to Morgan Brake National Wildlife Refuge ...one of seven refuges in the Theodore Roosevelt National Wildlife Refuge Complex. In addition to the typical bottomland habitats of the Mississippi Delta, Morgan Brake National Wildlife Refuge includes a unique mile of north-facing loess bluffs on the east side of the refuge. This rare habitat with its unique floral assembly, has been described by natural resources experts as the standard by which all loess bluffs can be judged. Learn more about Morgan Brake National Wildlife Refuge's loess bluff habitat on our Wildlife and Habitat Management page.

The refuge is noted for large numbers of wintering waterfowl which have exceeded 100,000 ducks in recent years. Approximately 250 species of birds use the refuge, which is an important migration stop-over and also provides nesting habitat for many neotropical bird species. Hunting is offered for deer, ducks, squirrel, rabbit, and raccoon. Fishing is permitted in refuge waters north of Providence Road throughout the year except during the muzzleloader deer hunt. For more information on hunting and fishing on Theodore Roosevelt NWR Complex lands go to http://southeast.fws.gov/pubs/TR_complex_hunt.pdf.


Getting There . . .
Traveling Hwy 49E, proceed two miles north of Tchula, and turn right onto Providence Road. Proceed approximately 2 miles; the refuge Headquarters is on the right. The refuge is only three air miles north of Hillside National Wildlife Refuge and ten miles south of Mathews Brake National Wildlife Refuge.

For maps, please go to: http://morganbrake.fws.gov/directions.html

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These driving directions are provided as a general guide only. No representation is made or warranty given as to their content, road conditions or route usability or expeditiousness. User assumes all risk of use.

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Wildlife and Habitat
Morgan Brake National Wildlife Refuge lies on the edge of the vast Mississippi Delta about 50 miles east of the Mississippi River. Due to the present-day distance from the river, the lack of silt and sand deposited historically from over-bank flooding has resulted in this slack-water area being lower in elevation than lands nearer the river. Tight clay soils and natural depressions caused the formation of natural wooded wetland areas called brakes and led to the use of the land for building ponds for commercial catfish farming.

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History
Morgan Brake National Wildlife Refuge, established in 1977, encompasses 7,383 acres in west central Mississippi, on the extreme eastern edge of the Mississippi/Yazoo River Alluvial Plain and the loess hills in Holmes County. The refuge was originally established to protect hardwood bottomlands "...for use as an inviolate sanctuary, or for any other management purpose, for migratory birds." Land acquisition began in September 1977 with the purchase of 298 acres. Additional bottomland hardwood forest acquisitions in 1979 (1,033 acres) and 1987 (1,187 acres) expanded the refuge. Since 1987, acquisition goals were expanded to include a complex of habitat types, including moist-soil areas, croplands, and a variety of open water sloughs and streams. In 1992, the adjacent 3,290 acre John Hancock tract and several smaller tracts were purchased. The acquisition of the 80 acre Boyd tract in 1996 brought the refuge acreage total to 7,381 acres.

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    Recreation and Education Opportunities
Fishing
Hunting
Photography
Wildlife Observation
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Managment Activities

The refuge conducts a comprehensive program of reforestation, moist-soil management, greentree reservoir management, cooperative farming, waterfowl management, wood duck management, shorebird management, fisheries management, non-consumptive public use, and one of the largest public hunting programs in the Southeastern Region.