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'^^V^ 01964 



UNITED STATES DEPimTMENT OF THE INTERIOR 

 Fish and Wildlife Service 

 Bureau of Sport Fisheries and Wildlife 

 Washington 25., Do Co 



1962 PUBLIC USE OF NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGES 



The number of visitors on the National Wildlife Refuges in I962 was 

 almost identical with 196l» Approximately 11 million persons used these 

 areas both years o This is the first year that failed to show an increase 

 in visits B Since 1951;i when public use figures were first compiled_, the 

 annual rate of increase has averaged bex-ween 8 and 11 percent o The unusually 

 cool s-ummer in I962 throughout the mid-West resulted in a marked decline 

 in boating usOo The very restrictive waterfowl season accounted for a 

 decline of more than h2 percent in waterfowl hunting on the Upper Mississippi 

 Wild Life and Fish Refugee 



Primary consideration for public use on National Wildlife Refuges is 

 given to sightseeing, nature observations and photography, interpretive 

 programs, fishing, and hunting where such uses will have no appreciable 

 effect on fish and wildlife ^ Secondary consideration is given to picnick- 

 ing, swimming, and boatingo There are very few opportunities for campingo 



Wildl,ife observation, picnicking, swimming, and sightseeing were again 

 the most popular uses, accounting for 7^ million visitors or about 67 percent 

 of the total o This represents a decline of about ^ million visitors o Fish- 

 ing accounted for about 29-|- percent or 3-^ million persons, a slight decrease 

 from 1961 o Hunting was enjoyed by 366,186 persons or about 3"2 percent of 

 the total usco Actually, this year there were 6^,000 more hunters than last 

 year which was attributable to increased hunting of big game and upland game 

 on these areas » 



In previous years public use on the Upper Mississippi River Wild Life, 

 and. Fish Refuge, which extends for 28^ miles along the river from Wabasha, 

 Minnesota, nearly to Rock Island, Illinois, has accounted for one quarter 

 of all public use on refuges « In I962 the intensity of use dropped from 

 nearly 3 million visitors to 1,837^550° This is a decline of more than a 

 million persons using the river for water-activated recreation. Public use 

 on the ^4, 000 -acre Crab Orchard National Wildlife Refuge in southern 

 Illinois also decreased slightly, from 1,^1-8^,000 to 1,353,000. On the 

 59.S 000 -acre Wichita Mountains National Wildlife Refuge in southwestern 

 Oklahoma public use increased from 919,772 persons in I961 to 1,102, 155 ., 



Refuges which are superimposed on Bureau of Reclamation, Corps of 

 Engineers, and TVA reservoirs and flood control projects were again heavily 

 usedo These 2k cooperative refuges had over 2 million visitors in 1962, 

 The intensity of use on these 2k refuges, together with 3I refuges on 

 which the annual visitors exceed 30,000 persons is shown, on page 6«, 



