Monday, September 7, 2009

Boyer Chute National Wildlife Refuge


Boyer Chute National Wildlife Refuge is a nice little park just north of Omaha and near Ft. Calhoun. The park is basically a collection of trails that snake through prairie grasses, forests and along the Missouri River. The park is great for bird watching, photography and short walks.

The purpose:
Boyer Chute National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) was established to recover fish and wildlife habitat in and along the Missouri River. The purpose of the Boyer Chute Restoration Project is to restore essential wildlife habitat that became scarce when the Missouri River was "improved" for navigation half a century ago. River channelization, wetland drainage, and conversion of river bottom floodplain areas to agricultural, industrial, and municipal uses had resulted in the loss of over 500,000 acres of habitat along the navigable stretch of the Missouri River floodplain.

This information was taken from the park's government website. Check it out for more detailed info!

Stuff to do:
  1. Educational Programs
  2. Fishing
  3. Hunting
  4. Wildlife Observation and Photography
http://www.fws.gov/Refuges/profiles/recEdMore.cfm?ID=64640



I enjoyed this park. It is small and easily navigated. This is a good place to kill those beautiful hours in the afternoon or morning. The trails are shorter; the longest being 4 miles. The park is clean. People who want a park they can get lost in for hours may find Boyer Chute lackluster. But the park is perfect for a small, short excursion out of the city for your weekly dose of nature!



Here are some photos I took:





How to get there:

Boyer Chute NWR is located on the west side of the Missouri River, 3 miles east of the town of Fort Calhoun, Nebraska, and 15 miles north of Omaha. From Omaha or Blair, follow Highway 75 to the southernmost street (Madison Street) within the Fort Calhoun city limits. Watch for the Boyer Chute NWR sign. Turn east and proceed to the stop sign at the "T" intersection. Turn right onto County Road 34 and proceed approximately 3 miles to the Refuge main gate.



I would recommend Boyer Chute for persons looking to spend a few hours outside of town. Another thing about Boyer Chute is its close proximity to
Ft. Atkinson State Historical Park for those who may be interested. But this park may not be for all especially people looking for long hiking trails. Boyer Chute all in all is a good place to take a family out fora few hours.



And finally I just had to add this photo of a local name Conan(in red) that I know and his Art Car:




Thanks!

4 comments:

  1. This is a really cool blog idea and I like the title. I think you picked a topic you definitely know and the pics are great. Good job!

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  2. I've been mushroom hunting near there. Many tics.

    -Ben P.

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  3. Art cars are win. How much of an expert on parks are you? Park ranger expert, or many walks and adventures in the woods expert? Do you still want to be a park ranger, or is that right out?

    -Lizard Breath

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  4. lol I'm not an expert at all. I am hardly even an aficionado. I would still probably be a park ranger given the chance. Love you sis lolz

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