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TEXAS GEMS - Lower
Rio Grande Valley National Wildlife Refuge
The Refuge currently manages 111
individual tracts totalling 77,000 acres. The Refuge is
authorized to purchase additional lands, up to 132,500
total acres, anywhere in the four counties of the Lower
Rio Grande Valley. The Refuge prioritizes acquisition of
lands along the Rio Grande extending 275 miles from
Falcon Dam to the Gulf of Mexico. When possible, the
Refuge secures parcels that are directly adjacent to
existing refuge lands and serve as links connecting
separate tracts (the analogy being that of a chain, with
even a single link missing it doesn’t function). Areas
that have unique or notable resources, for example
tracts on which endangered plant or animal species are
known to occur, receive priority for acquisition.
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The protected lands of the Refuge
support perhaps the richest and rarest biodiversity in
the continental United States. The Refuge manages
habitats supporting 13 federally threatened and
endangered species and 57 state protected species. In
total, 485 species of birds, 294 species of butterflies,
115 species of reptiles and amphibians, and 83 species
of mammals are known to occur in the Lower Rio Grande
Valley and adjacent Gulf of Mexico coastal waters.
Presently, 776 plant species are documented on the Lower
Rio Grande Valley National Wildlife Refuge, but an
estimate of the total number of plant species occurring
in the Refuge’s area of ecological concern is placed at
1,200 species.
Texas, Cameron County, Hidalgo
County, Starr County, Willacy County, 26°07’30”/98°07’30
Relative Size:
Areal extent of site 77,000 acres
Area of Influence:
Ecoregion: 315, Southwest Plateau
and Plains Dry Steppe and Shrub Province (Compiled by
R.G.Bailey, 1995).
Watershed(s): 12110208, South Laguna Madre; 13090001,
Los Olmos; and 13090002, Lower Rio Grande (USGS
Hydrologic Units).
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