12 / OutdoorIllinois March 2011

Crab Orchard National Wildlife Refuge combines nature,recreation and more than a few secret spots.

TheUniqueRefuge

Story By Joe McFarland

It’s become one of Illinois’greatest sources of new publicrecreation lands and wildlifehabitat: During the past 20years, decommissioned military

property, such as the former Fort Sheri-dan north of Chicago or the Joliet ArmyAmmunition Plant to the south, arenow protecting and serving our coun-try on a new mission. Call it high-securi-ty habitat: Here, among the agedbunkers and training fields are thou-sands of acres of undeveloped habitat,much of it preserved under militarysecurity for 100 years or more. Publicland managers are quick to recognizethe potential for turning these formermilitary sites into public destinationsfor sportsmen and nature lovers. Andwhile some sites come with certain his-torical baggage (more about that later),in recent years, more than 33,000 acresof former military property have beenre-commissioned as public wildlifeareas in Illinois.But the idea isn’t new. The federal

government has a long history of reclas-sifying military lands as public recre-

ation and wildlife areas. Camp Logan,opened in 1892 along the Lake Michi-gan shoreline near Zion, now is part ofIllinois Beach State Park. The Savan-nah Army Depot in northwest Illinois,opened in 1917, now is part of theUpper Mississippi River NationalWildlife and Fish Refuge. In southernIllinois, a bomb and ammunition manu-facturing facility that supplied U.S.operations during WW II is now CrabOrchard National Wildlife Refuge—thefirst national wildlife refuge to be desig-nated in southern Illinois.

Among those former military sites-turned-public, the story of CrabOrchard remains one of Illinois’ mostcomplex and unique examples of pub-lic/private land use. For example, atthis 43,990-acre national wildliferefuge, located south of Carterville,between Marion and Carbondale, theammunition and bomb-making industrythat began during WW II continues

today. Infact, many of the original

Department of Defense buildings stillexist at this federal refuge. And, moreoften than not, they’re still in use.

It’s all part of the original plan forCrab Orchard National Wildlife Refuge,which brings together a unique groupof objectives among national wildliferefuges. According to the original man-

Established in 1947,

Crab Orchard NWR in southern

Illinois has long been a favorite

destination for a diverse range

of outdoor recreationists.

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date that transferred this Department ofDefense property to the InteriorDepartment in 1947, the new wildliferefuge must include industry, agricul-ture, recreation and wildlife conserva-tion. It was, in a sense, a mandate thatkept intact what the Department ofDefense was handing over. Prior to thewar, sportsmen already utilized the areafor fishing and hunting. Farmers tilledportions of the land. And businessesoperated there also.

“We like to say we’re a uniquerefuge,” agreed refuge manager DougBrewer, a biologist who oversees theunusually diverse activities incorporat-ed within the 64-year-old refuge.Whereas the typical wildlife refuge inAmerica might include closed areaswhere there is no public access andwhere wildlife have exclusive, freerange, Crab Orchard includes closedareas where industry is given priority.Plus, some closed areas at CrabOrchard feature 1940s-era, igloo-typeconcrete bunkers where bombs andother ammunition were stored duringWW II (one such structure was discov-ered to still contain live rounds severalyears ago).

Despite the unusual features, Brewersaid the refuge has worked in recentyears to maximize its benefits to

wildlife, and that’s a priority he wantsto maintain.

“If there’s a specific goal I have here,it’s to improve and manage wildlifehabitat for future generations,” he said,adding that those future generationsalready represent a major part of thelong-term mission. An increasing num-ber of nature-related workshops andprograms are being offered at therefuge as alternatives to the electronicdistractions that would seem to be indirect competition for the attention ofchildren and young adults today.

“If we don’t reach out to educatethe next generation about nature, theywon’t grow up to value the resource,”Brewer said.

Not that there’s any shortage ofresources to appreciate here.

“There is an incredible range of habi-tat within the different geologic featuresat the refuge,” Brewer noted. He saidthe ancient glaciers that left behind thefamiliar, smooth, rolling landscape inmuch of Illinois barely made it to thenorthern edge of what is now CrabOrchard Lake. Rugged, sandstone cliffsand deep ravines—the Shawnee Hills—can be found on the southern portion ofthe refuge where the glaciers stopped.

“It’s another world when you get tothe south end of the refuge,” he said.

Indeed. That different terrain pro-vides a very different landscape amongthe three major lakes here. The fact is,Crab Orchard Lake is just one of thelakes on this refuge. Within the 43,890acres are three major impoundments,including the 7,000-acre Crab OrchardLake, with its wide expanse of relative-ly shallow water and plenty of room forsailboats and water recreation. There’spicturesque Little Grassy Lake at 1,000acres (home to DNR’s Little Grassy FishHatchery, along with a campground,concession area and a handful of pri-vate camps). And then there’s thesparkling-clear and deep, 810-acreDevil’s Kitchen Lake, whose coolwaters host year-around populations ofstocked rainbow trout. Each fishery isunique, due to different watersheds andlake fertility, and, each lake provides anew fishing experience.

Plus, there are numerous smallponds and medium-size lakes dottedthroughout the public areas. All are

March 2011 OutdoorIllinois / 13

At Little Grassy Lake, one of three

major impoundments on Crab

Orchard NWR, the waters offer up

first-time adventures and trophy bass.

Wildlife-watchers can catch a glimpse

of everything from bobcats to barred

owls within the more than 43,000

acres of Crab Orchard.

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open to bank fishing only (wadersallowed at some sites), and some of theponds are closed during the wintermonths as migratory waterfowl restareas. At a small lake known as A-41 (avestigial name from earlier days), whop-per bluegill exceeding 9 inches makethe long hike to the shore worthwhile.Behind the refuge visitor’s center, a 20-acre lake recently has been refurbishedand stocked with channel catfish, large-mouth bass, bluegill and redear sunfish.

Since 1998, the Department of Nat-ural Resources has managed the fish-eries on this federal refuge. Accordingto DNR fisheries biologist Chris Bickers,who oversees the fisheries manage-ment, refuge anglers still can expect tofind what Crab Orchard has long beenfamous for: excellent largemouth bassfishing at all three of the major lakes.All have produced bass weighing 10pounds or more.

Bickers said, when it comes to bass,the prospects at the main lake—CrabOrchard Lake—are better today thanthey’ve been in years.

“During our fall 2010 electrofishingsurveys, one out of every four bass wesampled was over the 16-inch minimumsize limit,” he said. Such promisingodds for anglers are the result of manyfactors, including the regular stockingefforts at Crab Orchard Lake (“In 2010we stocked more than 40,000 bass atCrab Orchard,” Bickers added). But fishalso appear to be utilizing the 50spawning structures that were installedseveral years ago to assist the naturalrecruitment of bass.

Bickers noted that, although CrabOrchard Lake is packed with forage forbass, the ability of the lake to produce aself-sustaining population of bass is hin-dered by years of shoreline erosion.Much of the shoreline is either erodedclay or soft muck—neither of which isfavored by bass for spawning areas. Totackle this issue, the artificial structures,along with a “spawning refuge” (an areaof the lake which has suitable spawninghabitat and is closed between April 1-June 30), help add new bass to the lake.

In comparison, Devil’s Kitchen Lakehas adequate spawning habitat but apoor forage base for young bass, result-ing in stunted growth rates for the firstfew years. Since hungry bass turn toeating panfish, the surviving bluegilland crappie in Devil’s Kitchen can be

huge. Those bass that manage to growlarge enough to eat the stocked rain-bow trout, for example, can grow tolegendary sizes.

“We’ve sampled bass from Devil’sKitchen that were well over 9 pounds,”Bickers said.

Little Grassy Lake might well repre-sent the best of both worlds: With aself-sustaining bass population andgood forage, this lake features excellentfishing for largemouths, crappie,bluegill and channel catfish. The sourceof many of those catfish is DNR’s ownLittle Grassy Fish Hatchery, locatednorthwest of the spillway.

“Each year we stock about 5,000channel catfish to Little Grassy,”

14 / OutdoorIllinois March 2011

Concrete “igloos” once used to

store explosives still exist within

the refuge. A few have been

refitted with special doors and

converted into bat houses.

Little Grassy Lake features a

Class A campground with

campfire-ready, lakeview sites.

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March 2011 OutdoorIllinois / 15

explained hatchery manager Alan Bran-denburg, whose production facility isopen to the public during regular busi-ness hours throughout the year (openSundays as well). As one of two statehatcheries, Little Grassy supplies sportfish to public lakes from the Ohio Riverto all points north.

Although fishing has long been amajor attraction at this refuge, wildlifealso are a huge part of the show. Fordecades the Canada goose was the sym-bol of local tourism—and no other siteattracted more migrating geese locallythan Crab Orchard refuge. Hundreds ofthousands of Canada geese would arriveat Crab Orchard each winter, packingrefuge fields and lakes and attractingcrowds of hunters. Local hunting clubscatered to customers from everywhere.

“Southern Illinois was the goose-hunt-ing capital of the world,” recalled retiredDNR biologist Dennis Thornburg, whosaid Canada geese began to shift theirmigration patterns during the 90s.

Today, tens of thousands of Canadageese still arrive at Crab Orchard during

peak winter migration. And huntingopportunities continue to be offered inthe Controlled Goose Hunting Area atCrab Orchard, with daily blind draw-ings held during the regular waterfowlseason. But hunters target CrabOrchard these days for everything fromducks to excellent wild turkey huntingopportunities to white-tailed deer hunts(both archery and firearm). Uplandgame hunters have access to more than10,000 acres for rabbit, squirrel and theoccasional quail. Dog training is permit-ted in designated areas (special-use per-mit required). For a complete list ofhunting regulations at Crab Orchard,visit: www.fws.gov/midwest/craborchard/hunting.html#general.

For campers, the refuge offers fourdifferent campgrounds: Crab OrchardCampground, located on the north sideof Crab Orchard Lake with access fromIllinois Route 13, features dozens ofClass A sites as well as options for tentcamping. A bait shop is open fromspring until fall at the campground. Alimited number of camping sites also areavailable at the Blue Heron Camp-ground, also on Crab Orchard Lake’snorth shore. For a primitive campingexperience, eight tent sites are availableon rugged Devil’s Kitchen Lake (notethat the full-service campground andconcession no longer exists at that site).

Over at Little Grassy Lake, a popularcampground and marina features morethan 100 camping sites ranging from fullhook-up to primitive camping with hotshowers. The marina offers boat rentals,including fishing boats, kayaks, canoesand even pontoon boats—plus a swim-ming beach. A bait shop and concessionfeatures food, camping supplies, ice anddrinks. The site is open from March 1until mid November (through the closeof the first firearm deer season).

Operated by the Land for LearningInstitute, a nonprofit group whose mis-sion strives to connect people with out-door education experiences, Little

Grassy Campground and Marina alsofeatures regular environmental pro-grams throughout the warmer months,beginning in March.

“In 2011 we’ll be featuring weeklyprograms that are free and open to thepublic,” explained Land for LearningInstitute Director Curt Carter, whooperates the facility. “There will beintroductions to canoeing and kayak-ing, music, storytelling and more.”Carter added that campground reserva-tions are available through his Web site(littlegrassylakecampground.com) or bycalling (618) 457-6655.

For visitors planning to go anywhereon the refuge, know that certain areasare closed, including the eastern portionof Crab Orchard Lake. Additionally, anadmission fee is required for all visitors.Yet, for opportunities that simply aren’tavailable anywhere else in Illinois: agood chance to catch an incredible bassor monster bluegill or astonishing crap-pie—or fish in the only inland publiclake in Illinois that supports year-aroundpopulations of rainbow trout—CrabOrchard National Wildlife Refuge isworth the price of admission.

At a glanceCrab Orchard National WildlifeRefuge, 8588 Ill. Route 148, Marion,IL 62959Telephone: (618) 997-3344Web site: www.fws.gov/midwest/craborchardDirections: Located between Marionand Carterville in southern Illinois, this43,890-acre wildlife refuge and itsnumerous lakes and attractions areaccessible from multiple directions.The visitor center is located 1.5 milessouth of Illinois Route 13 on Ill. Route148. Interstate 57 is located directlyeast of the refuge and is the majornorth/south access point.

Dramatically different geologic

features occur within the refuge,

including the sandstone cliffs

surrounding Devil’s Kitchen and

Little Grassy lakes.

Vast areas of the refuge afford

uncrowded opportunities for

visitors to experience and recon-

nect with nature and wildlife.

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