The Patoka River National Wildlife Refuge in Pike and Gibson Counties has grown by 107 acres after conservation groups donated a tract to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
The land donated by Wetlands America Trust and Ducks Unlimited is now part of the the Refuge, which spans about 9,000 along 30 miles of the Patoka River.
Michael Sertle is a Ducks Unlimited regional biologist. He says the donated land contains a mix of hardwood forest and remnant oxbows, which are U-shaped bends in a river.
Sertle says the acreage provides breeding, migration and wintering habitat for waterfowl and other wildlife.
The now publicly-owned land is open for public recreation under wildlife refuge rules and regulations.
