Choctaw National Wildlife Refuge

Choctaw NWR, located in Choctaw County in southwest Alabama, lies eighty miles north of Mobile on the west bank of the Tombigbee River. The refuge boundary starts two river miles upstream from the Coffeeville Lock & Dam.

The 4,218 acre refuge is separated into three land masses by two creeks. Okaktuppa Creek divides the North End from the Middle Swamp and Turkey Creek separates the Middle Swamp from the South End. The Chocktaw National Wildlife Refuge was established as a protected wintering area for migratory waterfowl and wood duck production. It is the home of endangered and threatened species, namely Bald Eagles and Wood Storks.

Choctaw NWR was established on land that was purchased as part of a Corps of Engineers water development project called the Coffeeville Lock and Dam in the mid 1950's. The Department of the Interior acquired the management rights from the Corps and began refuge management practices during January, 1964. Approximately 1,802 acres of the refuge lies in lakes, sloughs and creeks. Only 151 acres of the refuge is located in openings. The remaining 2,265 acres is composed of typical bottomland hardwood associated with the Tombigbee River Basin.

Robert Dailey-Manager 251-843-5238 or choctaw@fws.gov

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