Valentine National Wildlife Refuge
Valentine National Wildlife Refuge
Valentine, NE 69201
Phone:402-376-3789
Web: www.fws.gov/valentine
Established: 1935.
Location:In the Sandhills area of north-central Nebraska.
Facilities:Viewing sites, trails, boat ramps (é).
Activities:Canoeing, fishing, hiking, hunting.
Special Features:In early spring, prairie chickens and sharp-tailed grouse gather on dancing grounds for their elaborate courtship display. During their spring and fall migrations, sandhill cranes pass over in great numbers, filling the sky with trailing Vs and musical rattling calls. Cold weather brings bald and golden eagles to hunt on the snow-covered prairie.
Habitats: 71,516 acres of sand dunes, mid- and tall-grass prairies, marshes, and lakes.
Access: Open year round during daylight hours.
Wild life: Waterfowl, including blue-winged teal, mallards, pintails, gadwalls, redheads, ruddy ducks, and shovelers, prairie chicken, sharp-tailed grouse, and pelican. Mammals include deer, muskrat, and beaver.
See other parks in Nebraska.