h & Wildlife Service T \*A*/2; c. 84/27 ſºunt Lake National Wildlife Refuge Public Use Regulations - ºr UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN LIBRARIES JUN 0 9 2009 DEPOSITED BY Welcome This blue goose, designed by J.N. “Ding” Darling, has become the symbol of the National Wildlife Refuge System. General Information and Regulations Crescent Lake National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) provides several recreational activities for you to enjoy during your visit. However, certain regulations are necessary to protect wildlife and to preserve the beauty of the area. Please take a moment to review the map and regulations contained in this leaflet. Your understanding of Refuge regulations will make your visit a safe and enjoyable one. Wildlife-oriented recreation, which includes wildlife observation, nature study, sight-seeing, hiking, photography, fishing, and hunting, is permitted. To learn more about the Refuge, pick up a copy of the general information brochure. Also, take a drive on the self-guided Auto Tour Route. Refuge public use is limited to daylight hours only. Visitors participating in hunting and fishing activities may access the Refuge one hour before sunrise and must be off the Refuge one hour after sunset. A photo blind for observing sharp- tailed grouse on their dancing ground is available on a reservation basis throughout April. Special groups (School groups, Scouts, etc.) are encouraged. Guided tours may be arranged in advance. Off-road and off-trail vehicle use is prohibited. Licensed motor vehicles may be operated on county roads and mowed trails only. Parking is permitted adjacent to open roads or trails (within one vehicle length of road or trail) or in mowed parking areas only. Gates must be left as they are found, open or closed. Most sand trails require the use of a four-wheel drive vehicle. These trails are signed and enforced. All trails require high clearance vehicles. Hunting All firearms must be unloaded and either cased or dismantled unless being used for specific Refuge hunting seasons listed in this leaflet. Possession of alcohol is prohibited On Crescent Lake NWR. Any public access or activity that is not specifically described in this leaflet is prohibited. Prohibited activities include, but are not limited to: overnight camping, open fires, trail rides, swimming, driving on frozen lakes, and climbing fire-lookout towers. Pets must be leashed, except hunting dogs used for bird hunting purposes during appropriate hunting seasons. The Refuge is open to hunting from September 1 through January 31 in accordance with State and Refuge regulations, Non-toxic shot is required for all shotgun hunting on the Refuge. Prairie grouse, pheasants, rabbits, coyotes, furbearers, and deer may be hunted on those portions of the Refuge open to hunting during appropriate State regulated hunting Seasons. Ducks, geese, and coots may be hunted only on that portion of the Refuge lying east of the closed area and west of the proposed wilderness area (see map). No other wildlife may be hunted on the Refuge. Blinds and decoys must be removed at the end of each day. Organization- sponsored hunts are prohibited without prior approval of the Refuge Manager. It is requested that all deer harvested on the Refuge be checked in at Refuge headquarters. Fishing Boating Refuge Signs: Know Their Meaning Island Lake is open to fishing year-round in accordance with State regulations. Smith and Crane Lakes are open from November 1 through February 15 only. Fishing is not permitted at any other lake on the Refuge. The possession or use of live or dead minnows is prohibited, as is the possession of any fish not taken from the Refuge lakes. However, dead smelt may be used as bait. No overnight shelters are permitted. Boating and float tubes are permitted on Island Lake only. Internal combustion motors are prohibited. NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE Paolº tº irº Motorized Vehicles On Mowed Trails Only cº- N HUNTING O ZON *č º Ü \---> (TN 2– National Wºderness Area BOUNDARY Refuge boundary sign — area behind these signs are Refuge lands. Closed area sign — all public entry prohibited. Motorized vehicles on mowed trails only sign. No hunting is allowed in the area behind these signs. Only four-wheel drive vehicles permitted on this trail. 4. Wheel Drive Vehicle Only S-' Fº £ºn. S–’ Motorized vehicles are prohibited within the designated proposed Wilderness Area. F- ---- I - Martin - Lake | - - 1. *i | -| Ramelli Lake - 1 14 . ... 's, . . ." º lost . 3. º Lake Antioch - Refuge boundary - Public road • Windmill/solar well Crescent Lake National Wildlife Refuge Information kiosk Accessible site Fishing allowed Q) Closed fire tower Area closed Crescent Lake NWR |- Bean Lake | * , , fellº! * T- Roberts e * , ... •16 "...in Upper - | School Harrison ºn." | Section k - are Harrison l–tº–? 25 Lake le 18 Swan Lake 23 O West * Jºnes /- Duck Slough 0 Miles 3 0 Kilometers 3 Lakeside Auto tour route fºr Refuge headquarters * = = 4W drive only Proposed wilderness area - Information kiosk - - - Public trails Waterfowl hunting area - Accessible restroom - - - - -- - - - - - - Historic trail NEBRASKA - Hiking trail Tööläß - Accessible nature trail - ------ --- | Black | F- - shift Steer - Lake Lake -1 uppºr East Jones . . ! •50i 38 *- i e ] * . i- — | - seven Upper º e 83 - - - - - - Crane Ponds Red Kate 53 "Tº tº ... 37 º - -º - Wall - 's--" ----- - º By . Lower º 36 T - 41 . Red Kate L____*.* . Swede sº take 44 - - * 84 Crescent | º - - 69 • 73 º Lake . - - * o * - º | - - - - - - - . º 48 - 47 º ". | ------ -". a 46 |'', a 49 Little Oshkosh scam • 70 Soddy 28 miles - Valley - - - * 62 * - - - - - - - º • 57 - - • 68 a 71 º 6 0. Calendar of Natural Events A pattern of annual natural events indicate the seasons on Crescent Lake NWR. Some of the seasonal events are listed here to help you enjoy your visit. Spring | Willows are the first trees to & & gre €Il up” - Snow geese and sandhill cranes migrate through - Pelicans and other marsh and water birds arrive - Large numbers of Wilson's phalarope arrive | Warblers return - Grouse dance in mid-April - Giant Canada geese nest - Goslings appear in late April | Snakes and turtles become active - Bass spawn - Bluegill spawn | Chorus frogs' call (sounds like a finger running across the teeth of a comb) Summer - Spiderwort, yucca, prickly pear, and the endangered blowout penstemon bloom in June - Female cottonwood trees drop cotton (seeds) * Upland sandpipers seen on fence posts | Shorebirds seen on mudflats - Cormorants nest on Goose Lake In Eared grebes seen on floating nests on Smith and Deer Lakes - Grouse, pheasant, and waterfowl broods visible In Antelope bear their young (kids) | Fawns visible | Garter snakes bear live young mToads call (sounds like bleating sheep) In Teal arrive in August - Sunflowers bloom in late summer Accessibility Fall - Big bluestem (turkey foot) seed out - Painted turtles bask on logs and muskrat huts - Horned larks and meadowlarks forage along roadsides Dispersal of coyote pups | Antlered deer visible | Deer in rut - Peak waterfowl migration in November Winter - Most visible species: pheasant, northern harrier, and large wintering deer herds | Golden eagles present - Deer drop antlers In Reptiles underground and dormant Equal opportunity to participate in and benefit from programs and activities of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is available to all individuals regardless of physical or mental ability. Dial 7-1-1 for a free connection to the State transfer relay service for TTY and voice calls to and from the speech and hearing impaired. For more information or to address accessibility needs, please contact the Refuge staff at 308/7624893, or the U.S. Department of the Interior, Office of Equal Opportunity, 1849 C Street NW, Washington, D.C. 20240. Crescent Lake National Wildlife Refuge 10630 Road 181 Ellsworth, NE 69340 308/762 4893 308/762 7606 fax crescentlake(Gyfvs.gov - http://www.crescentlakefws.go For State transfer relay service TTY / Voice: 711 U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service http://www.fws.gov For Refuge information 1800/344 WILD January 2009 VERSITY OF MICH| iſſill 15 08 97 | 3 90 543 46