The Lower Cache Basin in Southern Illinois is home to the Cypress Creek National Wildlife Refuge and the Cache River State Natural Area. Thousands of migrating waterfowl have made this bioregion their permanent and/or winter home making this area a unique ecological treasure. This incredibly distinct area results in 4 physiographic areas including the Ozark Plateau, the Interior Low Plateau, the Coastal Plain, and Mississippi Alluvial Plain. The U.N. has it listed as a RAMSAR site “Wetland of International Importance” because of its rich diversity of plant and animal species. The Cache River Wetlands contains over 60,000 acres of beautiful forests and wetlands inhabited by otters, bobcats, whitetail deer, double-crested cormorants, American bald eagles, great blue herons, great egrets, and pelicans. An occasional sandhill crane can be spotted mostly in winter, and even the anhinga (the snake bird or water turkey) are sighted along the Cache during the summer months.

The Cypress Creek National Wildlife Refuge is known for its wildlife observation. We hope you will enjoy spotting and watching the many species that call the Cache River home.

To learn more about the Cache River Watershed you can visit:

www.friendsofcache.org 

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