A southern Indiana wildlife refuge has grown by 107 acres (43 hectares) 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 Patoka River National Wildlife Refuge, which spans about 9,000 acres (3,642 hectares) in Gibson and Pike counties along 30 miles (48 kilometers) 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 Jasper Herald reports the now publicly owned land is open for public recreation under wildlife refuge rules and regulations.