U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service Cahaba Riveragain see the land as native Americans and early settlers did. Public Use The refuge provides a wide variety of compatible, wildlife-dependent,

Cahaba RiverNational WildlifeRefuge

U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service

Located along the southern edge of theBig Bend Region of Florida’s west coast,Lower Suwannee National WildlifeRefuge encompasses 52,935 acres of landin Dixie and Levy Counties.The historic SuwanneeRiver, made famous byStephen Foster,bisects the refuge.

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Cahaba River National WildlifeRefuge was established September25, 2002 to:

(1) conserve,enhance, andrestore thenative aquaticand terrestrialcommunitycharacteristics ofthe CahabaRiver (includingassociated fish,wildlife, andplant species);

(2) conserve,enhance, andrestore habitatto maintain andassist in the

recovery of animals and plants thatare listed under the EndangeredSpecies Act of 1973 (16 U.S.C. 1331 etseq.);

(3) provide opportunities forcompatible fish- and wildlife-orientedrecreation, ensure that hunting,fishing, wildlife observation andphotography, and environmentaleducation and interpretation are thepriority general public uses of theRefuge, in accordance with section4(a)(3); and (4) of the NationalWildlife Refuge SystemAdministration Act of 1966 (16 U.S.C.668ee(a)(3), (4)); and

(4) encourage the use of volunteersand to facilitate partnerships amongthe U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service,local communities, conservationorganizations, and other non-Federalentities to promote public awarenessof the resources of Cahaba RiverNational Wildlife Refuge and theNational Wildlife Refuge System andpublic participation in theconservation of those resources.

Introduction

Photos: on left:Caffee Creek; thispage, top to bottom:refuge longleafpine forests;Georgia aster;scarlet tanager

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Welcome to Cahaba River NationalWildlife Refuge, the heart ofbiodiversity in the southeasternUnited States.

The 3,500-acre Cahaba RiverNational Wildlife Refuge becameAmerica’s 540th National WildlifeRefuge on September 25, 2002. Therefuge’s primary purpose is toprotect and manage a unique, three-mile stretch of the Cahaba River andsurrounding upland habitats. Landscontinue to be added to the refuge aswilling sellers and funds are available.

The Cahaba River (earlier spelling ofCahawba) is believed to be ofChoctaw origin meaning “waterabove” or “the river above”.

The Cahaba River begins in St. ClairCounty, Alabama and flows 191 milesbefore joining the Alabama River inDallas County southwest of Selma.With a length of almost 200 miles, theCahaba River is the longest free-flowing river in Alabama. The CahabaRiver provides water for an estimatedone million people, or almost 1/4 of thepopulation of Alabama.

The Cahaba River is home to 131 fishspecies which is greater, per mile,than any other river in NorthAmerica.

The Choctaw tribe and the CreekNation were the first historicalNative American groups to live in thearea. By many accounts, the CahabaRiver was the dividing line betweenthe area claimed by both groups withthe Choctaws to the west and theCreeks to the east.

Prior to 1861, the primaryoccupations in the area likelyinvolved farming and timber.Industrial development in the areawas limited to a few forges and cottonmills prior to 1861.

The River

History

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Photos, top tobottom: Refugeentrance sign;Cahaba shiner;Southern pigtoemussel; easternwild turkey

The areasurrounding therefuge is rich innaturalresources. Vastcoal reserves,abundantlongleaf pineforests, aconstant watersupply from theCahaba River,and the closeproximity to ironore; led tointense miningdevelopment inthe area. Fromthe mid-19th

century to themid-20th century,the landscapethat is now therefuge wasalteredsignificantly.

Coal from themines in the areahelped to fuel theiron furnacesduring the CivilWar. Entrancesto the Piper andHargrove Mineswere located onwhat is now therefuge. A portionof the now-abandoned town

of Piper was located on thenortheastern corner of the refuge.

The effects of coal mining are stillevident today. Layers of coal “fines”are evident in sandbars along the river.

Strip mining through the mid-1900’ssignificantly changed the locallandscape. A strip mine highwall andcoal waste (gob) pile still remain onthe refuge.

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Photos, top tobottom: old growthlongleaf pine forest- 1906; cleared oldgrowth longleafpine forests - 1912;Bibb CountyLumber Mill - 1949

Highway 11

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Parking

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The original longleaf pine forests ofthe area were mostly depleted andhave primarily been replaced withcommercial loblolly pine. Pastcommercial harvesting, mining andother land uses have taken a toll onthe refuge uplands. Restoring theselands will take many decades to re-establish the functioning systemsthat existed prior to settlement.

AquaticOne of the most visible and uniquecharacteristics of the Cahaba Riverare the rock shoals. These shoalscreate a series of pools and rifflesthat provide the necessary habitat formany rare and unique plant andanimal species.

For many people visiting the CahabaRiver, it is the shoals (Cahaba) lilythat leaves a lasting impression.From mid-May to mid-June theCahaba River shoals come alive with

the beautifulwhite blooms ofthe Cahaba Lily.

Eighteen of theriver’s 131 fishspecies are foundonly in theCahaba River orMobile RiverBasin. Up to 48species ofmussels onceoccurred in theCahaba River.Today, only about27 mussel speciesremain. Withinthe stretch of theCahaba Riverthat flowsthrough therefuge, 17different musselshave beenrecorded.

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Cahaba lilies flower from mid-Maythrough mid-June

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Habitats

RiparianThe forests, canebrakes and rockoutcroppings along the rivers andstreams provide habitat for manyspecies of plants and animals.Prothonotary warbler, Swainson’swarbler, Louisiana waterthrush andAcadian flycatcher can all be heardand seen within the riparian habitatson the refuge. Less conspicuous yearround residents of riparian habitatsinclude numerous reptiles,amphibians, and plants.

UplandsHistorically, most upland areas on therefuge were forested with longleafpine. Hardwoods, such as oaks andsweetgum, were likely dominantwithin refuge drainages. Mostlongleaf pine forests and manyhardwood forests were converted toloblolly pine plantations over the past50 years. Efforts are under way torestore the longleaf and hardwoodforests on the refuge.

Although upland habitats showobvious effects of past intensive use,upland habitats continue to providehabitat for many bird species ofnational concern. These speciesinclude the red-headed woodpecker,Kentucky warbler, wood thrush, andAmerican woodcock.

The refuge provides habitat for atleast 12 federally listed threatened orendangered species. Some species,such as the bald eagle, Indiana bat,and gray bat only use the refuge for aportion of the year. The remainingspecies (fish, mussels, snails, insectsand plants) are permanent, albeitsometimes not too obvious, residents.

A by-product of past intensive landuse is the prevalence of invasive andexotic species. Once disturbanceoccurs, invasive species rapidlycolonize lands through accidental orintentional dispersal. Species, such askudzu, Chinese privet, and Asiaticclam, can form dense colonies or

Photos, top tobottom: springpeeper; marbledsalamander; red-cockadedwoodpecker

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EndangeredSpecies

Invasive Species

grow to large numbers that restrictor aggressively compete with nativespecies. Other exotic species, such asprincess tree and silk tree, are lessaggressive but also displace nativespecies.

Management goals for Cahaba RiverNWR are to maintain and improvethe biological integrity of the CahabaRiver and adjacent systems and,where possible, restore thesesystems to pre-settlement conditions.Considering the vast impacts thathave occurred, this will be a broadand long-term endeavor.

We anticipate utilizing prescribedfire, timber harvesting, tree plantingand other tools to restore alteredlands. Over time, visitors will onceagain see the land as nativeAmericans and early settlers did.

Public UseThe refugeprovides a widevariety ofcompatible,wildlife-dependent,public usesincludinghunting, fishing,wildlifeobservation,photography,outdooreducation, andinterpretation.Canoeing ispermitted andjogging andbicycling areallowed ondesignatedroads. Nocamping isallowed.

Hunting on therefuge is allowed

Management

Above: whitetail fawn; below:broad-banded copperhead snake

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in coordination with the adjacentState of Alabama’s Cahaba RiverWildlife Management Area (WMA).The WMA permit is the acceptedrefuge hunt permit. Refugeregulations that differ from the WMAare noted on the permit.

Jogging is allowed on all refuge roadsand trails, except for thosedesignated as interpretive trails.Bicycling is allowed on any road opento vehicle traffic.

Personal canoe launching is allowed.A special use permit must be issuedfor commercial canoe launching onthe refuge.

Cahaba River NWR is currentlyunstaffed and relies heavily on localgroups and volunteers to accomplishour mission. A refuge support groupknown as the Friends of CahabaRiver National Wildlife Refuge iscurrently being organized to furtherthe goals of the refuge.

Visitor information can be found atthe information kiosks on the refuge,by visiting the refuge website at:http://www.fws.gov/southeast/cahabariver/or by emailing the Central AlabamaRefuge Complex headquarters thatmanages the refuge at:[email protected]

VisitorInformation

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Canoeing on therefuge

Cahaba National Wildlife Refuge

www.fws.gov/lowersuwannee

U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service1 800/344 WILDhttp://southeast.fws.gov

May 2006

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Cahaba RiverNational Wildlife RefugePO Box 5087Fort McClellan, AL 36205Phone: 256/848 7085Fax: 256/847 9089

U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service1 800/344 WILDhttp://www.fws.gov/southeast/cahabariver/

June 2007