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Hackmatack National Wildlife Refuge

United States of America

Hackmatack National Wildlife Refuge

The Hackmatack National Wildlife Refuge is a United States national wildlife refuge that includes noncontiguous properties, especially tallgrass prairie patches, wetland properties, and oak savanna parcels, located in the northwestern region of the Chicago metropolitan area and the southern part of

the Milwaukee area. The refuge's boundaries encompass parts of McHenry County, Illinois, and Walworth County, Wisconsin. The refuge is operated by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service, (USFWS). 85 percent of the refuge is in Illinois, and 15 percent in Wisconsin. The refuge covers 11,200 acres of land in Illinois and Wisconsin, which complements 23,000 acres for public use or under environmental protection. Existing parklands adjacent to the refuge's boundaries include several McHenry County Conservation District areas. "Hackmatack" is a term of Native American origin for the American tamarack or Larix laricina, a conifer formerly abundant in regional wetlands. 109 separate threatened or endangered species, including 49 species of birds, were listed within the area being studied for the proposed refuge designation. Examples of endangered fauna that find a home within the boundaries...

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