Big Lake National Wildlife Refuge

Big Lake National Wildlife Refuge is located in northeast Arkansas adjacent to the bootheel of Missouri. It is on the right-hand chute of Little River and is a portion of the sunken lands created during the New Madrid earthquakes of 1811-1812. About half of the 11,036 acre refuge consists of cypress-willow swamp. Most of the remainder is open water and bottomland hardwood forests. In dry years Big Lake is the only significant water body available to waterfowl for resting and feeding in its part of the state. Big Lake provides essential winter and migration habitat for an abundance of waterfowl, shorebirds, and neotropical birds, as well as for bald eagles. It is home to white-tailed deer, wild turkeys, bobcats, beaver, and river otter. Big Lake Refuge provides opportunities for birdwatching and other wildlife observation, bowhunting for deer, squirrel and raccoon hunting, and fishing.