Attwater Prairie Chicken National Wildlife Refuge

Attwater Prairie Chicken National Wildlife Refuge is a federally protected refugium encompassing one of the largest remnants of coastal prairie habitat remaining in southeast Texas, United States, and home to one of the last populations of critically endangered Attwater's prairie chickens, a ground-dwelling grouse of the coastal prairie ecosystem. The 10,528-acre (43-km2) refuge, located in eastern Colorado County, about 60 miles (100 km) west of Houston, Texas, was established in 1972, and is one of a handful of national wildlife refuges managed specifically for an endangered species. In 1968, Attwater Prairie Chicken Preserve was designated as a National Natural Landmark by the National Park Service. In the mid-1960s, the World Wildlife Fund purchased 3,500 acres (14 km2) of land to preserve some remaining coastal prairie for Attwater's prairie chicken. The land was transferred to the United States Fish and Wildlife Service in 1972, which brought the refuge up to its current acreage. Many of the Attwater's prairie chickens in the refuge are hatched at captive-breeding programs at Fossil Rim Wildlife Center, Texas A&M University, SeaWorld San Antonio, Abilene Zoo, Caldwell Zoo, Houston Zoo, and San Antonio Zoo. Chicks are fitted with a radio transmitter and released at the refuge once they are capable of independent survival. To maintain the prairie ecosystem, the refuge staff does prescribed burns of 2,000 to 3,000 acres (8.1 to 12.1 km2) annually in January or February.