Muleshoe National Wildlife Refuge

Duane's take

Here's how the official marker tells it, and I'll do my best to do it justice. Now, if you've ever stood out on the Texas High Plains in the dead of winter and heard a sound like the sky itself was arguing with you, there's a good chance you were standing near Muleshoe. And there's a good chance what you heard was the cranes.

The sandhill cranes. The largest wintering concentration of sandhill cranes in all of North America, gathering right here in Bailey County, most noticeable from October through March. That is not a small thing to claim.

That is not a modest thing to claim. And yet, the land earns it. Every single year.

Now, the Muleshoe National Wildlife Refuge was founded in 1935, established as a wintering area for migratory waterfowl. And the folks who set it up understood something important. This place isn't just a patch of ground.

It sits on what's called the central flyway, a corridor, a great invisible highway running from Mexico all the way up to Canada, a chain of refuges linked together like rest stops on the longest road you can imagine. Muleshoe is one link in that chain, and not a small one. The site covers over five thousand acres, and it opens its arms wide.

Migrating birds start arriving in August. They stay until April. That is not a quick layover.

That is a commitment. And it isn't just the cranes. The refuge provides habitat for many other species of birds and wildlife, a whole congregation of creatures that depend on this place being here, being protected.

Muleshoe is one of several national wildlife refuges in Texas set aside to protect migratory waterfowl, endangered wildlife species, or unique natural habitats. So the next time you're rolling through Bailey County and that winter sky above the High Plains starts to fill up with sound, with that ancient, rattling chorus coming down from the north, you'll know exactly what you're hearing. You'll know exactly why this place was worth protecting.

And if you're smart, you'll pull over.

What the marker says

Founded in 1935 as a wintering area for migratory waterfowl, Muleshoe Wildlife Refuge is on the "central flyway" in a chain of refuges from Mexico to Canada. Migrating birds begin arriving in August and remain until April. The largest wintering concentration of sandhill cranes in North America is most noticeable here from October through March. The site, covering over 5,000 acres, provides habitat for many other species of birds and wildlife. Muleshoe is one of several national wildlife refuges in Texas that protect migratory waterfowl, endangered wildlife species, or unique natural habitats. (1967, 1985)