About Us
Dahomey National Wildlife Refuge is the largest remaining tract of bottomland hardwood forest in northwest Mississippi outside of the mainline levee. Located within the Mississippi Alluvial Valley, in the Yazoo River drainage basin, the refuge was established in 1991 to provide habitat for migratory birds and to protect wetlands. The 9,691-acre refuge was purchased from The Nature Conservancy, donated by the Mississippi Department of Transportation, and leased from the West Bolivar School Board. The North Mississippi Refuges Complex administers Dahomey National Wildlife Refuge, along with Coldwater River and Tallahatchie refuges.
Our Mission
Each unit of the National Wildlife Refuge System is established to serve a statutory purpose that targets the conservation of native species dependent on its lands and waters. The main purpose of Dahomey National Wildlife Refuge is to provide habitat for migratory birds, with an emphasis on waterfowl and bottomland hardwoods.
Other Facilities in this Complex
In 1989, the North Mississippi Refuges Complex was established to manage U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service lands in the northern twenty-six counties of Mississippi. With its headquarters in Grenada, the Complex is responsible for the management of Coldwater River, Dahomey and Tallahatchie National Wildlife Refuges, plus smaller fee-title properties and floodplain and conservation easements. The habitat consists of bottomland hardwoods, early successional reforestation areas, agricultural fields, and moist soil units.
