Washington, D.C – U.S. Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA) and Congressman Leonard Boswell (IA-03) today announced that the Neal Smith Wildlife Refuge has been approved by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to acquire 190 additional acres to add to the sanctuary. Harkin and Boswell wrote to the Fish and Wildlife Service last year urging them to approve this land acquisition. The Refuge, located in Jasper County, was created in 1990 with the charter to recreate 8,600 acres of tallgrass prairie, oak savanna, and animal communities that existed in central Iowa prior to Euro-American settlement in the 1840s.

“The Neal Smith Wildlife Refuge is a top visitor attraction each year in Iowa,” said Boswell. “Acquiring the 190 acres is vital for its expansion, and I’m very pleased that it’s going forward.”

“Today’s great news means that the Neal Smith Wildlife Refuge can continue their work to protect more land and make it available to the hundreds of thousands of visitors that flock to the area each year,” said Harkin. “The Refuge is truly a natural treasure and I am delighted to see this crucial expansion.”

The Refuge is home to grazing buffalo herds, white-tailed deer, badgers and pheasants, more than 200 types of native prairie flowers and grasses. The estimated 200,000 people that visit the Refuge can walk, hike, and bike natural trails, and experience educational programs and wildlife exhibits.

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