Wildlife refuge celebrates 100-year anniversary

Monday, June 6th 2005, 9:55 am

By: News On 6

INDIAHOMA, Okla. (AP) _ One of the oldest wildlife refuges in the nation _ the Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge in southwest Oklahoma _ is celebrating its 100th anniversary this year.

The 60,000 acre refuge was created out of Comanche-Kiowa-Apache Indian Reservation land and made a forest preserve in 1901. It was declared a forest and game preserve by President Theodore Roosevelt in 1905.

Former US Fish and Wildlife Service director Lynn Greenwalt says the refuge helped preserve the American bison when only a few dozen were left shortly after 1900. Bison sent from the Bronx Zoo in New York to the refuge led to the re-establishment of the animal.

Greenwalt grew up on the refuge where his father was manager of the property.