Fish and Wildlife Service, Missouri.
Loess Bluffs National Wildlife Refuge is located in northwest Missouri, near Mound City. Originally known as Squaw Creek National Wildlife Refuge, the name was changed to Loess Bluffs National Wildlife Refuge on January 11, 2017 in order to remove the derogatory word squaw from the name.
The refuge was established on August 23, 1935 by President Franklin D. Roosevelt as a refuge feeding and breeding ground for migratory birds and other wildlife. The refuge contains 7,440 acres along the eastern edge of the Missouri River floodplain, including wetlands, grasslands and forests. Overlooking the refuge from the east is the loess bluffs habitat, a geological formation of fine silt deposited after the past glacial period. These unique hills stretch from about 30 miles south of St. Joseph, Missouri, to extreme northern Iowa. Some of the last parcels of native plants, remnants of a once vast native prairie, can be found here. Loess, pronounced “luss,” soils support Missouri’s native prairie plants such as Indian grass, big bluestem, blazing star, yucca, beard-tongue and skeleton plant.
On an average year, the refuge supports up to 200,000 ducks during fall and winter seasons and upwards of a million snow geese. The refuge was officially named one of America’s top 500 Globally Important Bird Areas by the National Audubon Society in 2001.
The refuge is located five miles south of Mound City, MO, and 30 miles north of St. Joseph, MO, just off of Interstate 29. Take exit 79, and drive 3 miles west on highway 159.