Covers Brown, Crawford, Dubois, Jackson, Lawrence, Martin, Monroe, Orange, and Perry Counties

Channels F-12 and F-13 in all radios are vacant for future needs.
Channel F-14 is programmed as a local option for WX receive.
Channels F-15 through F-99 are programmed to facilitate mutual aid operations with fire agencies in the Hoosier National Forest area.

 

Big Oaks National Wildlife Refuge

 

Big Oaks National Wildlife Refuge consists of approximately 50,000 acres within Jefferson, Ripley, and Jennings counties in southeastern Indiana. Under a recent agreement with the US Army and US Air Force, the Service operates the refuge through a 25-year real-estate permit. The Army retains ownership of the land (the closed Jefferson Proving Ground). The Air Force retains use of a bombing range which is not included in the portion designated as a national wildlife refuge. Large safety buffer areas separate the Air Force range from public use areas of the refuge.

 

Big Oaks Refuge contains the largest unfragmented forested block in southeastern Indiana and some of the largest grassland areas found within the region. The refuge provides habitat for 120 species of breeding birds, the Federally endangered Indiana bat, and 41 species of fish. The refuge also is home to white-tailed deer, wild turkey, river otters, and coyotes. Over 25 State-listed animal species and over 46 State-listed plant species have been discovered to date on the refuge. Many bird species of management concern are also found here, including Henslow's sparrows and cerulean warblers. Over 800 singing male Henslow's sparrows use the large grasslands on the refuge. Big Oaks National Wildlife Refuge has been designated as a Globally Important Bird Area because of its value to Henslow's sparrows and other migratory birds.

 

 

Muscatatuck National Wildlife Refuge

 

Muscatatuck National Wildlife Refuge is located in south central Indiana. It includes 7,802 acres near Seymour and a 78-acre parcel, known as the Restle Unit, near Bloomington.

 

Muscatatuck's mission is simple: to restore, preserve, and manage a mix of forest, wetland, and grassland habitat for fish, wildlife, and people. Special management emphasis is given to waterfowl, other migratory birds, and endangered species.

 

Nine miles of refuge roads that are open sunrise to sunset seven days/week attract approximately 185,000 visitors to the refuge each year. Wildlife-viewing opportunities are excellent at Muscatatuck, and the refuge is known as an exceptionally fine bird watching site.

 

Patoka River National Wildlife Refuge and Management Area is located in southwestern Indiana within the historically important north-south flyway of the Wabash River Basin. This river bottoms refuge is strategically located to provide important resting, feeding, and nesting habitat for migratory waterfowl, shorebirds, and neotropical songbirds.

 

Established in 1994, as the 502nd national wildlife refuge in the country, the refuge currently contains 5,587 acres. Its proposed boundary stretches for 20 miles as the crow flies in an east-west direction along the lower third reach of the 162-mile-long Patoka River. When completed, the 22,083 acres will consist of 6,800 acres of national wildlife refuge and 15,283 acres of contiguous wildlife management area.

 

Two outlying wildlife management areas (WMAs) are also managed out of the Patoka River Refuge headquarters. The 463-acre Cane Ridge WMA lies 24 miles to the west of Oakland City. This Wabash River bottoms property lies off the southwest corner of the 3,000-acre Gibson Lake. The 219-acre White River Bottoms WMA lies nine miles to the north of Oakland City. This river bottoms property lies just to the northwest of Petersburg on the south side of the White River.