| Logan Cave National Wildlife Refuge | |
|---|---|
IUCN category IV (habitat/species management area) | |
  Map of theUnited States | |
| Location | Benton County, Arkansas,United States |
| Nearest city | Siloam Springs, Arkansas |
| Coordinates | 36°11′52″N94°23′43″W / 36.1979°N 94.3954°W /36.1979; -94.3954[1] |
| Area | 123 acres (0.50 km2) |
| Established | 1989 |
| Governing body | U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service |
| Website | Logan Cave National Wildlife Refuge |
Logan Cave National Wildlife Refuge inBenton County,Arkansas became the 455th National Wildlife Refuge on March 14, 1989, under theEndangered Species Act of 1973. This 123-acre (0.50 km2)Ozark Mountain refuge, which includes alimestone-solution cave, is located 20 miles (32 km) west ofFayetteville, Arkansas and approximately 2 miles (3.2 km) north ofU.S. Route 412.
The Logan Cave area has a very diverse habitat which includes representatives of several Ozark Mountain types:oak-hickory forest,grassland,shrubland,floodplain,marshland,bottomlandhardwood, uplanddeciduous, and a smallprairie. The ecology of the cave has been described as the highest quality cave habitat in the entire Ozark region. A spring-fed stream, with an average water flow of 5 million gallons/day, extends the entire length of the cave. This stream, fed by small springs that emanate from the cave, once supplied water to the Logan community, a fishhatchery and 49 fish ponds. Today, the spring forms a small stream which flows into theOsage Creek, a major tributary of theIllinois River. Geological features of the cave distinctly exhibit how Ozark limestone-solution caves are formed. Manyfossil marine species are present in the cave, evidence that the region was once covered by an ocean. Extensive deposits of fine alluvialclays of homogeneous texture border the stream in some areas.
The primary objectives of Logan Cave NWR are to properly administer, preserve, and develop the tract for protection of a unique cave ecosystem that provides essential habitat for the endangeredgray bat, endangeredBenton cave crayfish, the threatenedOzark cavefish, and other significant cave dwelling wildlife species. Gray bats use the cave in the spring and summer as a maternity site and the Ozark cave crayfish is known only to exist in Logan Cave and one other site.
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| National | |
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