Salt Plains National Wildlife Refuge

The Salt Plains National Wildlife Refuge is part of the United States system of National Wildlife Refuges. It is located in Alfalfa County in northern Oklahoma, north of Jet (pop. 230), along Great Salt Plains Lake, which is formed by a dam on the Salt Fork of the Arkansas River.

The refuge was established in 1930 and contains over 32,000 acres (50 km²) of protected land as habitat to approximately 312 species of birds and 30 species of mammals.

Unique Recreation

A certain area of the 11,000 acre salt flats at the refuge has gypsum concentrations high enough to grow selenite crystals. The selenite crystals found here have an hourglass-shaped sand inclusion that is not known to occur in selenite crystals found elsewhere in the world.

Digging for crystals is generally allowed from April 1st through October 15th and visitors come from all over the world to find them.

• Cluster Typically Found, Showing the Hourglass-shaped Sand Inclusion
  Cluster Typically Found, Showing the Hourglass-shaped Sand Inclusion
• Blade
  Blade

Chemical Weapons

In 2007, a Boy Scout uncovered a collection of 7.5in vials containing things such as mustard gas.[1] [2]

The 134 intact CAIS [3] vials were part of WWII military Chemical Agent Identification Sets. And burying them was standard procedure for removing them from service at that time. There was no record of a disposal site at the salt plains.

The salt plains were used as a bombing and strafing range during WWII. There are no remnants of this use left on the plains.

External links

• Salt Plains NWR