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The Two Rivers National Wildlife Refuge, part of the Mark Twain National Wildlife Complex, is a haven for white-tailed deer, squirrels, raccoons, opossums, bobwhite quail, rabbits, beavers and muskrats.
The refuge includes five divisions, the Calhoun, Gilbert Lake, Batchtown, Portage Island and the Apple Creek Wildlife Management Area, which cover 8,500 acres.
Two Rivers functions as an important link in the chain of resting, feeding, and wintering areas for birds migrating along the Mississippi Flyway. More than 200 different species of birds funnel through this important river juncture on their fall migration including over 5 million ducks and 50,000 geese.
Open water pools, backwater sloughs, small impoundments, wetland management units, and a cooperative farming program all contribute to this objective.
As with the other refuges of Mark Twain Complex, Two Rivers is a popular area for the federally threatened bald eagle, with more than 1,000 wintering in the area.
Two Rivers is also one of the few remaining places where the Boltonia decurrens (decurrent false aster), a federally threatened plant, can still be found.
All refuge divisions except Apple Creek are closed from Oct. 15 through Dec. 31 to provide sanctuary to migrating birds.
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