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Nestled in the picturesque prairies of southern Illinois, Crab Orchard National Wildlife Refuge encompasses 44,000 acres of land with diverse flora and fauna and over 4,000 acres of wilderness area wilderness area
Wilderness areas are places untamed by humans. The Wilderness Act of 1964 allows Congress to designate wilderness areas for protection to ensure that America's pristine wild lands will not disappear. Wilderness areas can be part of national wildlife refuges, national parks, national forests or public lands managed by the Bureau of Land Management.

Learn more about wilderness area . Visitors across the country come to Crab Orchard for its expansive recreation offerings, including hiking, fishing, camping, hunting, and birding. 

Visitors at Crab Orchard and countless other National Wildlife Refuges come to enjoy nature and spend time outdoors, but it’s the refuges’ infrastructure that make many of these recreation activities possible and memorable. From the roads that transport visitors to the must-see attractions, trails that lead hikers through all types of terrain and ecosystems, to the docks fishers use to launch a boat and cast a line, to water systems which provides clean drinking water for thirsty visitors, it is critical that the infrastructure remains functioning and well-maintained to keep the refuges operational and inviting to visitors. But for far too long visitors have had to experience potholed roads, washed out trails, unstable boat docks, and poor or no access to potable water due to system leaks or failures. 

This is where the Great American Outdoors Act Great American Outdoors Act
This landmark conservation law, enacted in 2020, authorizes the use of up to $1.9 billion a year in energy development revenues for five years for needed maintenance to facilities and infrastructure in our wildlife refuges, national parks, forests, recreation areas and American Indian schools.

Learn more about Great American Outdoors Act National Parks and Public Lands Legacy Restoration Fund (also known as GAOA LRF) comes in. GAOA LRF addresses deferred maintenance and repair needs for priority facilities and infrastructure on America’s public lands and Bureau of Indian Education-funded schools. One of these projects is currently in progress at Crab Orchard, where GAOA LRF is working to make significant repairs to infrastructure at the refuge. 

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Read below to learn more about the important work that is happening at Crab Orchard National Wildlife Refuge, with the assistance of GAOA LRF. 

Leveraging Refuge-City Partnerships 

Crab Orchard’s water and sewer lines date back to the 1940s, making the system prone to breaks and leaks which frequently contaminated the drinking water. The water and sewer lines are a part of the refuge’s critical infrastructure, and are needed to not only aide the site’s daily operations, but provide water for millions of annual refuge visitors, and for the 40,000 who visit Crab Orchard Refuge’s Visitor Center each year. The system also provides a water source for additional refuge stakeholders, including a neighboring company and a local prison facility. 

To execute the repairs and replacements of the water and sewer lines, the refuge has partnered with the City of Marion, which has experience managing water utilities and personnel who have the skills necessary to redesign, construct, operate, and maintain the refuge’s water and sewer infrastructure.

This collaboration represents a model for what community partnership can look like, which is a crucial component in making large-scale infrastructure projects, like those funded by GAOA LRF, successful. Because the refuge contracted project work to the city, this project will result in significant cost and efficiency savings for the refuge. Once the project is complete, the refuge will transfer ownership of the water infrastructure to city, taking the burden and cost of ongoing maintenance away from the refuge.

The City of Marion’s Chief of Staff, Cody Moake, has called this collaboration with the refuge a “breath of fresh air,” because the partnership has the added benefit of supporting the city’s broader community. According to Moake, the project alone has “created 50 local, short-term construction jobs, which is a significant number in a community like [Marion].” These jobs have lasted through the winter when unpredictable weather can make these types of jobs harder to come by. Repairs will also have lasting impacts on the city’s tourism industry, as improved operations will enable Crab Orchard to safely serve more visitors. 

Enabling Community Engagement at the New Crab Orchard Visitor Center  

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The GAOA LRF investment also funded a new visitor center at Crab Orchard, replacing an old visitor center that was deteriorating, not centrally located at the refuge, and separate from staff operations. The new visitor center, which officially opened to the public in August 2023, has improved the experience for visitors, staff, volunteers, and local organizations. The new facility boasts staff and administrative offices, interactive exhibits, a multipurpose room, a gift shop, and various building improvements such as solar panels, a large bike rack, and a back patio overlooking Crab Orchard Lake.

In addition to making facilities safer, modernized, and more accessible for visitors at Crab Orchard, the installation of the new visitor center has also helped build a bridge between the refuge and the local community, where local organizations, volunteer groups, and nonprofits utilize the refuge for events, activities, and education.

The visitor center’s multipurpose space can now provide opportunities for recreation, conservation, and hunting organizations to host events and meet-ups. Because the space is Americans with Disabilities Act accessible and can hold up to 75 people at a time, organizations like the Crab Orchard Waterfowl Association have been able to host meetings and trainings for larger member groups in a more user-friendly facility. These efforts have helped the organization educate and engage with the refuge’s next generation of hunters, providing space to host youth hunts, safety workshops, and banquets. Crab Orchard Waterfowl Association’s secretary, Patrick Malone, emphasizes the impact the multipurpose space has had on their organization’s operations, stating that the space now provides an “ample amount of room [for visitors] and has definitely taken a burden off of our shoulders as we host these events for kids and veterans.”

Community groups like Friends of Crab Orchard have also been able to expand the type of event offerings they hold at the refuge. Since the visitor center’s opening, the Friends organization has hosted creative educational events like nature dialogues, where experts across different wildlife topic areas facilitate discussions with members, and a photography symposium held during the solar eclipse this past April. In addition, the new outdoor pavilion provides opportunities for outdoor education and events. And Friends of Crab Orchard now has a gift shop in the visitor center, allowing more frequent engagement with visitors and further support of the organization’s programming. As Friends of Crab Orchard president Rick Whitecotton explains, “This is a revenue stream for us, which helps us support [our] events and projects at the refuge . . . It’s critical that we have this space.” 

Overall, the new visitor center has been well received by visitors and recognized for how well it serves the community. “The feedback has always been positive. Through all our events, everybody brags [about] the things available there at your fingertips,” said Malone. Whitecotton also noted that “everybody…[has] said, ‘This is tax dollars well spent. This place is gorgeous. This place is beautiful. This is awe inspiring.’ These are the kinds of phrases that people my age, younger people, families [say], they all love it.” By creating a center designed for visitor engagement and experiences, GAOA LRF has helped bring a piece of the local Marion community back to Crab Orchard.

More About GAOA LRF 

GAOA LRF is part of a concerted effort to address extensive maintenance and repair needs on public lands. Supported by revenue from energy development, it provides up to $1.9 billion per year for five years to make significant enhancements in public lands to ensure their preservation and provide opportunities for recreation, education, and enjoyment for current and future visitors. To learn more about GAOA LRF project work happening across the country, visit www.fws.gov/initiative/protecting-wildlife/great-american-outdoors-act or the Department of the Interior’s GAOA website at .