08/17/2014 12:15 PM EDT
Happy 50th anniversary Clarence Cannon National Wildlife Refuge! The refuge (in Missouri) was officially established on August 11, 1964, to provide a feeding and resting area for migratory birds.
The refuge covers 3,750 acres in the floodplain of the Mississippi river and is comprised of moist soil units, open water, wet meadows and bottomland forest habitats. Nearly 300 species of birds visit the refuge during their journeys as well as the Great River National Wildlife just to the north.
Photo: Carmen Cortelyou/USFWS