The Refuge is located in western Palm Beach County, Florida (Figure 1) and
consists of approximately 57, 324 hectares encompassed by Water Conservation Area 1.
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In the 1940s, the Army Corps of Engineers turned this area into a water storage
impoundment surrounded by levees to meet local agricultural and residential water needs.
The impounded area is still dominated by native habitats, although their health and
distribution were likely impacted by alterations in the hydrology of the Refuge. Due in
part to its status as the last remnant of the northern Everglades, the Refuge was
established for the protection of wildlife and habitat resources in 1951. Currently, the
Refuge is surrounded by urban and agricultural areas and is adjacent to Water
Conservation Area 2 to the southwest.