USFWS · National wildlife refuge · Illinois

Cypress Creek National Wildlife Refuge

The Cypress Creek National Wildlife Refuge is an American wildlife refuge. It is located in the Cache River watershed in southernmost Illinois, largely in Pulaski County, but with extensions into Union, Alexander, and Johnson counties. The refuge was established in 1990 under the authority of the Emergency Wetlands Resources Act of 1986. The refuge protects over 16,000 acres (65 km2) of the Cache River wetlands, and has a purchase boundary of 36,000 acres (146 km²) contiguous.

From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

National Wildlife Refuge16,622 acresUSFWSIL
Official page at U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service ↗
4fires
active
Dk West De Rx (prescribed burn) · 23 mi from the center · 157 acres
3 more within 50 miles
Incident details ↓

Facts

Where each comes from ↓
DesignationNational Wildlife Refuge
Managed byU.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
StateIllinois
Size16,622 acres (computed from the boundary polygon)
FWS regionRegion 3
Center point37.2866, -89.1374
Night skyVery dark ground, a faint glow at most (Black Marble reading 25)

Boundary map

27 outlines

Boundary, simplified to about 0.005 degrees

The outline is the agency boundary simplified for display, so small parcels and inholdings may not show. The agency page has the authoritative map.

Fire nearby

Within 50 miles · as of 2026-09-17
  • Prescribed
    Dk West De Rx

    23 mi from the center point · 157 acres

  • Prescribed
    A-13 Piles Rx

    27 mi from the center point · 10 acres

  • Prescribed
    Prison C & D Rx

    27 mi from the center point · 168 acres

  • Prescribed
    Area 13 Pile Rx

    27 mi from the center point · 30 acres

Distance is to the reported incident point, not the fire edge, and is measured from the center of a boundary that may be many miles across. Check the agency page for closures.

Explore

Nearby on the other atlases

National Register listings within 15 miles · 50 in all · Register Atlas

Landmarks are listed first, then by distance from the boundary.

Reference

Questions people ask

How big is Cypress Creek National Wildlife Refuge?

16,622 acres, measured from the published boundary polygon. The agency’s own figure can differ where the boundary includes water or inholdings.

Source: How acreage is computed

Who manages Cypress Creek National Wildlife Refuge?

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Source: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

What state is Cypress Creek National Wildlife Refuge in?

Illinois.

Source: How states are assigned

How do I get to Cypress Creek National Wildlife Refuge?

A point inside the boundary is at 37.287, -89.137. The official page carries directions and the office address.

Source: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

Is there a fire near Cypress Creek National Wildlife Refuge right now?

4 active incidents within 50 miles as of 2026-09-17, the nearest Dk West De Rx at 23 miles. Distance is to the reported incident point, not the fire edge.

Source: Fire nearby

How dark is the night sky at Cypress Creek National Wildlife Refuge?

NASA’s Black Marble night-lights image reads 25 on a 0 to 255 scale at the center point, very dark ground, a faint glow at most.

Source: NASA Black Marble

Are there historic places near Cypress Creek National Wildlife Refuge?

50 National Register listings within 15 miles, including Illinois Central Railroad Depot and Chicago and Eastern Illinois Railroad Depot.

Source: Register Atlas

Sources

  • Boundary, name: the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service refuge boundary layer.
  • States: computed by intersecting the boundary with Census state polygons; a state is listed when it holds at least one percent of the area.
  • Acreage: geodesic area of the published polygon. The agency’s official acreage can differ where the boundary includes water, easements or inholdings.
  • Description: Cypress Creek National Wildlife Refuge on Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. The article was accepted because its title contains this unit’s name.
  • Campgrounds: the Campsite Atlas index of federal campgrounds, matched to this boundary at build time.
  • Night sky: NASA Black Marble (VIIRS, 2016 composite) sampled at zoom 6 around the center point.
  • Weather, alerts, air quality, river flow and earthquakes load live in your browser from NWS, AirNow, USGS and iNaturalist when you open the page.