Dale Bumpers White River National Wildlife Refuge was established on September 5, 1935 by President Franklin D. Roosevelt with the purpose to protect and conserve migratory birds and other wildlife resources. It is one of the most important areas for wintering waterfowl in North America. The refuge is home to the only population of native black bears in the state of Arkansas, and is designated as a Wetland of International Importance. Dale Bumpers White River NWR annually attracts approximately 455,000 visits from hunters, anglers, bird watchers, and others. The refuge lies within the floodplain of the White River, near where it meets the mighty Mississippi River. Long, narrow, and varying from a quarter mile to ten miles wide and approximately sixty miles long, the refuge is one of the largest remaining bottomland hardwood forests in the Mississippi River Valley. Its fertile forests and some three hundred lakes are interlaced with streams, sloughs, and bayous. These habitats are a haven for a myriad of native wildlife and migratory birds.