"Viola sororia" - Common blue violet at Neal Smith National Wildlife Refuge. Neal Smith National Wildlife Refuge was established in 1990 with ambitious goals and a multifaceted mission. The mission of the Refuge is to actively protect, restore, reconstruct and manage the diverse native ecosystems of tallgrass prairie, oak savanna, and sedge meadow. These were the native habitats existing on the Refuge’s 5600 acres prior to Euro-American settlement.