page_title: Sheldon National Wildlife Refuge
hierarchical_section_title: Sheldon National Wildlife Refuge
caption_attribution_description: English: Desert near an old windmill along Nevada State Route 140 (Adel Road) near the eastern edge of the Sheldon National Wildlife Refuge, Nevada
context_page_description: The Sheldon National Wildlife Refuge is a 573,504-acre national wildlife refuge on the northern border of the U.S. state of Nevada. A very small part extends northward into Oregon. It is managed by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service as the Nevada component of the Sheldon-Hart Mountain National Wildlife Refuge Complex, which is headquartered in Lakeview, Oregon. The Sheldon Refuge is noted for its population of wild horses, now all removed and The Virgin Valley Mining District for Black Precious Opals, the State Gemstone, still very active with multiple fee dig mines. A point within the refuge is also the farthest place in the continuous US from a McDonald's restaurant, at just 115 miles.
  In 1931, the refuge was established under executive order to carry out three central goals: First, the refuge was to provide a habitat for the "antelope", an animal whose population was in decline during the early 1900s. Second, conservation efforts were put forth to protect native fish, wildlife and plants. The refuge contains the very active and popular Virgin Valley Opal Mining District and was grandfathered in with all rights.
context_section_description: The Sheldon National Wildlife Refuge is a 573,504-acre (232,089 ha) national wildlife refuge on the northern border of the U.S. state of Nevada. A very small part extends northward into Oregon. It is managed by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) as the Nevada component of the Sheldon-Hart Mountain National Wildlife Refuge Complex, which is headquartered in Lakeview, Oregon. The Sheldon Refuge is noted for its population of wild horses, now all removed and The Virgin Valley Mining District for Black Precious Opals,the State Gemstone, still very active with multiple fee dig mines. A point within the refuge is also the farthest place in the continuous US from a McDonald's restaurant, at just 115 miles. (185 kilometers)
  In 1931, the refuge was established under executive order to carry out three central goals:  First, the refuge was to provide a habitat for the "antelope" (more properly called the pronghorn), an animal whose population was in decline during the early 1900s. Second, conservation efforts were put forth to protect native fish, wildlife and plants. The refuge contains the very active and popular Virgin Valley Opal Mining District and was grandfathered in with all rights. Finally, the refuge was to serve as an inviolate migratory bird sanctuary.
  Advocates characterize Sheldon as one of the few intact sagebrush steppe ecosystems in the Great Basin, one that hosts a variety of wildlife endemic to the unique environment. Desert fishes, greater sage-grouse, migratory birds, mule deer and the pygmy rabbit are all residents.
caption: Desert vegetation near the eastern edge of the refuge
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