Sheldon National Wildlife Refuge
Sheldon National Wildlife Refuge
E.R. Sans’s Conservation Legacy
The Sheldon National Wildlife Refuge is a 573,504-acre national wildlife refuge in the northwestern corner of Nevada, with a small portion extending into Oregon. It represents the lasting legacy of E.R. Sans’s conservation work in the 1920s.
Conservation Success
When Sans began his advocacy, pronghorn antelope were nearly extinct with only ~14,000 animals remaining nationwide. Today: - Over 1 million pronghorn roam the American West - ~30,000 pronghorn live in Nevada - ~2,500 pronghorn live in the Sheldon refuge
Connection to Plaskett Family
E.R. Sans was the father of Mabel Sans Plaskett, who married Byron Plaskett and became the family historian whose writings preserved much of the Plaskett family history.
What the record says
Timeline
| Year | Event |
|---|---|
| 1914 | Only ~14,000 pronghorn remain in North America |
| 1920s | E.R. Sans advocates for hunting regulations in NW Nevada |
| 1931 | Audubon Society and Boone & Crockett Club purchase 34,000 acres |
| 1931 | President Hoover establishes Charles Sheldon Wildlife Refuge (Jan 26) |
| 1936 | President Roosevelt adds 540,000 acres of federal lands |
| 1976 | Combined and renamed Sheldon National Wildlife Refuge |
| Present | 573,504 acres protecting 2,500+ pronghorn |
Born, lived, or died at Sheldon National Wildlife Refuge
- Edward Robert Sans 1875–1958 · lived or worked here