Cache River National Wildlife Refuge in eastern Arkansas is a protected wetland and forest landscape managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Established in 1986 after a 1970s conservation fight that stopped plans to dredge and straighten the Cache River, it has expanded through land purchases and reforestation of former farmland. Recognized as a Ramsar wetland of international importance, it includes the largest remaining contiguous tract of bottomland hardwood forest in North America. Its sloughs, swamps, oxbow lakes, and cypress and hardwood forests support rich wildlife, especially migratory waterfowl, and it remains both a major restoration effort and a popular destination for outdoor recreation.