Find Your Wild.
Join a Movement.

America’s Wildlife Refuges supports millions of acres of wildlife habitat and the conservation needed to safeguard America’s outdoor heritage.

FIND A REFUGE

National Wildlife Refuges prove what’s possible when we protect wild places. From whooping cranes and bald eagles pulled back from the edge of extinction to children casting a line ready to reel in their first fish. Wildlife refuges offer stories of resilience and joy. Spanning more than 150 million land acres, and over 700 million marine acres, America’s National Wildlife Refuge System gives wildlife the space to thrive and people the opportunity to find wonder in nature.

Nearby Nature Is Closer Than You Think

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Find your Local Refuge

There’s always a refuge, a season, and a spectacle worth showing up for.

FIND A REFUGE

Learn About Refuges

From the arctic to the tropics, learn why refuges are so vital to wildlife and visitors.

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Discover the Wildlife

Experience the incredible diversity of life that calls America’s Wildlife Refuges home.

EXPLORE WILDLIFE

Species Worth Saving, Places Worth Protecting

America’s Wildlife Refuges exist because people, including indigenous, conservationists, scientists, volunteers, and neighbors never stopped standing up for wildlife, wild places, and their communities. This is what that commitment looks like. This is what it protects.

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Up to 20,000 sandhill cranes spend the winter at Bosque del Apache in New Mexico.
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The arctic fox can survive temperatures as low as -70°F without shivering - find them Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. 
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Painted turtles absorb oxygen through their skin in winter. You can find them at refuges in 45 different states.
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The Lake Sturgeon species is over 136 million years old. Find them at Detroit International National Wildlife Refuge.

Craving more wildlife knowledge? Explore the wildlife protected across America’s refuges by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service and partners.

SEE THE WILDLIFE

America’s Wildlife Refuges is a partnership between the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and Public Lands Alliance — two organizations united by a shared belief that wildlife is worth protecting. Together, we support a nationwide network of nonprofit Friends Groups working on the ground at refuges across the country, all driven by the same mission – ensuring wildlife habitats are protected and species are thriving.

America’s Wildlife Refuges is a partnership between the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and Public Lands Alliance — two organizations united by a shared belief that wildlife is worth protecting. Together, we support a nationwide network of nonprofit Friends Groups working on the ground at refuges across the country, all driven by the same mission – ensuring wildlife habitats are protected and species are thriving.

Where the birds are.

National wildlife refuges are the backbone of continental bird conservation. They are critical resting places along north-south Flyways (Atlantic, Mississippi, Central, and Pacific) that span from the Arctic to the tropics. For birders, whether you are a beginner learning to tell the difference between a dabbler or diver (when you know you know), or an expert seeking an elusive “lifer” like a Whooping Crane or Snail Kite, refuges offer a front row seat to these seasonal spectacles.

FIND AN EVENT

Friends in action.

Across the country, hundreds of organizations are doing something remarkable — turning a deep love for wild places into real, lasting action. These nonprofits, often called “Friends Groups” are woven into the communities that surround refuges, made up of volunteers, supporters, and everyday people who show up season after season because they believe these places matter.

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