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National Wildlife Refuges

Managing Refuges for Wildlife

Male Wood DuckThe National Wildlife Refuge System, begun in 1903, consists of more than 93 million acres nationwide that are protected and managed by the Service specifically for wildlife. Refuges promote wildlife diversity and protect wildlife habitat and natural systems, like wetland habitats, that serve us by holding flood waters, filtering pollutants and cleaning our water.

 
Refuge Visitors Viewing Wildlife
Seventy refuges in the Service's Northeast Region protect more than 400,000 acres of wildlife habitat. These refuges annually host increasing numbers of visitors who enjoy wildlife-dependent recreation opportunities such as hunting, fishing, hiking, wildlife observation and photography. Refuges in the Northeast Region range in size from 3.8 acres at the Susquehanna National Wildlife Refuge in Maryland's Chesapeake Bay to the 107,009 acre Great Dismal Swamp National Wildlife Refuge in Virginia and North Carolina.

 

 

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