Its History
The National Wildlife Refuge System was not created in one action, but was the result of more than a century of land management and wildlife protection decisions.
Read about the beginning of the National Wildlife Refuge System:Pelican Island and the Start of the Wildlife Conservation Movement (97 KB PDF)
Paul Kroegel, the first game warden on Pelican Island, with a nestling brown pelican. Photo credit: G Nelson/USFWS
TIMELINE
Click on a link in the timeline to learn about events leading to the establishment of the Refuge System and more recent developments.
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