Welcome to Sam D. Hamilton Noxubee National Wildlife Refuge

Sam D. Hamilton Noxubee National Wildlife Refuge was formerly known as Noxubee National Wildlife Refuge but was recently renamed (February 2012) in honor of the Fish and Wildlife Service’s former Director.  Noxubee NWR was the first Refuge he worked on as a Youth Conservation Corps employee in 1971. Mr. Hamilton graduated from Mississippi State University in 1977. He rose through the Fish and Wildlife Service from being its Texas administrator, to Assistant Regional Director of Ecological Services in Atlanta and then Director of the agency's Southeast region, based in Atlanta.  Sam had a personal connection to Noxubee NWR as he grew up coming to the Refuge to hunt and fish.   He served as Regional Director for twelve years before being nominated for Director of the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service in Washington D.C. by President Obama.  He was approved and worked for less than a year when he died suddenly of a heart attack while skiing. 

Sam D. Hamilton Noxubee National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) is located in three counties (Noxubee, Oktibbeha, and Winston) and was created from lands obtained through the 1930s Resettlement Administration.

Our office and visitor center is located at the edge of Bluff Lake northwest of Brooksville, northeast of Louisville, and south of Starkville, Mississippi. The Refuge managers and staff are responsible for managing the 48,000-acre Sam D. Hamilton Noxubee National Wildlife Refuge, located in east-central Mississippi. The Refuge serves as a resting and feeding area for migratory birds and as an example of proper land stewardship. Also, the Refuge is extensively managed for the endangered red-cockaded woodpecker.

Here on our pages you will find a variety of information that will help you learn more about this Refuge, its wildlife resources, habitat resources, and wildlife recreational opportunities.

We invite you to read our brochures about the Refuge. You can hike any of our trails and learn about visitor activities, including hunting and fishing. You may also browse our bird list and seasonal opportunities to view wildlife . While you are here, we invite you to learn how duck stamps are used to acquire important habitat for waterfowl and other migratory birds. A map is available to help you visualize the Refuge lay-out.

We look forward to having you visit our Refuge Visitor Center and hope that you can find time to visit with us whenever your travels bring you this way.

If there is additional information that would be of interest to you, please drop us a note . We will try to keep our pages updated and add additional information, news releases or current happenings, as time allows.

Thanks for coming by to visit.

For further information contact:

Sam D. Hamilton Noxubee National Wildlife Refuge
2970 Bluff Lake Road
Brooksville, Mississippi 39739

Telephone: (662)323-5548
Fax: (662)323-6390
Email: Noxubee@fws.gov