NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE (NWR) SYSTEM

The mission of the National Wildlife Refuge System is to provide, preserve, restore, and manage a national network of lands and waters sufficient in size, diversity, and location to meet society's needs for areas where the widest possible spectrum of benefits associated with wildlife and wildlands is enhanced and made available. The system comprises a unique and diverse network of over 92 million acres of lands and waters in the United States. This system spans the continent from the north coast of Alaska to the Florida Keys and beyond to tropical islands in the Caribbean and Central Pacific. Over 500 national wildlife refuges are included in the Refuge System. They are managed by the Department of the Interior, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) for the conservation and enhancement of fish and wildlife and their habitats. Refuges may range in size from Minnesota's tiny Mille Lacs (less than an acre) to Alaska's sprawling Yukon Delta (almost 20 million acres). Refuges provide habitat: food, water, shelter, and space: for more than 60 endangered species and hundreds of other species of birds, mammals, reptiles, amphibians, fish, and plants. The first national wildlife refuge was Florida's Pelican Island, established in 1903 by President Theodore Roosevelt to protect egrets, herons, and other birds that were being killed for feathers used in the fashions of the time. Also see National Wildlife Refuges (Nevada).