The United States Fish and Wildlife Service is a U.S. federal government agency within the United States Department of the Interior which oversees the management of fish,wildlife,and natural habitats in the United States. The mission of the agency is "working with others to conserve,protect,and enhance fish,wildlife,plants and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the American people."
The National Wildlife Refuge System (NWRS) is a system of protected areas of the United States managed by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS),an agency within the Department of the Interior. The National Wildlife Refuge System is the system of public lands and waters set aside to conserve America's fish,wildlife,and plants. Since President Theodore Roosevelt designated Florida's Pelican Island National Wildlife Refuge as the first wildlife refuge in 1903,the system has grown to over 568 national wildlife refuges and 38 wetland management districts encompassing about 859,000,000 acres (3,476,200 km2).
Pelican Island National Wildlife Refuge is a United States National Wildlife Refuge (NWR),and part of the Everglades Headwaters NWR complex,located just off the western coast of North Hutchinson Island in the Indian River Lagoon east of Sebastian,Florida. The refuge consists of a 3-acre (12,000 m2) island that includes an additional 2.5 acres (10,000 m2) of surrounding water and is located off the east coast of Florida of the Indian River Lagoon. Established by an executive order of President Theodore Roosevelt on March 14,1903,Pelican Island was the first National wildlife refuge in the United States. It was created to protect egrets and other birds from extinction through plume hunting. The oldest government wildlife refuge of any kind in North America is the Lake Merritt Bird Refuge in Oakland,California. Oakland Mayor Samuel Merritt declared it a wildlife refuge for migrating birds in 1869. In 1870,the state of California designated Lake Merritt a state game refuge.
The Endangered Species Act of 1973 is the primary law in the United States for protecting and conserving imperiled species. Designed to protect critically imperiled species from extinction as a "consequence of economic growth and development untempered by adequate concern and conservation",the ESA was signed into law by President Richard Nixon on December 28,1973. The Supreme Court of the United States described it as "the most comprehensive legislation for the preservation of endangered species enacted by any nation". The purposes of the ESA are two-fold:to prevent extinction and to recover species to the point where the law's protections are not needed. It therefore "protect[s] species and the ecosystems upon which they depend" through different mechanisms. For example,section 4 requires the agencies overseeing the Act to designate imperiled species as threatened or endangered. Section 9 prohibits unlawful 'take,' of such species,which means to "harass,harm,hunt..." Section 7 directs federal agencies to use their authorities to help conserve listed species. The Act also serves as the enacting legislation to carry out the provisions outlined in The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).
The Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge is a National Wildlife Refuge located in southern New Mexico. It was founded in 1939 and is administered by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. It is a favorite spot to observe sandhill cranes,which spend the fall and winter in the area. The reserve is open year-round and provides safe harbor for its varied wildlife. Visitors to the refuge also enjoy partaking in activities such as hiking,cycling,driving tours on the 12-mile scenic auto route,and participating in educational programs offered on site.
The Key deer is an endangered subspecies of the white-tailed deer that lives only in the Florida Keys. It is the smallest extant North American deer species.
The Arthur R. Marshall Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge is a 145,188-acre (587.55 km2) wildlife sanctuary is located west of Boynton Beach,in Palm Beach County,Florida. It is also known as Water Conservation Area 1 (WCA-1). It includes the most northern remnant of the historic Everglades wetland ecosystem.
Hawadax Island is an island in the Rat Islands archipelago of the western Aleutian Islands in the U.S. state of Alaska. The island was formerly known as Rat Island until May 2012 when it was renamed Hawadax Island,which is an Aleut name meaning "entry" and "welcome". The island has a land area of 10.72 square miles (27.8 km2) and no permanent population. It is within the Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge.
The Charles M. Russell National Wildlife Refuge is a National Wildlife Refuge in the U.S. state of Montana on the Missouri River. The refuge surrounds Fort Peck Reservoir and is 915,814 acres (3,706.17 km2) in size. It is the second-largest National Wildlife Refuge in the lower 48 states of the United States,and the largest in Montana. Created in 1936,it was originally called the Fort Peck Game Range. It was renamed in 1963 after Montana artist Charles M. Russell,a famous painter of the American West. In 1976,the "range" was made a "refuge".
Defenders of Wildlife is a 501(c)(3) non-profit conservation organization based in the United States. It works to protect all native animals and plants throughout North America in their natural communities.
Wolf reintroduction involves the reintroduction of a portion of grey wolves in areas where native wolves have been extirpated. More than 30 subspecies of Canis lupus have been recognized,and grey wolves,as colloquially understood,comprise nondomestic/feral subspecies. Reintroduction is only considered where large tracts of suitable wilderness still exist and where certain prey species are abundant enough to support a predetermined wolf population.
The J. N. "Ding" Darling National Wildlife Refuge is part of the United States National Wildlife Refuge System,located in southwestern Florida on Sanibel Island in the Gulf of Mexico. "Ding" Darling Wildlife Society (DDWS),a non-profit Friends of the Refuge organization,supports environmental education and services at the J.N. "Ding" Darling National Wildlife Refuge. It is named after the cartoonist Jay Norwood "Ding" Darling.
The St. Vincent National Wildlife Refuge is part of the United States National Wildlife Refuge System,located in the Gulf of Mexico off the coast of Apalachicola,on the barrier island of St. Vincent. The refuge includes Pig Island,located in the southwest corner of St. Joseph Bay,nearly 9 miles west of St. Vincent and 86 acres of mainland Florida along Franklin County Road 30A. The 12,490-acre (51km2) refuge was established in 1968.
The Center for Biological Diversity is a nonprofit membership organization known for its work protecting endangered species through legal action,scientific petitions,creative media and grassroots activism. It was founded in 1989 by Kieran Suckling,Peter Galvin,Todd Schulke and Robin Silver. The center is based in Tucson,Arizona,with its headquarters in the historic Owls club building,and has offices and staff in New Mexico,Nevada,California,Oregon,Illinois,Minnesota,Alaska,Vermont,Florida and Washington,D.C.
James Campbell National Wildlife Refuge is a National Wildlife Refuge on the island of Oʻahu,Hawaii. It was established in 1976 to permanently protect an ecologically-intact unit and to provide habitat for native and migratory fauna and native flora. It established critical habitat for Hawaii's four endangered waterbirds,the ʻalae kea,koloa maoli,ʻalae ʻula,and āeʻo and many migratory seabirds,endangered and native plant species,and the endangered Hawaiian monk seal and green sea turtle. It also provides increased wildlife-dependent public uses and flood control within the refuge and the local community.
The Bill Williams River National Wildlife Refuge protects the lower course of the Bill Williams River,to its mouth at Lake Havasu reservoir,in western Arizona. It is located within eastern La Paz and Mohave Counties,in the Lower Colorado River Valley region.
Rice Lake National Wildlife Refuge is located in Aitkin County in east central Minnesota,five miles south of the community of McGregor. It was established in 1935 for waterfowl habitat preservation. The refuge includes Rice Lake itself,a shallow,3,600-acre wild rice-producing lake. The refuge has been designated as a Globally Important Bird Area by the American Bird Conservancy due to the importance of the lake and its wild rice as a food source to migrating waterfowl,especially ring-necked ducks. Rice Lake National Wildlife Refuge has also recently become known for its population of native bigmouth buffalo that migrate to Rice Lake each spring during their annual spawning migration. With an average age of about 80 years for the bigmouth buffalo in this population and approximately 100% of individuals older than 53 years as of 2024,it is one of the oldest known populations of animal in the world.
The Sayville National Wildlife Refuge is a 127-acre (51 ha) National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) located in West Sayville,New York about two miles (3.2 km) inland from the Great South Bay. Sayville NWR is managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service as a sub-unit of Wertheim National Wildlife Refuge and part of the Long Island National Wildlife Refuge Complex. It is the only land-locked refuge in the complex.
The United States Fish and Wildlife Service Office of Law Enforcement contributes to Service efforts to manage ecosystems,save endangered species,conserve migratory birds,preserve wildlife habitat,restore fisheries,combat invasive species,and promote international wildlife conservation. It is an office of the United States Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS).
