Working with others to conserve, protect, and enhance fish, wildlife, plants, and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the American people.

What's going on at FWS

With more than 560 National Wildlife Refuges, 70 national fish hatcheries, numerous regional and field offices across the country and thousands of active conservation projects, the nearly 8,000 employees of the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service have a lot going on. Here are a few of the latest news stories from across the Service...

Image is multiple pieces of Junior Duck stamp artwork displayed on a table for the Junior Duck Stamp Contest 2023
Migratory Species
2025 National Junior Duck Stamp Art Contest Winner
A talented young artist from Texas has taken top honors at the National Junior Duck Stamp Art Contest. A northern shoveler by 18 year old Catheryn Liang, will grace the 2025-2026 Junior Duck Stamp, which raises funds to educate and engage our nation’s youth in wildlife and wetlands conservation and...
student archers on the shooting line
Targeting Success: The Impact of National Archery in Schools
In 2002, the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife and Department of Education partnered with Mathews Archery to create the Kentucky Archery in the Schools program. This program aimed to teach students in grades 4 through 12 the sport of archery as part of their physical education curricula. The...
A dark grey salamander with light blue spots on a bed of green moss
Our Partners
Red Coats and blue-spotted salamanders 
USFWS partners with Hanscom Air Force Base to survey for a rare salamander in a Revolutionary War landscape  
three people stand near a pole in the dirt as a small excavator pounds it into the ground
Our People
Guardians of the Great American Outdoors
Just minutes from the center of the most populous city in Virginia, Back Bay National Wildlife Refuge feels like another world: the refuge on the outskirts of Virginia Beach teems with life across a range of coastal habitats for migratory and wintering waterfowl. The beachfront views and wildlife...
A biologist holds a juvenile lake sturgeon
Habitat Restoration
Giving lake sturgeon a strong start
With the arrival of spring, we're working with our partners to prepare for our annual lake sturgeon egg takes, one facet of a 40-year-old restoration program that relies on reintroducing fish as its cornerstone. Our efforts in the Great Lakes and Upper Mississippi River basins are at the heart of a...
small fish and a rush of water exit a pipe being supported by someone
Wildlife Management
Lake trout restoration in Lake Champlain a success
Thanks to a successful, decades-long effort by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department and New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, lake trout have been restored to Lake Champlain. As a result, the wild population no longer needs to be augmented by...

Our Focus

The history of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service can be traced back to 1871. We are the only federal government agency whose primary responsibility is to manage fish and wildlife resources in the public trust for people today and future generations. Here are just a few of our focus areas...

What We Do For You

If you’re looking for places to experience nature; interested in partnering with us; seeking technical advice, permits, grants, data or scientific research; want to know more about today’s conservation challenges; looking for ways on how you can get involved and make a difference -- the Service has a lot to offer and more…

Visit Us - Our Locations

With more than 560 national wildlife refuges, dozens of national fish hatcheries and more than 100 field offices, there are numerous great U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service locations to visit.