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SACRAMENTO NWR COMPLEX ALERTS

Updated August 27, 2024

ALERTS: 

  • VISITOR CENTER CLOSURE: Due to ongoing HVAC issues, our Visitor Center is closed. Bathrooms (located outside the visitor center building) will continue to be open and available to visitors.
     
  • PHOTORAPHY BLIND PROGRAM: Due to circumstances beyond our control, we are unable to offer use of our photo blinds for the 2024-2025 season. We appreciate your patience and support as we work towards creative solutions for 2025-26. General information about the Photo Blind Program when it is operational can be found on our Photography page, and additional questions about this decision have been answered in the comments of our Facebook post about it on August 12.
     
  • DRAFT ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSEMENT:   As part of the Big Notch Project, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is proposing to issue a short-term special use permit to the California Department of Water Resources to allow for increased flows on properties in the Yolo Bypass where the Service has conservation easements. The Draft Environmental Assessment and Compatibility Determinations are available for public review until September 1, 2024.  Please see our News page for further information. 
Delevan National Wildlife Refuge is part of the SACRAMENTO NWR COMPLEX. Delevan NWR is mostly closed to the public, but does offer hunting and limited photography.

Visit Us

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Welcome to Delevan National Wildlife Refuge!   

Delevan National Wildlife is one of the 5 National Wildlife Refuges and 3 Wildlife Management Areas that make up the Sacramento National Wildlife Refuge Complex:  Sacramento NWR, Delevan NWR, Colusa NWR, Sutter NWR, Sacramento River NWR, Llano Seco Unit (STNCV WMA), Butte Sink WMA, Willow Creek-Lurline WMA.  Delevan NWR is only open to the public for hunting and for photography-blind access (by reservation only).

There are LOTS of recreational opportunities across the Complex, including a Visitor Center, Auto Tours, trails, bicycling, photography, hunting and environmental education.

VISIT US!  <-- Click here to find all the information you need to plan your visit!  Or use the quicklinks, below...

VISITOR CENTERAUTO TOURSTRAILSBICYCLINGPHOTOGRAPHYHUNTING-WATERFOWLHunting-RiverMAPS, DIRECTIONS + BROCHURESENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION

Location and Contact Information

      About Us

      snow geese in water and flying at delevan nwr
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      Delevan National Wildlife Refuge is part of the Sacramento National Wildlife Refuge Complex.  It is situated about 80 miles north of Sacramento and four miles east of the town of Maxwell in Colusa County. The refuge consists of 5,877 acres consisting primarily of wetlands with some riparian riparian
      Definition of riparian habitat or riparian areas.

      Learn more about riparian       and grassland habitats. 

        Click on the link below to learn more about us!

      What We Do

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      • Resource Management

      To help plants and wildlife, Refuge staff uses a variety of habitat management techniques to maintain, recover or enhance plant and wildlife values. Refuge staff carefully consider any management techniques and employ them in varying degrees according to the situation.

      • Conservation and Partnerships

      The Complex is involved in many conservation endeavors, including Comprehensive Conservation Plans, Private Landowner Programs, and the National Wildlife Refuge System Improvement Act.

        Click on the link below to learn more about what we do!

      Our Organization

      National Wildlife Refuge System Improvement Act of 1997:The NWRS Improvement Act defines a unifying mission for all refuges, including a process for determining compatible uses on refuges, and requiring that each refuge be managed according to a CCP. The NWRS Improvement  Act expressly states that wildlife conservation is the priority of System lands and that the Secretary shall ensure that the biological integrity, diversity, and environmental health of refuge lands are maintained. Each refuge must be managed to fulfill the specific purposes for which the refuge was established and the System mission. The first priority of each refuge is to conserve, manage, and if needed, restore fish and wildlife populations and habitats according to its purpose.

      A bright blue sky obstructed by fluffy white clouds reflected off of a stream shot from inside a kayak
      The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service manages an unparalleled network of public lands and waters called the National Wildlife Refuge System. With more than 570 refuges spanning the country, this system protects iconic species and provides some of the best wildlife viewing opportunities on Earth.
      Program
      Washington,DC

      Our Species

      Delevan National Wildlife Refuge is best known for migratory waterfowl. Waterfowl are present September through April and numbers regularly peak at over 300,000 ducks and 100,000 geese. The refuge supports one of the largest known populations of palmate-bracted birds-beak (Federally listed endangered plant species) and significant breeding colonies of tricolored blackbirds. Delevan is also an important wintering grounds for Tule Greater White-fronted Geese.

      Click on the link below to learn more about our Seasons of Wildlife, Wildlife Checklist, Wildlife Surveys, and Our Species....