Updated June 26, 2024
ALERTS:
- PRESCRIBED FIRES JUNE 27 2024: Our fire crew will be conducting prescribed fires around our facilities and along part of the auto tour at the Sacramento NWR on Thursday, June 27 between 10am and 4pm - expect smoke in the area all day. The Auto Tour may be temporarily closed for visitor safety, so please honor any closure signs. We do not anticipate any issues with visitors accessing the Visitor Center building and bathrooms between 9am and 4pm while we're open.
- WE'RE HIRING: We are seeking applicants for an ACE Visitor Services Support Member position (apply by June 28)! Visit our Get Involved page for more details!
Visit Us
Welcome to the Delevan National Wildlife Refuge!
The 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. Delevan NWR is only open to the public for hunting and for photography-blind access (by reservation only). There are LOTS of things for visitors to do across the Complex....
PLAN YOUR VISIT <-- Click here to find all the information you need to plan your visit!
Links to the refuges of the Sacramento NWR Complex:
Location and Contact Information
About Us
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
- 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.
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....