National Wildlife Refuge System | News | U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service

Program News

Here you can find news and stories related to the National Wildlife Refuge System.

Person dressed up in a blue and white goose mascot with large orange, black and white monarch butterfly wings planting a garden along with two people in. blur shirts

Joining forces to make a future for monarchs

Left, Joe Lester Chesser and his grandson Andrew stand in front of the old Homestead site that is now part of the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge. Joe, 89, grew up there and left when the refuge took over in 1971. Today Andrew works for the American Conservation Experience taking care of 120 canoe trails in the refuge.

History and Culture

Explore a Family Legacy: Journey Through Chesser Island in the Okefenokee Swamp

2024-2025 Station-Specific Hunting and Sport Fishing Proposed Rule

American white pelican at Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge

Public Comment Period on Bear River Draft Environmental Assessment

Wildlife Management

Service Promotes Public Access to Hunting and Fishing

Wildlife Management

San Luis National Wildlife Refuge Complex announces Final Comprehensive Conservation Plan and Environmental Assessment

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Announces Voluntary Pilot Programs for Lead-Free Hunting

For Parents and Educators

State and Refuge Partners Host Hunter Education Course For the First Time

Northwest Montana Wetland Management District Final Supplemental Environmental Assessment

Youth pose with a fish and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service staff at the 2024 Cops and Bobbers Fishing Program

Building Connections Through Fishing

A small yellow helicopter with a crew member looking out soars above rocky mountains in Wyoming.

Emergency Management

Taking Flight to Fight Wildland Fire

A man with white hair and beard and wearing a Hawai'ian shirt signs a book at the counter of a visitor center store.

History and Culture

37th Annual Summer Lecture Series

ducks flying

Land Management

San Luis National Wildlife Refuge Complex announces availability of Comprehensive Conservation Plan and draft Environmental Assessment

Boundary expansion approved for Middle Mississippi River National Wildlife Refuge

Fall waterfowl hunt at Swan Lake National Wildlife Refuge temporarily reduced

Habitat Restoration

Using Prescribed Fire to Restore Habitat for Wildlife and Plants

Public comment period open for U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service environmental assessment for Little Yellow River remeandering at Necedah National Wildlife Refuge

MTMNM New Superintendent

Emergency closure of early teal hunt on Area C Hunt Unit at Tamarac National Wildlife Refuge

Wildlife Management

National Elk Refuge to Host Open Houses & Webinar

Joint Base McGuire Dix Lakehurst named Service’s Military Conservation Partner of the Year

A small, mostly yellow-green bird with black and light blue markings on its breast and face perched on a thin branch

Lower Rio Grande Valley seeking public input

Brown, black & white raccoon swimming across a canal

Habitat Restoration

Pocosin Lakes National Wildlife Refuge Water Management Plan

Bison and elk graze on a snow-patched field of grass

Wildlife Management

National Elk Refuge Seeks Public Input to Update Bison and Elk Management Plan

Pollinators transform a neighborhood in Hartford, Connecticut

Veteran in wheelchair catches fish

For Parents and Educators

Bringing Together Disabled Veterans for a Day on the Water

Northern pintail on a wetland

Wildlife Management

New Strategy to Inform Northern Pintail Hunting Regulations

Head and upper shoulder photo of a sika deer with 3 to 4 inches of newly budding antler growth, looking toward camera with mouth open, probably chewing food.

Taking Pride in a First-Time Hunt

Land Management

2024 Invasive white sweet clover survey on the Yukon River

A group of four people stand in a paved walkway next to a sign about endangered wildlife. They are surrounded by lush greenery. Two of the people have huge smiles on their faces. They appear to be chatting.

Hanalei National Wildlife Refuge Viewpoint Now Open

History and Culture

Honoring a conservation legacy

Image of group in front of cabin

History and Culture

USFWS History Committee Conducts Annual Meeting

Habitat Restoration

Why is there water in that lake?

Eastern kingbirds in flight

Get Outdoors at Carolina Sandhills National Wildlife Refuge

Migratory Species

I'm a fish (Gonna spawn till I die): an original song by the Fish and Wildlife Band

Dander print on a glass window that outlines a bird’s outstretched body

Wildlife Management

Art and Conservation