Visit Us
Teeming with wildlife and wild lands, Iroquois National Wildlife Refuge offers opportunities for visitors to experience nature in all seasons.
The refuge offers opportunities for wildlife observation, wildlife photography, environmental education and interpretation, hunting, and fishing. Other recreational activities on the refuge include hiking, biking, paddling, and cross country skiing or snow shoeing. Whether you are a hunter, birder, trapper, educator, recreational enthusiast, or just hoping to learn more about the natural world, the refuge has something for you.
Refuge trails, overlooks, fishing, hunting and trapping areas are open sunrise to sunset unless by Special Use Permit for special events.
Location and Contact Information
The Iroquois National Wildlife Refuge Visitor Center is open Tuesday-Saturday, 9:00am-4:00pm. The Refuge lands are open from sunrise to sunset.
- We are able to issue the following America The Beautiful passes: Annual Military, Lifetime Veterans, Access Pass, and 4th Grader Pass. Please call ahead and make an appointment to ensure there will be someone there who can issue a pass.
About Us
Iroquois National Wildlife Refuge was established in 1958 primarily as a nesting, resting, feeding, and staging area for migratory waterfowl. Our goals are to provide high quality freshwater wetland migration stopover and breeding habitat; maintain the health and integrity of Oak Orchard Creek as well as its associated floodplain and wetlands; provide a diverse mix of grassland, shrubland and forested upland habitats; provide high quality recreation, education, interpretive, hunting, and fishing programs; and to enhance partnerships with local communities and organizations.
What We Do
Wildlife conservation is at the heart of the National Wildlife Refuge System. It drives everything on U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service lands and waters managed within the Refuge System, from the purposes for which a national wildlife refuge national wildlife refuge
A national wildlife refuge is typically a contiguous area of land and water managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for the conservation and, where appropriate, restoration of fish, wildlife and plant resources and their habitats for the benefit of present and future generations of Americans.
Learn more about national wildlife refuge is established to the recreational activities offered to the resource management tools used. Using conservation best practices, the Refuge System manages Service lands and waters to help ensure the survival of native wildlife species.
Iroquois NWR is actively managed to provide the best possible habitat for the widest variety of wildlife. More than half of the refuge consists of wetlands, including marshes, shrub-scrub wetlands and forested wetlands. The remaining habitats are upland and include grasslands, shrublands and forests. Some of the habitat management tools we use include prescribed fire, water level manipulation, invasive species invasive species
An invasive species is any plant or animal that has spread or been introduced into a new area where they are, or could, cause harm to the environment, economy, or human, animal, or plant health. Their unwelcome presence can destroy ecosystems and cost millions of dollars.
Learn more about invasive species removal, and inventory and monitoring.
Our Organization
Iroquois National Wildlife Refuge is a part of the North Atlantic-Appalachian region and shares office space with the Lower Great Lakes Fish and Wildlife Conservation Office as well as the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation.
Our Species
The unique array of habitats throughout the refuge host a diversity of wildlife. Over 266 different species of birds, an estimated 29 species of reptiles and amphibians, 18 species of fish, 42 species of mammals mammals, and an abundance of invertebrates have been documented on the refuge. Many visitors come for a chance to see migratory neo-tropical birds, large flocks of waterfowl, or to catch a glimpse at the resident eagle nests and heron rookeries.
Our Library
Here is a comprehensive list of documents and links that pertain to the refuge if you cannot find what you're looking for on our other pages.
Get Involved
There are many ways to get involved at Iroquois National Wildlife Refuge. There are opportunities for youth employment through our Youth Conservation Corps Program, occasional internships, volunteering, and becoming involved with our Friends partner program.