This year National Wildlife Refuge Week will be observed during the week of October 11-18, 2025. If you have never visited a refuge before, this would be a great time to plan to go.
The National Wildlife Refuge System helps to protect wildlife, generate jobs, provide clean air and water, reduce flooding, educate children about nature and offer protected places to fish and hike and enjoy the outdoors. Every state has at least one national wildlife refuge, many within an hour’s drive of most major cities.
In 1964, Congress passed the Wilderness Act. The 1964 law created the National Wilderness Preservation System, which protects nearly 110 million acres of wilderness nationwide. Of those, 20 million are on refuge land. The wilderness is just that—wild land that is largely undeveloped and unmanaged—that can offer outstanding opportunities for wildlife observation, hiking, other non-motorized outdoor recreation, and solitude.
National Wildlife Refuge Week highlights the value of national wildlife refuges to wildlife and people alike and is a great time to get outdoors and explore your local refuge. It provides an ideal opportunity to discover the precious legacy that refuges represent for generations to come.
The National Wildlife Refuge System, managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, provides vital habitat for thousands of native species, including sandhill cranes, American alligators, bison, and sea turtles. National wildlife refuges offer outstanding recreation, too. Refuge Week is a perfect time to see why tens of millions of Americans visit refuges each year to enjoy fishing, hunting, hiking, and wildlife watching.
Wildlife refuges also add to Americans’ comfort and safety by curbing flood risk and wildfire damage, providing cleaner air and water, and supporting local communities. In carrying out the Refuge System’s wildlife conservation mission, under the National Wildlife Refuge System Improvement Act of 1997, wildlife refuges pump $3.2 billion per year into regional economies and support more than 41,000 jobs.
The Refuge System includes 570 national wildlife refuges and 38 wetland management districts covering 95 million acres of land. In Mississippi there are 14 national wildlife refuges.
National Wildlife Refuge Week is celebrated at refuges with festivals, educational programs, guided tours, and other events.
So find a refuge near you, mark your calendar, and go see what all the fuss is about.
