Features
Construction of Overwash Protection Berm
FOR PUBLIC COMMENT
A project to reduce the frequency and the extent of sea water inundation in the interior marshes of the McFaddin NWR.
More Info....
Enjoy, explore and learn
Fishing, hunting, wildlife watching and photography, all wildlife-dependent activities you can enjoy on McFaddin National Wildlife Refuge!
Get Outside!
Refuge Gallery
Images of McFaddin National Wildlife Refuge, home to an amazing diversity of wildlife and plants.
Take a look.
October through March
Listen for thousands of waterfowl feeding in the marsh. Ducks can number up to one 100,000 with a diversity of two dozen species.
Look and Listen...
Willow Slough
The refuge contains the largest freshwater marsh found in the State of Texas, Willow Slough.
Wildlife & Habitat
For centuries, the sandy beaches and dune system along the upper Texas coast have protected the interior wetlands and coastal prairies from salt water intrusion. Those dunes are rapidly eroding and the beach’s ridge line is exposed. This could mean a significant transformation for the refuge’s freshwater wetlands that have, for thousands of years, existed and thrived behind the protection of the dunes.
What's Happening...About the NWRS
The National Wildlife Refuge System, within the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, manages a national network of lands and waters set aside to conserve America’s fish, wildlife, and plants.
Learn more about the NWRS
The mottled duck is a southern species that spends its entire life cycle in coastal prairies and adjacent marshes and is entirely dependent on the coastal habitats along the Gulf of Mexico. The Upper Texas Gulf Coast has historically been the core of mottled duck habitat in Texas. Biologists at the McFaddin National Wildlife Refuge have been studying this species for many years.
Mottled Duck
The staff at the McFaddin National Wildlife Refuge focuses on protecting and enhancing this coastal landscape for the benefit of native plants and wildlife. Prescribed burning and controlling exotic and invasive plants are just a few of the management priorities. Learn more about how your National Wildlife Refuge is being managed.
Learn more
Blue Crab
Blue crab are bottom-dwellers and can be found in every type of habitat in the Gulf of Mexico -- from back bays and estuaries to the saltiest and deepest of waters, they thrive in the low tide line or at depths of 120 feet. Throughout the various stages of their lives, they are an important food source for many species, including humans.
Page Photo Credits — All photos courtesy of USFWS unless otherwise noted., Joseph Kennedy 2010: Mottled Duck Pair/ Joseph Kennedy
Last Updated: May 20, 2013