Updated May 29, 2024
ALERTS:
FOUND AN INJURED/ABANDONED ANIMAL?
The refuge does NOT rescue, rehabilitate or accept injured or orphaned animals. If you need assistance, please contact a licensed care facility near you:
- Chico, CA vicinity: Bidwell Wildlife Rehabilitation
- Sacramento, CA vicinity: Wildlife Care Association
- For a statewide list of care facilities, visit the CA Dept of Fish and Wildlife's Wildlife Rehabilitation Facilities webpage.
Visit Us
Sacramento National Wildlife Refuge is just one of the 5 National Wildlife Refuges and 3 Wildlife Management Areas that make up the Sacramento National Wildlife Refuge Complex. Sacramento NWR offers a wide variety of recreational activities for visitors. With a 6-mile driving tour, 2-mile walking trail, and programs like hunting and photography, there's something for everyone at the Sacramento NWR!
Find out more about Sacramento NWR by exploring the menu to the left (desktop) or hamburger menu top-right (handheld device), or click on PLAN YOUR VISIT find all the information you need to visit the Complex. Some quick links are also available below:
Visitor Center Auto ToursTrailsPhotographyBicycling
Environmental EducationHunting (Waterfowl)Hunting (River)
HoursPasses and PermitsRules and Policies
Location and Contact Information
About Us
The Sacramento National Wildlife Refuge is located about 70 miles north of the metropolitan area of Sacramento and 7 miles south of the town of Willows in Glenn and Colusa Counties. The refuge consists of 10,819 acres of wetlands, grasslands and riparian riparian
Definition of riparian habitat or riparian areas.
Learn more about riparian 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
Sacramento National Wildlife Refuge is best known for migratory waterfowl. Waterfowl are present September through April and numbers regularly peak at over 500,000 ducks and 250,000 geese. Sacramento NWR is an important wintering grounds for Tule Greater White-fronted Geese. The Sacramento National Wildlife Refuge Complex provides nearly 70,000 acres of wetland, grassland, and riparian riparian
Definition of riparian habitat or riparian areas.
Learn more about riparian habitats for a wide array of waterfowl, shorebirds, raptors, waterbirds, songbirds, reptiles, and mammals. The Complex currently supports nearly 300 species of birds.
Species and Habitats <-- Click here to learn more about our species and habitats!
Wildlife Checklist <-- Click here to view our Wildlife Checklist