Updates are posted here as new information is received. If the 'last-updated' timestamp is a few days old, it is because conditions have not changed since that time. Last updated 4/30/32026 3:00pm*
Temporarily Closed
Packer Unit Boat Launch (at Sacramento River NWR): due to a downed tree across the boat launch, visitors will not be able to launch boats into Packer Lake until staff are able to move or remove the downed tree.
All other refuges and refuge units are open.
Check out these seasonal recreation opportunities:
- Pool 2 Extension on the Sacramento NWR Auto Tour - open March 15-September 10
- Sacramento NWR Logan Creek Spring Trails - open February 15-June 30
- Sutter NWR Spring Trails - open February 15-June 30
*Before calling the refuge for updates, please review this section of our website or our social media pages. Any new information will be posted here and to our Facebook and Instagram promptly. Areas are subject to closure without notice. Please use extreme caution when driving the refuges, as flooding can occur without warning and road shoulders are soft and will not support your vehicle.
Did you find an injured or abandoned animal or bird?
The Refuge Complex does not rescue, rehabilitate or accept injured or orphaned animals.
Please visit California Department of Fish and Wildlife's Native Wildlife Rehabilitation webpage for what to do and frequently asked questions, noting the following (copied directly from CDFW's webpage):
- DO NOT intervene without proper guidance from a trained professional (i.e., capture, handle, confine, feed/water).
- DO NOT drop off wild animals at a location, unless instructed to do so.
Bald Eagle Nest - Sacramento NWR
Updated April 30, 2026: We have a sad update to share regarding the eaglets from the bald eagle nest along the auto tour route at Sacramento National Wildlife Refuge.Despite a promising start, both eaglets fell from the nest. One was found deceased, while the other was recovered alive, but in poor condition. The surviving eaglet was transported to a raptor rehabilitation facility in an effort to save it but did not survive.
This difficult moment serves as a reminder of the natural cycle of life. Nature can be both beautiful and harsh at the same time. While these eaglets were loved by many given their proximity to publicly accessible areas, multiple nesting bald eagle pairs continue to be supported across the refuges and wildlife management areas of the Sacramento National Wildlife Refuge Complex. We appreciate everyone’s care and support for bald eagles and their habitats.
Visit Us
Welcome to Steve Thompson North Central Valley Wildlife Management Area (including the Llano Seco Unit)!
This WMA is primarily composed of privately-owned properties under conservation easement conservation easement
A conservation easement is a voluntary legal agreement between a landowner and a government agency or qualified conservation organization that restricts the type and amount of development that may take place on a property in the future. Conservation easements aim to protect habitat for birds, fish and other wildlife by limiting residential, industrial or commercial development. Contracts may prohibit alteration of the natural topography, conversion of native grassland to cropland, drainage of wetland and establishment of game farms. Easement land remains in private ownership.
Learn more about conservation easement , but does have one Service-owned property that is open to the public: the Llano Seco Unit. Located about 10 miles southwest of the city of Chico in Butte County, the Llano Seco Unit offers a Visitor Area with a Restroom and Information Kiosk, Observation Deck, Observation Mound and a Trail.
There are LOTS of recreational opportunities across the Complex, including a Visitor Center, Auto Tours, trails, bicycling, photography, hunting and environmental education.
Steve Thompson North Central Valley Wildlife Management Area is one of the 5 National Wildlife Refuges and 3 Wildlife Management Areas that make up the Sacramento National Wildlife Refuge Complex:
- Sacramento NWR
- Delevan NWR
- Colusa NWR
- Sutter NWR
- Sacramento River NWR
- Llano Seco Unit (STNCV WMA)
- Butte Sink WMA
- Willow Creek-Lurline WMA
Use the table (below), the left menu (computer), or the top right hamburger menu (three lines on mobile device) to navigate to the information that's most helpful for you:
Check out our VISIT US! page = a one-stop place for all your visiting questions, including: | ||
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Location and Contact Information
About Us
TheSteve Thompson North Central Valley Wildlife Management Areais part of the Sacramento National Wildlife Refuge Complex. It is located across 11 counties in California's Sacramento Valley and San Joaquin Delta. It consists primarily of conservation easements on privately-owned wetlands, but also includes one 1,732 acre fee-title property known as theLlano Seco Unit .
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 Species
The Llano Seco Unit supports large populations of wintering waterfowl, as well as other species such as: bald eagle, mountain lion, bobcat, State-listed threatened greater sandhill cranes, Swainson's hawk, federally threatened giant garter snakes and valley elderberry longhorn beetle, federally endangered vernal pool tadpole shrimp and vernal pool fairy shrimp, and species of concern California linderiella and Ferris's milk-vetch.
Click on the link below to learn more about our Seasons of Wildlife, Wildlife Checklist, Wildlife Surveys, and Our Species....