Press Release
Happy Birthday, National Wildlife Refuge System!
March 2016
March 14, 2016 marks the 113th birthday of the National Wildlife Refuge System. From a humble beginning in 1903 when President Theodore Roosevelt set aside tiny Pelican Island along Florida’s central Atlantic coast arose the world’s premier network of lands and water dedicated to the conservation of wildlife. Today, America’s National Wildlife Refuge System consists of over 560 national wildlife refuges encompassing 150 million acres. Refuges are for people too. Each year millions of visitors spend time on Refuges enjoying wildlife, hiking, taking photos, hunting, fishing, or simply spending time outdoors.
