Features
A Desert Oasis
Wildlife thrives in this
environment where temperatures reach 120 degrees in the summer and the average
rainfall is two inches per year.
Learn
More
Enjoy, Explore, Learn!
Get outside and
explore Cibola National Wildlife Refuge, managed for the benefit of wildlife
and you.
Recreational
Opportunities
Ancestral Home
The Yuma Tribes of the
Colorado River farmed the river‘s floodplain, which flooded annually depositing
rich soils for crops.
About the Refuge
Where Wildlife Comes First
National Wildlife
Refuges are managed for wildlife and habitat and to ensure future generations
will always have wild places to explore!
If you
need to conduct business with the refuge or are planning to stop by the visitor
center, you are encouraged to call ahead and make an appointment. This time of
year finds us with fewer volunteers and a lot of the refuge staff are out in
the field. Scheduling an appointment in advance helps us provide you with the
best service.
Contact UsAbout 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
In 1903 President
Theodore Roosevelt established the Pelican Island Bird Reservation, the first of
53 federal reserves he would create during his time in office and the roots of
what is today known as the National Wildlife Refuge System. The 26th president
was a dedicated naturalist throughout his life and is considered by many to have
been the country’s “Conservationist President.”
The Refuge System
Desert Sidewinder
The sidewinder uses a
sidewinding movement to travel across the hot sand with only a small part of
its body touching at one time. Sidewinders use quick motions to wiggle into the
sand and bury themselves, leaving only their nostrils and eyes visible above
the sand. One way to know it is a sidewinder is by the shape of its head -- it
is triangular.
Page Photo Credits — All photos courtesy of USFWS unless otherwise noted., Mountain scape view / USFWS, Coyote / USFWS, Treelined path / Jenny and Oliver Davis ©, Farming refuge crops / USFWS, Informational sign at trail head / Jenny and Oliver Davis ©, Visitor Center entrance / Oliver Davis ©, President Theodore Roosevelt portrait / USFWS, Desert Sidewinder / Greg Risdahl - USFWS
Last Updated: Jul 07, 2015