About Us

Guam National Wildlife Refuge is located on the island of Guam, an unincorporated U.S. Territory. Guam is the largest and southernmost island in the Mariana Archipelago, situated in the western Pacific Ocean, approximately 3,800 miles west of Honolulu and 1,500 miles south of Tokyo.

The Guam NWR is comprised of three units: the Andersen Air Force Base Overlay Unit (Air Force Overlay Unit), the Navy Overlay Unit, and the Ritidian Unit. The Ritidian Unit, known to the Native Chamorro (CHamoru) people as Puntan Litekyan, is located on the northern tip of Guam and encompasses approximately 1,217 acres, including 385 terrestrial acres and 832 acres of submerged areas offshore.

The Ritidian Unit was established in 1993, in response to the 1984 listing of six species as endangered, and was designated critical habitat in 2004 for three of these species: the Mariana fruit bat, the Guam Micronesian Kingfisher, and the Mariana crow. The Refuge is open Wednesday through Sunday from 7:30 am to 4:00 pm, except most federal holidays and during times in which the National Weather Service (NWS) has issued an advisory. Please check the NWS website here, to determine if the refuge will be closed due to life-threatening rip currents, hazardous surf conditions, typhoons, etc. Once all advisories have been lifted, the Ritidian Unit will resume normal operations.

Our Mission

The mission of the National Wildlife Refuge System is to administer a national network of lands and waters for the conservation, management and, where appropriate, restoration of the fish, wildlife and plant resources and their habitats within the United States for the benefit of present and future generations of Americans.

Our History

1993—Guam Refuge was established.

Other Facilities in this Complex

The Guam NWR is comprised of three units: the Andersen Air Force Base Overlay Unit (Air Force Overlay Unit), the Navy Overlay Unit, and the Ritidian Unit.