About Us

A large mixed flock of waterfowl
Image Details

Established in 1980, Mathews Brake National Wildlife Refuge is one of nine refuges in the Theodore Roosevelt National Wildlife Refuge Complex. The refuge encompasses 2,418 acres in west-central Mississippi. The refuge’s primary habitat feature is Mathews Brake, the largest brake in Leflore County. Each winter the brake provides habitat for more than 30,000 ducks.

Our Mission

The primary purpose of Mathews Brake National Wildlife Refuge is to provide habitat for wintering and resident waterfowl.

Other Facilities in this Complex

Mathews Brake National Wildlife Refuge is one of nine refuges that make up the Theodore Roosevelt National Wildlife Refuge Complex. Each refuge in the complex plays vital role to conserving our nation's resources.  A National Wildlife Refuge Complex is an administrative grouping of two or more Refuges, wildlife management areas or other Refuge conservation areas that are primarily managed from a central office location.  Refuges are grouped into a complex structure structure
Something temporarily or permanently constructed, built, or placed; and constructed of natural or manufactured parts including, but not limited to, a building, shed, cabin, porch, bridge, walkway, stair steps, sign, landing, platform, dock, rack, fence, telecommunication device, antennae, fish cleaning table, satellite dish/mount, or well head.

Learn more about structure because they occur in a similar ecological region, such as a watershed or specific habitat type, and have a related purpose and management needs.  Typically, a Project Leader oversees the general management of all Refuges within the complex and Refuge Managers are responsible for operations at specific Refuges. Supporting staff, composed of administrative, law enforcement, Refuge manager, biological, fire, visitor services, and maintenance professionals, are centrally located and support all Refuges within the complex.

Checkout the list below of the other Refuges within the Complex, and visit each one for new and different experiences!

A pair of ducks preen in water among grasses.
Bayou Cocodrie National Wildlife Refuge
Bayou Cocodrie National Wildlife Refuge was established in 1990 to conserve some of the last remaining, least disturbed and largest stands of bottomland hardwoods in the Lower Mississippi Valley. The refuge offers a variety of ecological niches for wildlife. It harbors more than 150 species of...
National Wildlife Refuge
Ferriday,LA
Several wading roseate spoonbills
Hillside National Wildlife Refuge
Hillside National Wildlife Refuge was established in 1975 via the Fish and Wildlife Coordination Act for the conservation, maintenance and management of wildlife resources.
National Wildlife Refuge
Lexington,MS
A wildlife biologist holding four small bear cubs in his arms
Holt Collier National Wildlife Refuge
Named in honor of an African-American hunting guide who led President Theodore Roosevelt on famous Mississippi and Louisiana bear-hunting trips, Holt Collier National Wildlife Refuge was established in 2004.
National Wildlife Refuge
Hollandale,MS
Group of mallards take flight over open wetland.
Morgan Brake National Wildlife Refuge
Morgan Brake National Wildlife Refuge was established “to contribute to the perpetuation of the migratory waterfowl resource in the lower Mississippi River Delta” and for the conservation, maintenance and management of the wildlife resource and its habitat.
National Wildlife Refuge
Cruger,MS
A thin orange band glows above a flat body of water, with some tall trees in the background.
St. Catherine Creek National Wildlife Refuge
St. Catherine Creek National Wildlife Refuge, established in 1990, provides an important wintering habitat for migratory waterfowl and seasonal habitat for other migratory birds
National Wildlife Refuge
Natchez,MS
Theodore Roosevelt Visitor Center
Theodore Roosevelt National Wildlife Refuge
Theodore Roosevelt National Wildlife Refuge is the only national wildlife refuge named for a president, and no president has left a greater conservation legacy than President Theodore Roosevelt.
National Wildlife Refuge
Hollandale,MS
Head of an alligator in the brush, mouth slightly open
Yazoo National Wildlife Refuge
Located in the heart of Mississippi’s Delta Region 25 miles south of Greenville, and five air miles east of the Mississippi River in Washington County, Yazoo National Wildlife Refuge is the oldest national wildlife refuge in the state of Mississippi.
National Wildlife Refuge
Hollandale,MS