Coronavirus (COVID-19) Notice
Although most refuge lands and outdoor spaces have remained open for the public to enjoy, we encourage you to:
- Check local conditions on this website and call ahead for current information
- Follow current CDC safe practices by maintaining a safe distance between yourself and other groups
- Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds
- Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth
- Cover your mouth and nose when you cough or sneeze
- Most importantly, stay home if you feel sick
-
-
Swainson's Hawk
Swainson's have an unusual diet among raptors - they feed mostly on insects! Tragically, it is in decline because of pesticide use.
-
Bobcat
The bobcat is the most abundant wildcat in the United States. They are named for their "bobbed" tails. Their ears resemble the lynx.
-
North American porcupine
The porcupine is a rodent. The North American porcupine is the largest of all porcupines. A single animal may have 30,000 or more quills.
-
American badger
The badger prefers to stay in wide open areas with deep but dry soil. They burrow and dig in the ground.
Northern New Mexico Refuges Complex
Neighboring Refuge
The Mora River flows through the
center of this beautiful, scenic 4,224-acre refuge established in 2012. The Rio Mora
National Wildlife Refuge and Conservation Area, formerly the Wind River Ranch,
is a continuation of the vision of philanthropist Eugene V. Thaw and his wife
Clare E. Thaw who bought the Ranch in 1980 with the intent of protecting and
restoring the land as a representative piece of southwestern ecological
heritage. Inclusion of this important ranch and conservation area into the
refuge system, coupled with the newly established Sangre de Cristo Conservation
Area in Colorado, creates a wildlife corridor that will ensure protection and
restoration of the Mora River watershed and one of the great prairie grassland
landscapes of North America. The headquarters for Rio Mora are collocated with
Las Vegas and Maxwell National Wildlife Refuges.
Featured Stories
Roosevelt's Legacy
In 1903 President Theodore Roosevelt established the Pelican Island Bird Reservation, the first of 50 refuges he would create during his time in office and the roots of what is today known as the National Wildlife Refuge System. President Roosevelt's legacy is reflected at Rio Mora National Wildlife Refuge, where breathtaking landscape has been set aside and managed for the benefit of wildlife.
About 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
Page Photo Credits – All photos courtesy of USFWS unless otherwise noted., Rio Mora scenic view with buffalo herd in the foreground / USFWS, Swainson's hawk / Leann Wilkins, USFWS, Bobcat / Leann Wilkins, USFWS, North American porcupine / © Bennette Jenkins, American badger / © Bennette Jenkins, Dragonfly species on Agency uniform shirt / © Bret Beasley, USFWS, Rio Mora Ranch view / USFWS
Last Updated: Jun 24, 2020