Celebrate America’s great outdoors with a visit to a national wildlife refuge national wildlife refuge
A national wildlife refuge is typically a contiguous area of land and water managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for the conservation and, where appropriate, restoration of fish, wildlife and plant resources and their habitats for the benefit of present and future generations of Americans.
Learn more about national wildlife refuge during National Wildlife Refuge Week, October 9-15. You will see for yourself that refuges conserve some of our nation’s most cherished natural treasures: wildlife and wild places.
“National wildlife refuges play a critical role in preserving America’s rich wildlife legacy,” says U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Director Dan Ashe. “They also have an important role in human communities. By providing healthy habitats for wildlife, refuges improve water quality, relieve flooding, improve soil quality and help trap greenhouse gases that contribute to climate change climate change
Climate change includes both global warming driven by human-induced emissions of greenhouse gases and the resulting large-scale shifts in weather patterns. Though there have been previous periods of climatic change, since the mid-20th century humans have had an unprecedented impact on Earth's climate system and caused change on a global scale.
Learn more about climate change . And in the urban, fast-paced world in which many of us live, refuges offer places that can soothe the body and soul.”
One Refuge Week event that celebrates urban greenways is the Detroit River International Wildlife Refuge Bike and Hike event that celebrates the new greenway trail linking Humbug Marsh to Lake Erie Metropark. Join Refuge staff, volunteers and partners on Saturday, Oct. 15 from 9:00 a.m to 2:00 p.m. for this family-friendly bike and hike event. For more information, visit
