National Wildlife 

Refuge System

Coloring Book

U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service
The National Wildlife Refuge System Coloring Book was developed to introduce primary grade students 

to the Refuge System, which manages the world’s premier system of public lands and waters set aside to 

conserve America’s fish, wildlife and plants. The Refuge System has grown to more than 540 refuges with 

at least one in every state and one about an hour’s drive from most major metropolitan areas. 

To find a national wildlife refuge near you, go to www.fws.gov/refuges. 

Katie R. Schipp did the drawings in this coloring book when she was a student at the Art Institute of 

Washington, D.C. She says: “I’ve always loved animals and drawing so you will see there are animals in 

a lot of my drawings. I love cartooning the best and hope to continue doing it for years to come.” 
America’s national bird is the bald eagle.

Have you ever seen one?
Many eagles live on national wildlife refuges where they

find a habitat that is just right for them.
A habitat is where animals find everything they need to 

live — food, water, shelter and space. Trees and plants 

near your home provide habitat for birds and other animals.
Look carefully for signs of animals in the grass, bushes,

trees, ground or water in your neighborhood. What kinds

of animals, big and small, have found habitat in

your neighborhood?
Special places called national wildlife refuges have

different types of habitats. Each of these animals

has found a home on a national wildlife refuge

with everything it needs.
NATIONAL 

WILDLIFE 

REFUGE

U.S. Department of the Interior

Fish and Wildlife Service

This is the blue goose sign. You will see it when you 

visit national wildlife refuges. Look for this hidden 

sign on many of the next pages and keep track 

of how many you find.
www.fws.gov/refuges

Today, there are more than 540 national wildlife 

refuges in the United States. Circle the refuge 

closest to your home.
At national wildlife refuges, people work hard to make habitats 

even better for wildlife. They create wetlands or ponds, keep 

rivers clean, pull weeds and plant trees or special kinds of grass.

Constructing Artificial

Red-Cockated

Woodpecker Cavities

At national wildlife refuges, people work hard to make 

habitats even better for wildlife. They create wetlands 

or ponds, keep rivers clean, pull weeds and plant trees 

or special kinds of grass.

NATIONAL 

WILDLIFE 

REFUGE

U.S. Department of the Interior

Fish and Wildlife Service
President Theodore Roosevelt created the first national 

wildlife refuge more than 100 years ago. He chose 

Pelican Island in Florida as a safe place for big water 

birds like pelicans.
Four national wildlife refuges were created especially 

to be homes for eagles. Karl E. Mundt National 

Wildlife Refuge, which is in South Dakota, is a home 

for hundreds of eagles.
Bear Valley National Wildlife Refuge in Oregon provides 

nesting places and roosts for eagles. A roost is a place 

where birds sleep. Sometimes, 300 bald eagles are 

sleeping at this refuge at the same time.
Which animal do you think is protected at Crocodile Lake 

National Wildlife Refuge in Florida?
Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge in Oklahoma is a 

home for bison. These giant creatures need lots of 

space and lots of grass.
Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife Refuge on the 

Mississippi River gives these ducks a place to rest when 

they fly north for the summer or south for the winter.
The huge Desert National Wildlife Refuge in Nevada has 

six mountain ranges where desert big horn sheep live.
At Kilauea Point National Wildlife Refuge in Hawaii, there 

is a lighthouse that looks out over the ocean where you 

can see humpback whales.
Wetlands are lands covered in water most of the time. 

At Prime Hook National Wildlife Refuge in Delaware, 

267 kinds of birds live in the wetlands, including 

red-winged blackbirds.
The biggest national wildlife refuges are in Alaska. 

They are home to many animals such as moose, salmon 

and even polar bears.
Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge in 

New Mexico has a festival every fall when thousands 

of sandhill cranes and snow geese come back to 

stay for the winter.
Some animals at national wildlife refuges are harder 

to find. At Carolina Sandhills National Wildlife Refuge in 

South Carolina, red-cockaded woodpeckers hide way 

up in the pine trees where they look for insects to eat!
At Ohio River Islands National Wildlife Refuge in 

West Virginia, 40 kinds of mussels live silently 

on the bottom on the river.
What can you do when you see birds and other animals

at a national wildlife refuge? Watch how the birds and

animals live. Watch them watch you. Use this

space to draw a picture of wildlife you have seen.
Make a list of wildlife you have seen. Birdwatchers keep 

lists of all the birds they have seen in their whole lives. 

These are called life lists.
Snap a photograph. Some national wildlife refuges 

have little cabins called photo blinds. You don’t sleep 

in these cabins. You wait quietly to take pictures of 

animals when they come close to you.
Try to catch some fish at national wildlife refuges that 

allow fishing. If you do not plan to eat the fish, put it back 

in the water.
You can ride your bicycle at some national wildlife 

refuges or walk a trail to look for animals.

Be very quiet so you don’t scare the wildlife.
Many national wildlife refuges have visitor centers

where you can learn about wildlife and habitats.

At Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge in Ohio, you can

see what it is like inside a muskrat house.
Will you help protect wildlife? Remember not to throw

trash on the ground because animals might think it is

food. Put it in a trashcan or recycle.
In the spring, you can plant flower seeds for a butterfly

garden. Marigolds, zinnias and sunflowers are all beautiful 

flowers that butterflies like.
Maybe one day you will grow up to wear the United 

States Fish and Wildlife Service uniform and take 

care of animals at a national wildlife refuge with the 

blue goose.

When you grow up, come work for the U.S. Fish and 

Wildlife Service on a National Wildlife Refuge. 

You can help protect habitat for animals.
NATIONAL 

WILDLIFE 

REFUGE

U.S. Department of the Interior

Fish and Wildlife Service

How many blue goose signs 

did you find in this book?
Visit a national wildlife refuge near you. 

Find one in your state at: 

www.fws.gov/refuges

www.fws.gov/refuges

Mission of the National 

Wildlife Refuge System 

The mission of the 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.