Skip to main content 

U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service

## Utility (Top) navigation

-  About Us   **Forward **Back-  About Us
-  Mission & Vision
-  Leadership
-  Our Organization
-  Our Facilities
-  Regions

-  Laws & Regulations   **Forward **Back-  Laws & Regulations
-  Laws, Agreements & Treaties
-  Hunting Regulations

-  Library   **Forward **Back-  Library
-  Categories
-  Collections

                          -   Home 
                          -   Services   **Forward **Back-   Services 
-   Duck Stamps   **Forward **Back-   Duck Stamps 
-   Buy a Duck Stamp or E-Stamp 
-   Buy a Junior Duck Stamp 

-   Fish Stocking 
-   Importing & Exporting 
-   Consultation & Technical Assistance   **Forward **Back-   Consultation & Technical Assistance 
-   ESA Section 7 Consultation 
-   Habitat Conservation Planning (HCPs) 
-   Candidate Conservation Agreements (CCA & CCAA) 
-   Safe Harbour Agreements (SHA) 
-   Conservation Banking 
-   Coastal Barrier Resources Act Project Consultation 
-   Coastal Barrier Resources System Property Documentation 

-   Financial Assistance 
-   Species Management 
-   Investigational New Animal Drugs (INADS) 
-   Permits 
-   Search All Services 
Duck StampsOne of the easiest ways that anyone can support bird habitat conservation is by buying duck stamps.
                          -   Species   **Forward **Back-   Species 
-   Explore Taxonomic Tree 
-   Find a Species 
Interest storyBats: “The Coolest Mammals on Earth”
                          -   Visit Us   **Forward **Back-   Visit Us 
-   Events 
-   Recreation Passes 
-   Outdoor Recreation 
-   Where to Hunt 
-   Where to Fish 
-   Our Locations 
Scenic DrivesTour routes of great scenic drives on National Wildlife Refuges.
                          -   Get Involved   **Forward **Back-   Get Involved 
-   Careers and Internships 
-   Volunteering 
-   Friends Partnerships 
-   Learning Opportunities 
-   Education Programs 
-   Events 
-   Partnerships   **Forward **Back-   Partnerships 
-   Partnership Categories 
-   Partner List 

VolunteerSearch for volunteer opportunities around the country
                          -   Newsroom   **Forward **Back-   Newsroom 
-   Press Releases 
-   Congressional Testimony 
-   Media Contacts 
Wild ThingsNews about wonderful wild things and places
                          -   Initiatives   **Forward **Back-   Initiatives 
-   Combating Wildlife Trafficking 
-   Director's Priorities 
-   Climate Change 
-   Hunting 
-   Fishing 
-   Invasive Species 
-   Pollinators 
-   Protecting Wildlife 
Climate ActionFWS is taking steps to mitigate climate impacts
                          -   I want to   **Forward **Back-  I Want To
-   Report Wildlife Crime 
-   Do Business with FWS 
-   Volunteer 
-   Find a Job or Internship 
-   Visit a Refuge 
-   Buy a Duck Stamp 
-   Apply for a Permit 
-   Find Funding 
-   Find Training 
Wild workSearch employment opportunities with USFWS

## Search

Search

                -  Services
                -  National Wildlife Refuge System GIS Data and Mapping Tools

# National Wildlife Refuge System GIS Data and Mapping Tools

The National Wildlife Refuge System provides a variety of geospatial web tools for researchers, cartographers, partners, recreational visitors and others who want to incorporate our authoritative data layers into their map products or spatial analyses. Each layer includes metadata describing its intended purpose and disclaimers.

## Data Layers

### Simplified National Realty Tracts

These boundaries are simplified from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service National Realty Tracts data layer containing polygons representing areas of land and water in which the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has a legal interest and/or administration responsibility. It is best used as a framework for use with other data layers in GIS and mapping applications. It is not intended to be used as a land survey or representation of land for legal conveyance or tax purposes.

Simplified National Realty Tracts

### National Realty Tracts

This data layer depicts land and water administered by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in North America, U.S. trust territories and possessions categorized by the type of legal interest the agency possesses or administers. It is best used as a framework for use with other data layers in GIS and mapping applications when the most detailed parcel information is needed. It is not intended to be used as a land survey or representation of land for legal conveyance or tax purposes.

National Realty Tracts

### National Realty Boundaries

These boundaries are merged tracts with interior boundaries dissolved and derived from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Simplified National Realty Tracts data layer. That layer contains polygons representing areas of land and water in which the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has a legal interest and/or administration responsibility. These areas represent the exterior boundary of land and water administered by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service with no differentiation for the level of legal interest or administration type. It is best used as a framework for use with other data layers in GIS and mapping applications when there is a need for the most simplified boundary data possible. It is not intended to be used as a land survey or representation of land for legal conveyance or tax purposes.

National Realty Boundaries

### National Wilderness Boundaries

This data layer depicts the Designated Wilderness and Proposed Wilderness Areas placed upon the land and water administered by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in North America, U.S. trust territories and possessions. It is best used with other data layers in GIS and mapping applications when there is a need for wilderness boundary data. It is not intended to be used as a land survey or representation of land for legal conveyance or tax purposes.

National Wilderness Boundaries

### National Acquisition Boundaries

This data layer depicts the external boundaries of land and water that are approved for acquisition by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in North America, U.S. trust territories and possessions. It is best used as a framework for use with other data layers in GIS and mapping applications when the need to see where the agency has approval to add land and water to the National Wildlife Refuge System. It is not intended to be used as a land survey or representation of land for legal conveyance or tax purposes.

National Acquisition Boundaries

### National Realty Centroids

This data layer depicts geometric center points of merged National Wildlife Refuge System land at each U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service station. It is best used with other data layers in GIS and mapping applications when there is a need for point data and official name labels for faster loading mapping applications. It is not intended to be used as the entrance to a station or the visitor center. Users are encouraged to consult the station’s webpage on www.fws.gov to obtain visitor information.

National Realty Centroids

### Marine Protected Areas

Provides a dataset of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) within U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service national wildlife refuges.

Marine Protected Areas

### Visitor Amenities

These data layers depict facilities, infrastructure and other physical assets on U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service lands.
                          - Trails
                          - Blinds
                          - Buildings
                          - Water resources inventory
                          - Gates and access
                          - Property points
                          - Fences
                          - Utilities

### Audience

### Related Resources & Information

## Library Collections

Public Lands and Waters

Working with others to conserve, protect and enhance fish, wildlife, plants and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the American people.

## Footer Menu - Employment

-  Careers & Internships
-  Contracting

## Footer Menu - Site Links

-  Leadership
-  Frequently Asked Questions
-  Contact FWS

## Footer Menu - Legal

-  Accessibility
-  Freedom of Information Act
-  Notices
-  Privacy Policy
-  Disclaimers
-  Information Quality
-  Vulnerability Disclosure Policy

## Footer Menu - External Links

-  DOI
-  USA.GOV

                    -  
                    -  
                    -  
                    -  
                    -  
                    -  

### You are exiting the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service website

You are being directed to 

We do not guarantee that the websites we link to comply with Section 508 (Accessibility Requirements) of the Rehabilitation Act. Links also do not constitute endorsement, recommendation, or favoring by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
I Understand. Take me there.