U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service Toggle navigationUtility (Top) navigationAbout Us ForwardBackAbout UsMission & VisionLeadershipOur OrganizationOur FacilitiesRegionsLaws & Regulations ForwardBackLaws & RegulationsLaws, Agreements & TreatiesHunting RegulationsLibrary ForwardBackLibraryCategoriesCollectionsHomeServices ForwardBackServicesDuck Stamps ForwardBackDuck StampsBuy a Duck Stamp or E-StampBuy a Junior Duck StampFish StockingImporting & ExportingConsultation & Technical Assistance ForwardBackConsultation & Technical AssistanceESA Section 7 ConsultationHabitat Conservation Planning (HCPs)Candidate Conservation Agreements (CCA & CCAA)Safe Harbour Agreements (SHA)Conservation BankingCoastal Barrier Resources Act Project ConsultationCoastal Barrier Resources System Property DocumentationFinancial AssistanceSpecies ManagementInvestigational New Animal Drugs (INADS)PermitsSearch All ServicesDuck Stamps One of the easiest ways that anyone can support bird habitat conservation is by buying duck stamps.Species ForwardBackSpeciesExplore Taxonomic TreeFind a SpeciesInterest story Bats: “The Coolest Mammals on Earth”Visit Us ForwardBackVisit UsEventsRecreation PassesOutdoor RecreationWhere to HuntWhere to FishOur LocationsScenic Drives Tour routes of great scenic drives on National Wildlife Refuges.Get Involved ForwardBackGet InvolvedCareers and InternshipsVolunteeringFriends PartnershipsLearning OpportunitiesEducation ProgramsEventsPartnerships ForwardBackPartnershipsPartnership CategoriesPartner ListVolunteer Search for volunteer opportunities around the countryNewsroom ForwardBackNewsroomPress ReleasesCongressional TestimonyMedia ContactsWild Things News about wonderful wild things and placesInitiatives ForwardBackInitiativesCombating Wildlife TraffickingDirector's PrioritiesClimate ChangeHuntingFishingInvasive SpeciesPollinatorsProtecting WildlifeClimate Action FWS is taking steps to mitigate climate impactsI want to ForwardBackI Want ToReport Wildlife CrimeDo Business with FWSVolunteerFind a Job or InternshipVisit a RefugeBuy a Duck StampApply for a PermitFind FundingFind TrainingWild work Search employment opportunities with USFWSSearchSearchSearchEnter the terms you wish to search for. × Recreate ResponsiblyAn illustration of a great blue heron with a curved neck on top of a blue backgroundImage Details
 #RecreateResponsiblyNational wildlife refuges have become popular “close-to-home” destinations to enjoy outdoor recreation. We need your help to ensure the safety of our visitors — both human and wild.Not sure how to #RecreateResponsibly to keep all safe? Here are a few ways you can be like wildlife to ensure safety for everyone.An illustration of a brown and grey butterfly perched on a purple, conical flowerImage Details**Explore Locally**This is a frosted elfin. It doesn’t migrate. It spends its entire life in one area. Be like this butterfly and EXPLORE LOCALLY. Except don’t feed on the flowers. That would be weird.With national wildlife refuges within an hour’s drive of most cities and towns, you can limit your long-distance travel. Find a Refuge near you.A brown and grey shorebird with black beak and narrow orange legsImage Details**Know Before You Go**This is an upland sandpiper. It takes the same migration route each year, flying 6,000 miles. Be like a sandpiper and KNOW BEFORE YOU GO. Except leave the skydiving to the birds.Check the website and social media of the wildlife refuge you would like to visit. If the refuge is closed, don’t go. If it’s crowded, have a backup plan.A black and grey wading bird with a long curved neck and sharp orange beakImage Details**Keep Your Distance**This a great blue heron. Herons fish apart from one another. Be like a great blue heron and KEEP YOUR DISTANCE. Maybe don’t stab your food with your mouth. That would be rude.While on a trail, fishing or even in a parking lot, be polite. Give other visitors their space. While observing wildlife, give animals their space for your safety and theirs.A large brownish black mammal with large antlers and a brown beard.Image Details**Know Your Limits**This is a moose. Moose are big and strong — but can’t handle the heat. Be like a moose and KNOW YOUR LIMITS. And maybe don’t bellow for a mate.A large brown and black bird with a fleshy colored faceImage Details**Keep It With You**This is a vulture. Vultures leave no trace after a meal. Be like a vulture and KEEP IT WITH YOU. And don’t hunch.Take everything home, including trash. Trash pickup and restroom facilities may be limited in many areas.A fluffy, light brown mammal floating it's back in the waterImage Details**Practice Good Personal Hygiene**This is a sea otter. Sea otters love to groom themselves. They can spend almost half the day cleaning their fur. Be like a sea otter and PRACTICE GOOD PERSONAL HYGIENE.Just don’t store food in your armpits. Yeah, they do that.Two rainbows tint a sand-blow sky in a dry environment covered in sparse shrubsImage Details**Build an Inclusive Outdoors**This is Seedskadee National Wildlife Refugein Wyoming. It is a thriving place for a diversity of plant and animal life. Be like 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. Take an active part in making the outdoors safe and welcoming for people of all backgrounds and abilities.Pledge to #RecreateResponsibly on national wildlife refuges.Story TagsBirdwatchingFishingHuntingRecreationSafetyWildlife refugesRecreational ActivitiesWildlife watchingPhotographyBirdingHuntingFishingBeach combingBikingHikingRunningTrappingRecreationFacilitiesBear Lake National Wildlife RefugeFranz Lake National Wildlife RefugeNestucca Bay National Wildlife RefugeOxford Slough Waterfowl Production AreaPierce National Wildlife RefugeRidgefield National Wildlife RefugeSteigerwald Lake National Wildlife RefugeRelated StoriesMore than a dozen pink wading birds standing in shallow blue waterWildlife WondersHow Best to Enjoy a Wildlife RefugeOct 30, 2023Two small mostly white birds with black eyes walk on a sandy beachWildlife WondersThe Beach, Wildlife and YouJun 27, 2022Aerial view of a small island with sand and green vegetation on it, surrounded by deep blue waterGet InvolvedA Beginner’s Guide to the National Wildlife Refuge SystemJan 13, 2023Latest Stories2 Canada geese, which are large birds with black heads with a white section below their eyes, a brown backside and black-tipped white tail, are swimming close to each other. One goose is closer to the camera, and one is further away. The goose that is further away has its head above the goose that is closer as if it is resting its head on the other.Wildlife Wonders(Canada) Goosin’ Around in MinnesotaApr 16, 2024Table of fossilsSecond Year Fossil ID Workshop Another SuccessApr 16, 2024Large black bear sits in the roadCurrent Road Conditions at Alligator River National Wildlife RefugeApr 16, 2024 PaginationPrevious pageCurrent page1Page2Page3Page4Page5Page6Page7Page8Page9Next page
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