It’s time to celebrate because it’s National Wildlife Refuge Week! Nationwide, we highlight and share the numerous wonders and significance of the National Wildlife Refuge System throughout the second full week of October annually. In celebration of Refuge Week, two major events have occurred further emphasizing the importance of national wildlife refuges: the Department of Interior marked two new locations as national wildlife refuges in Wyoming and Tennessee and the introduction of congressional resolutions designating the week of October 8th to 14th to be National Wildlife Refuge Week. How amazing! If you haven’t had a chance yet, the National Wildlife Refuge Association invites you to celebrate Refuge Week with us by downloading our toolkit and spreading the word about the Refuge System!
The National Wildlife Refuge System’s 569th and 570th units in Wyoming and Tennessee
Released Wyoming toad in water | Mindy Meade / USFWS
On October 10th, 2023, the Department of the Interior’s Secretary, Deb Haaland, gave the Toad Conservation Area in Wyoming and the Paint Rock River National Wildlife Refuge in Tennessee new acknowledgments under the National Wildlife Refuge System. With these two new additions, Wyoming’s and Tennessee’s NWRs give a grand total of 570 national wildlife refuges nationwide. These and other refuges continuously support wildlife conservation, observation, and human recreation activities such as fishing, hunting, hiking, and much more.
The Toad Conservation Area, located in the Laramie Plains of the Wyoming Basin, helps support one of the most endangered amphibians in North America: the Wyoming toad. Along with the Wyoming Toad, the Wyoming Toad Conservation Area also protects white-tailed prairie dogs, pronghorns, and migratory birds.
Bordering Tennessee and Alabama, the Paint Rock River watershed conserves numerous species of plants and animals above and underground. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) describes the Paint Rock River watershed’s environment as a combination of terrestrial, aquatic, and karst. With this one-of-a-kind environment type, this refuge harbors many threatened and endangered species, such as gray bats, Indiana bats, Tennessee cave salamanders, and Alabama cave shrimp. USFWS has recorded 100 types of fish and 50 types of freshwater mussels within the Paint Rock River watershed, in addition to these species that inhabit the area underneath the Earth’s surface.
The Walls of Jericho, atop the Paint Rock River valley in the new Paint Rock River National Wildlife Refuge, Tennessee | Dan Chapman / USFWS
Congressional Resolutions Designating National Wildlife Refuge Week
Senators Chris Coons (D-DE) and John Kennedy (R-LA) and Congressmen Mike Thompson (D-CA) and Robert Wittman (R-VA) introduced the Senate and House resolutions designating the week of October 8th to the 14th to be National Wildlife Refuge Week! These congressional resolutions emphasize the bipartisan support for the National Wildlife Refuge System and its values in conservation, recreation, and community.
We applaud Congress for recognizing the vital roles the National Wildlife Refuge System plays in the health of our natural world and ecosystems. The Refuge System is a conservation hub for various plant and animal species. It’s a center for nature to thrive without disruption and cultural resources to be appreciated for generations to come. It follows and supports the Endangered Species Act - which just marked its 50th year in action - by protecting and supporting the restoration of endangered species, like the Black-Footed Ferret species that came out of extinction only decades ago! It’s a climate-resilient and learning space for solving increasing environmental issues. It’s a space for recreational activities - fishing, hunting, and hiking - to be executed safely and mindfully. It’s an education unit for all ages to learn about wildlife protection, botany, the connections between humans and the environment, and much more.
Join the National Wildlife Refuge Association in continuing the celebration of these beautiful bodies of land and water by sharing your national wildlife refuge stories with us and letting others know about the National Wildlife Refuge System. Download our National Wildlife Refuge Week toolkit and give the many incredible national wildlife refuges a voice!