Since 1903, the United States has established more than 580 National Wildlife Refuges, designating a diverse array of lands and waters as protected areas for plants and wildlife.
Matt Dirksen / iStockphoto / GettyA bison walks through the Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge in Colorado, with the Denver skyline visible in the background.Vicki Jauron / Babylon and Beyond Photography / GettySnow geese take flight in the Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge in New Mexico in winter.Matt McClain / The Washington Post / GettyWild ponies drink and graze in the Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge on December 18, 2018, in Accomack County, Virginia.Ian Shive / Planet Pix / ZUMA Wire / ReutersFish gather around coral in the lagoon surrounding Rose Atoll Marine National Monument and National Wildlife Refuge, the easternmost island of American Samoa.Kristine Sowl / ZUMA Wire / ReutersSteep mountains rise above the Joshua Green River Valley in Alaska’s Izembek National Wildlife Refuge. A group of tribal governments and environmental organizations filed several lawsuits this month against the Trump administration, trying to block recent actions that would allow a road to be built through the wildlife refuge.Aric Crabb / Staff / ZUMA Wire / ReutersAn adult harbor seal watches over a pup as they lay out along the Newark Slough in the Don Edwards San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge in Fremont, California.Bruce Bennett / GettyA black skimmer glides above the water in Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge in Florida on February 9, 2025.John Morrison / GettyA herd of elk grazes in the Charles M. Russell National Wildlife Refuge, on the Missouri River in northern Montana.Qian Weizhong / VCG / GettyBlackbirds fly over Cibola National Wildlife Refuge in Yuma, Arizona, on February 22, 2023.Ingrid Land / 500px / GettyA view of the Hanalei National Wildlife Refuge, on the island of Kauaʻi, HawaiiDavid Patte / Planet Pix / ZUMA Wire / ReutersGreen sea turtles come ashore to lay eggs in the Midway Atoll National Wildlife Refuge on Midway Atoll.Sylvain Cordier / Gamma-Rapho / GettyA polar bear walks across snow in Alaska’s Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.Laura Hedien / GettyA pod of orcas swims through Uganik Bay in Alaska’s Kodiak National Wildlife Refuge.Stan Honda / AFP / GettyA heron wades in shallow water in the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge in Titusville, Florida.Susan Stocker / South Florida Sun-Sentinel / Tribune News Service / GettyPhill and Elizabeth Frias walk along the Cypress Swamp Boardwalk in the Arthur R. Marshall Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge in Palm Beach County, Florida.VW Pics / Universal Images Group / GettyCanada geese swim in Lower Klamath Lake, with Mount Shasta in the distance, in California’s Lower Klamath National Wildlife Refuge.Tom Koerner / Planet Pix / ZUMA Wire / ReutersA coyote hides in reeds while hunting in Seedskadee National Wildlife Refuge in Sweetwater County, Wyoming.KenCanning / iStockphoto / GettyA snowy owl stands on a beach in Parker River National Wildlife Refuge on Plum Island in Massachusetts.James R. D. Scott / GettyA manatee swims through Three Sisters Springs in the Crystal River National Wildlife Refuge in Citrus County, Florida.Peter Pearsall / Planet Pix / ZUMA Wire / ReutersA tree swallow takes flight from a red-hot-poker bloom in the Oregon Coast National Wildlife Refuge Complex near Eugene, Oregon.Charlie Riedel / APA woman watches snow geese fly over Loess Bluffs National Wildlife Refuge in Mound City, Missouri.
Looking back at some of the most memorable events toward the end of 2025, including Gen Z protests in Nepal, Hurricane Melissa in the Caribbean, and much more.
Looking back at some of the most memorable events of mid-2025, including war in Gaza and Ukraine, a wildfire in the Grand Canyon, and much more Alan Taylor
Looking back at some of the most memorable events toward the end of 2025, including Gen Z protests in Nepal, Hurricane Melissa in the Caribbean, and much more.Alan Taylor
Editor, curator, and founder of bilingual platforms focused on cultural critique, legacy-building, and editorial transparency. Based in Spain, active across Europe and Southeast Asia.Championing editorial clarity, mythic publishing, and queer voice.
