The National Wildlife Refuge Association responds to the USFWS Refuge System Review, Rooted In Purpose, calling for stronger staffing and funding, science-based conservation, and continued support for the Urban Wildlife Conservation Program.

The National Wildlife Refuge Association honors Kathy Woodward with the Lifetime Refuge Friend Award for decades of leadership at Great Swamp National Wildlife Refuge, service to the Refuge Association, and dedication to mentoring others.

The National Wildlife Refuge Association presented its Theodore Roosevelt Lifetime Achievement Award to Cynthia Martinez, recognizing her extraordinary contributions to the National Wildlife Refuge System and her enduring legacy of conservation leadership. Martinez made history as the first woman to serve as Chief of the National Wildlife Refuge System and became the second-longest-serving Chief in the System’s history, following J. Clark Salyer.

The Refuge Association partnered with Dreyfoos School of the Arts students to plant 30 native plants, creating a new Pocket Refuge and wildlife habitat on their West Palm Beach campus.

The Refuge Association announces four 2026 National Wildlife Refuge Awards recipients whose work protects wildlife, restores habitat, and strengthens refuge communities.

Steve Huhnke is recognized for practical solutions to water management and habitat challenges, extensive restoration work, and leadership of the Klamath Basin maintenance crew.

Greg Sanderson shares his technical skills through electrical repairs, habitat projects, and wildlife cameras that help more people experience Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge.

Brian Benedict is honored for decades of work protecting seabird nesting islands, advancing conservation research, and building partnerships along Maine’s coast.

The Friends of the Wichitas are honored for sustained financial support, volunteer service, and programs that connect surrounding communities with Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge.

The National Wildlife Refuge Association today announced that Matthew Emmer has joined the organization as Refuge Friends & Advocacy Manager, bringing firsthand experience in Refuge Friends leadership, community engagement, advocacy and storytelling.

The National Wildlife Refuge Association presented its inaugural Lifetime Refuge Friend Award to Florence LaRiviere, honoring more than six decades of extraordinary leadership to protect the wetlands, wildlife, and open spaces of San Francisco Bay.

The National Wildlife Refuge Association mourns U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Federal Wildlife Officer David Taylor, 38, of Scio, Oregon, who is believed to have died while helping evacuate residents threatened by the Railroad South Fire in Comanche County, Oklahoma.

The National Wildlife Refuge Association has named Friends of Heinz Refuge the recipient of the 2026 O'Brien Prize for Refuge Friends. The $7,500 award will support the Friends' new Field to Fork Community Conservation Series, creating welcoming, hands-on opportunities for Philadelphia-area residents to connect with conservation, outdoor recreation and the John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge at Tinicum, America’s first urban national wildlife refuge.

The National Wildlife Refuge Association celebrates the designation of Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, recognizing one of the world's most extraordinary wetlands and affirming its global ecological and cultural significance.

The National Wildlife Refuge Association applauds House Committee on Natural Resources Chairman Bruce Westerman and Ranking Member Jared Huffman for introducing H.R. 9250, the Great American Outdoors Act 250, bipartisan legislation to reauthorize the Legacy Restoration Fund and continue critical investment in America’s public lands and waters, including national wildlife refuges.

As the nation marks its 250th anniversary year, the National Wildlife Refuge Association applauds the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for its continued work to provide more opportunities for the American people to experience the outdoors through hunting, fishing, and other wildlife-dependent recreation on national wildlife refuges.

The National Wildlife Refuge Association is optimistic about the House version of the BUILD America 250 Act and its inclusion of increased funding for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Wildlife Refuge System, a bipartisan surface transportation reauthorization proposal introduced this week.

The National Wildlife Refuge Association applauds the U.S. Department of Interior and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for their announcement of more than $67 million in federal funding for wetland conservation projects and the National Wildlife Refuge System. The announcement includes $44.79 million in North American Wetlands Conservation Act funding, matched by more than $88.98 million in partner funds for 16 projects across 16 states, along with more than $22.6 million from the Migratory Bird Conservation Fund to conserve 5,254 acres on 3 national wildlife refuges across 3 states.

The National Wildlife Refuge Association mourns the passing of former U.S. Secretary of the Department of the Interior Dirk Kempthorne, a dedicated public servant whose leadership helped advance the conservation and stewardship of America’s public lands and wildlife.