The National Wildlife Refuge System is our first line of defense in protecting America’s wildlife. Totaling 150 million acres of protected land around the country and managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, national wildlife refuges protect habitat throughout the Gulf Coast region - from Texas to the tip of Florida. Thousands of brown pelicans raise their young on Breton NWR in Louisiana, endangered sea turtles nest at Bon Secour NWR in Alabama, and lazy manatees loaf in the warm springs of Chassohowitzka NWR in Florida.
Thousands of hard working USFWS staff from around the country have been deployed to the Gulf Coast to address the oil spill. See and hear the stories of dedicated Fish and Wildlife Service employees working tirelessly to protect wildlife in the Gulf of Mexico.