National Wildlife Refuge

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National Wildlife Refuge System
IUCN category IV (habitat/species management area)
Official logo
Location	United States
Area	859 million acres
Established	1903
Visitors	65 million (in FY 2022)
Governing body	U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

National Wildlife Refuge System (NWRS) is a system of protected areas of the United States managed by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), an agency within the Department of the Interior. The National Wildlife Refuge System is the system of public lands and waters set aside to conserve America's fish, wildlife, and plants. Since President Theodore Roosevelt designated Florida's Pelican Island National Wildlife Refuge as the first wildlife refuge in 1903, the system has grown to over 568 national wildlife refuges and 38 wetland management districts encompassing about 856,000,000 acres (3,464,109 km²).