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List of largest National Wildlife Refuges facts for kids

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Imagine huge, protected areas where wild animals can live safely! These places are called National Wildlife Refuges. The United States has many of them. They are special because they help protect different kinds of animals and their homes. This article shows you a list of the biggest wildlife refuges in the U.S. All of these amazing places are larger than 50,000 acres (about 200 square kilometers). Did you know that the eleven largest ones are all found in Alaska? The information here is from September 30, 2007.

America's Largest Wildlife Refuges

National Wildlife Refuges are managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Their main goal is to protect wildlife and their habitats. This means they look after the land and water where animals live. These refuges are important for many reasons. They help keep different animal species from disappearing. They also provide places for people to learn about nature. Sometimes, you can even visit them for activities like birdwatching or hiking.

Where Are the Biggest Refuges?

It might not be a surprise that the biggest wildlife refuges are in Alaska. Alaska is a huge state with lots of wild, untouched land. This makes it perfect for creating very large protected areas. These Alaskan refuges are home to amazing animals. You can find bears, moose, caribou, and many kinds of birds there. They need vast spaces to roam and find food.

Below is a list of the largest National Wildlife Refuges. It includes their names, the state they are in, and how big they are. The size includes both land and water areas.

Name State(s) Acreage Area: km²
Arctic National Wildlife Refuge Alaska 19,286,482.30 78,049.62
Yukon Delta National Wildlife Refuge Alaska 19,162,416.50 77,547.55
Yukon Flats National Wildlife Refuge Alaska 8,634,511.57 34,942.63
Togiak National Wildlife Refuge Alaska 4,102,537.38 16,602.38
Innoko National Wildlife Refuge Alaska 3,850,481.05 15,582.34
Alaska Peninsula National Wildlife Refuge Alaska 3,563,489.83 14,420.93
Koyukuk National Wildlife Refuge Alaska 3,550,160.50 14,366.99
Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge Alaska 3,417,756.91 13,831.17
Selawik National Wildlife Refuge Alaska 2,150,161.99 8,701.40
Kodiak National Wildlife Refuge Alaska 1,990,418.11 8,054.94
Kenai National Wildlife Refuge Alaska 1,912,425.40 7,739.31
Desert National Wildlife Refuge Nevada 1,615,313.49 6,536.94
Nowitna National Wildlife Refuge Alaska 1,560,000.00 6,313.10
Kanuti National Wildlife Refuge Alaska 1,430,160.17 5,787.65
Becharof National Wildlife Refuge Alaska 1,200,059.57 4,856.47
Charles M. Russell National Wildlife Refuge Montana 915,294.22 3,704.06
Cabeza Prieta National Wildlife Refuge Arizona 860,041.32 3,480.46
Tetlin National Wildlife Refuge Alaska 700,058.54 2,833.04
Kofa National Wildlife Refuge Arizona 666,561.26 2,697.48
Sheldon National Wildlife Refuge Nevada / Oregon 573,503.63 2,320.89
Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge Georgia / Florida 401,908.38 1,626.47
Izembek National Wildlife Refuge Alaska 311,075.78 1,258.88
Hart Mountain National Antelope Refuge Oregon 270,003.58 1,092.67
Hawaiian Islands National Wildlife Refuge Hawaii 254,418.10 1,029.59
Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge New Mexico 229,673.57 929.46
Key West National Wildlife Refuge Florida 208,308.17 842.99
Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife and Fish Refuge Wisconsin / Iowa / Minnesota / Illinois 208,143.53 842.33
Hanford Reach National Monument Washington 195,719.00 702.05
Malheur National Wildlife Refuge Oregon 187,126.94 757.28
White River National Wildlife Refuge Arkansas 158,976.07 643.35
Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge North Carolina 153,017.15 619.24
Arthur R. Marshall Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge Florida 143,953.77 582.56
Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge Florida 139,189.40 563.28
Sabine National Wildlife Refuge Louisiana 125,790.08 509.05
Great White Heron National Wildlife Refuge Florida 117,720.63 476.40
Buenos Aires National Wildlife Refuge Arizona 117,107.16 473.92
Aransas National Wildlife Refuge Texas 114,657.05 464.00
Great Dismal Swamp National Wildlife Refuge Virginia / North Carolina 111,202.81 450.02
Pocosin Lakes National Wildlife Refuge North Carolina 110,106.64 445.59
Seney National Wildlife Refuge Michigan 95,244.81 385.44
Lower Rio Grande Valley National Wildlife Refuge Texas 90,441.09 366.00
Grasslands Wildlife Management Area California 89,012.27 360.22
Laguna Atascosa National Wildlife Refuge Texas 88,388.69 357.70
Stillwater National Wildlife Refuge Nevada 87,271.26 353.17
National Key Deer Refuge Florida 84,824.28 343.27
Baca National Wildlife Refuge Colorado 78,696.65 318.47
Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge Utah 73,996.41 299.45
Tensas River National Wildlife Refuge Louisiana 73,169.36 296.11
Valentine National Wildlife Refuge Nebraska 73,098.09 295.82
Saint Marks National Wildlife Refuge Florida 69,196.75 280.03
Cape Romain National Wildlife Refuge South Carolina 66,287.18 268.25
Cache River National Wildlife Refuge Arkansas 66,164.82 267.76
Red Rock Lakes National Wildlife Refuge Montana 65,810.25 266.32
Felsenthal National Wildlife Refuge Arkansas 64,902.14 262.65
Agassiz National Wildlife Refuge Minnesota 61,500.93 248.89
J. Clark Salyer National Wildlife Refuge North Dakota 59,376.40 240.29
Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge Oklahoma 59,019.60 238.84
McFaddin National Wildlife Refuge Texas 58,861.43 238.20
San Andres National Wildlife Refuge New Mexico 57,215.48 231.54
Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge New Mexico 57,191.10 231.44
UL Bend National Wildlife Refuge Montana 56,049.56 226.82
Tennessee National Wildlife Refuge Tennessee 51,359.46 207.84
Lower Suwannee National Wildlife Refuge Florida 51,030.32 206.51
Big Oaks National Wildlife Refuge Indiana 51,000.00 206.39
Lower Klamath National Wildlife Refuge California / Oregon 50,912.68 206.04
Mattamuskeet National Wildlife Refuge North Carolina 50,173.93 203.05

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List of largest National Wildlife Refuges Facts for Kids. Kiddle Encyclopedia.