Happy visitors enjoy snowshoeing at Des Lacs National Wildlife Refuge in North Dakota. Many refuges provide fun activities for visitors during the winter months. Be sure to check out your local refuge for upcoming events, and have a happy holiday season.

The Denver Post reports that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is proposing a land swap that will create a land bridge between Rocky Flats National Wildlife Refuge in Colorado and the mountains to the west.
From the Denver Post:

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service managers this morning said the plan to cross Colo. 93 at [...]

KRDO.com is reporting that Colorado Senators Mark Udall and Michael Bennet sent a letter to Director Dan Ashe of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service asking for a “meeting with stakeholders to explore potential solutions to conserving the refuge’s natural resources” at Baca National Wildlife Refuge.
Baca NWR, which is close to the Great Sand Dunes [...]

The Great Falls Tribune reports that at least 600 pronghorn antelope are “stacked up” in the Charles M. Russell National Wildlife Refuge in Montana, where they are unable to cross the swollen Missouri River to get back to their breeding grounds.

“The animals come to shore every day and look for opportunities to cross,” said [...]

The Jamestown Sun reports that about 10,000 white pelican nests now dot Chase Lake National Wildlife Refuge in North Dakota.

Last year the BP oil spill possibly affected parts of the pelicans’ winter habitat. But [Refuge Manager] Shook said he hasn’t seen any effects.
“I think we would have been concerned this year if the numbers were [...]

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is continuing to feud with the Lee Metcalf Refuge Friends group over the group’s ongoing effort to help the refuge in Montana.
Back in August 2010, this blog reported on the Service’s termination of the relationship between the government agency and the volunteer support group, which has donated numerous hours [...]

The National Bison Range in Montana was established in 1908, and is one of the oldest national wildlife refuges in the nation.
A large portion of the 18,500-acre Range consists of native Palouse prairie, along with forests, wetlands, and streams, providing a wide range of habitats for wildlife. Elk, deer, pronghorn, black bear, coyote and [...]

The Natural Resources Defense Council has joined the fight to prevent oil and gas drilling at Baca National Wildlife Refuge (read this blog’s January 10, 2011 update about the controversy).
In its recent environmental assessment, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service stated that, in their opinion, exploratory drilling on Baca NWR will not cause significant impacts [...]

On September 30, 2010, this blog reported on the decision by a U.S. District Court to rescind the 2008 Annual Funding Agreement with the Confederated Salish Kootenai (CSKT) Tribe and return management of the National Bison Range to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Both the Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER) and the Blue [...]

A little inspiration for all the environmental educators out there in our National Wildlife Refuge System. This was taken at the Upper Souris NWR 75th anniversary celebration in North Dakota. This cute little girl was playing the Migration Game and learning more about migratory birds and what she can do to protect them. A conservationist [...]

This blog has followed the ongoing controversy regarding the proposed oil drilling at Baca National Wildlife Refuge, which is close to the Great Sand Dunes National Park in Colorado.
As part of an agreement reached in 2010 between local environmental groups, Lexam Explorations, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the USFWS agreed to conduct a [...]

The Department of Interior has announced the creation of the Flint Hills Legacy Conservation Area in Kansas. This conservation unit will be a part of the National Wildlife Refuge System.
According to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service:

Today, less than 4 percent of the once-vast tallgrass prairie remains; nearly 80 percent of what remains, lies within [...]