Is it getting cold where you are? There is still plenty of warm weather down at the Florida Keys National Wildlife Refuge Complex. The refuge is located in the lower Florida Keys and currently consists of approximately 9,200 acres of land that includes pine rockland forests, tropical hardwood hammocks, freshwater wetlands, salt marsh wetlands, and mangrove forests. These natural communities are critical habitat for hundreds of endemic and migratory species including 17 federally-listed species such as Key deer, lower Keys marsh rabbit, and silver rice rat.

Photo: Chad Anderson

The Bon Secour National Wildlife Refuge contains 7,000 acres of wildlife habitat for migratory birds, nesting sea turtles and the endangered Alabama beach mouse. The refuge was established by Congress in 1980 to preserve the coastal dune ecosystem, to protect threatened and endangered species, to provide compatible recreational opportunities, and to serve as a living laboratory for students and scientists.

Photo: USFWS 

From its thunderous ocean breakers crashing against rocky headlands and expansive sand beaches to its open grasslands, brushy hillsides, and forested ridges, Point Reyes National Seashore in Northern California offers visitors over 1500 species of plants and animals to discover. Home to several cultures over thousands of years, the Seashore preserves a tapestry of stories and interactions of people. Point Reyes awaits your exploration.

Photo: Nick Chill - National Park Service 

Located off the 1,100 miles of California coastline, the California Coastal National Monument comprises more than 20,000 small islands, rocks, exposed reefs, and pinnacles between Mexico and Oregon. The scenic qualities and critical habitat of this public resource are protected as part of the National Landscape Conservation System, administered by the Bureau of Land Management, U.S. Department of the Interior. Even though California coastline is one most popular scenic routes in the world, the offshore features will remain pristine and wild for future generations because of its special protection national monument. These rugged outposts provide a haven for animals and plants that are sensitive to human disturbance.

Photo: Bob Wick - Bureau of Land Management

Visit a place recreated each day by ocean wind and waves. Life on Assateague Island  has adapted to an existence on the move. Explore sandy beaches, salt marshes, maritime forests and coastal bays. Rest, relax, recreate and enjoy some time on the edge of the continent. 

Photo: National Park Service 

The Hawaiian Islands National Wildlife Refuge was established by President Theodore Roosevelt in 1909. It encompasses most of the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands, a chain of islands and atolls stretching 1,200 miles northwest of the island of Kaua‘i. The Refuge includes a rich, varied, and unique natural, cultural, and historic legacy. Small islands and islets provide critical breeding grounds and nesting sites for endangered, threatened, and rare species that forage on land and throughout the coral reef and shallow waters of the marine environment. On June 15, 2006, the Hawaiian Islands National Wildlife Refuge was overlain with a new designation as part of Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument.

In this photo, Great Frigatebirds and Red-Footed Boobies enjoy a beautiful day in the sun.

Photo: Sarah Youngren/USFWS