Monitoring
The National Wildlife Refuge Visitor Survey

States

Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Guam, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Puerto Rico, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas

Subject

Recreation
Visitor services
Visitors
Wildlife refuges
Areas of inquiry for the national visitor survey include trip characteristics and planning, transportation and access, expenses, satisfaction and future visits, and demographics.
Image Details

The National Wildlife Refuge Visitor Survey (National Visitor Survey) is a continuous monitoring effort aimed at learning more about visitors to national wildlife refuges and their experiences on refuges. More than 20,000 visitors have responded to the voluntary survey, allowing the Service to better understand visitor demographics, satisfaction, trip characteristics and planning, spending, and how management or ecosystem changes might affect future recreation participation. This information helps us better meet the needs of visitors and understand how trends are changing over time. 

The National Visitor Survey provides information that is used to:

  • Inform decisions about managing recreation and improving access
  • Inform transportation and visitor services planning
  • Demonstrate the economic value that refuges provide to local communities
  • Develop strategic communications with current and future visitors
  • Inform infrastructure priorities, and ensure resources are protected while providing quality visitor experiences

  • Understand who is being excluded from access to nature-based recreation, including those from underserved or marginalized communities

Participating refuges are surveyed once every five years to understand change over time. The National Visitor Survey completed its first cycle in 2023 with 141 refuges participating. This information has been compiled into a national report (available here in February 2025), which provide results for the Refuge System as a whole.

In addition to providing valuable information on refuge visitors, the project employs 12-16 American Conservation Experience interns per year as survey recruiters. Interns travel across the country in teams, spending two weeks sampling at a refuge before moving to the next. Interns receive a stipend, housing, an education award, and Public Land Corps certification, which affords them a special hiring authority for positions in federal land management agencies like the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Individual Refuge Results

Results are also available at the refuge level.

 view refuge reports 

Programs

A bright blue sky obstructed by fluffy white clouds reflected off of a stream shot from inside a kayak
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service manages an unparalleled network of public lands and waters called the National Wildlife Refuge System. With more than 570 refuges spanning the country, this system protects iconic species and provides some of the best wildlife viewing opportunities on Earth.
Program
Washington,DC
A person stands near the top of a tall ladder in a remote area surrounded by trees and greenery.
The National Wildlife Refuge System coordinates an interdisciplinary science team to inform planning and management decisions for frontline managers. By integrating findings from numerous scientific fields — including wildlife biology, air quality and human dimensions — managers can better address...
Program

Partners