Rhode Island National Wildlife Refuge Complex

Rhode Island National Wildlife Refuge Complex is a National Wildlife Refuge complex in the state of Rhode Island. Its headquarters is in Charlestown, Rhode Island. Dotted along the Rhode Island’s Atlantic coastline, the five refuges that make up the complex (Ninigret, Trustom Pond, John H. Chafee at Petaquamscutt Cove, Block Island and Sachuest Point) offer a wide variety of natural settings.

History and Wildlife

All National Wildlife Refuges were established to conserve habitat for wildlife, but Rhode Island’s five refuges were established specifically for migratory birds. Over 400 species of songbirds, shorebirds, waterfowl, and raptors use the refuges to rest and feed during spring and fall migrations. Year-round resident birds, as well as seasonal visitors such as the federally threatened piping plover, nest in the shelter of the refuges.

Birds are not the only attraction of Rhode Island’s refuges. Uplands, lowlands, and coastal environments provide a home for many species of animals and offer any outdoor enthusiast a richness of plant life to explore. These protected lands are critical as increasing development enroaches on local, natural spaces.

Refuges within the complex

References

Complex website

This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the United States Fish and Wildlife Service.

Protected areas of Rhode Island

Federal	Blackstone River Valley National Historical Park Block Island National Wildlife Refuge Chafee National Wildlife Refuge Narragansett Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve Ninigret National Wildlife Refuge Sachuest Point National Wildlife Refuge Touro Synagogue National Historic Site Trustom Pond National Wildlife Refuge Roger Williams National Memorial

State Parks	Arcadia Beavertail Blackstone River Bikeway Brenton Point Burlingame Colt East Bay Bike Path Fishermen's Memorial Fort Adams Fort Wetherill George Washington Goddard Memorial Haines Memorial Lincoln Woods Pulaski Snake Den World War II Memorial

State Beaches	Charlestown Breachway East Beach East Matunuck Fort Adams Goddard Memorial Misquamicut Roger Wheeler Salty Brine Scarborough

State Forests	Lincoln Woods George Washington Memorial Wickaboxet

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