The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's mission is, working with others, to conserve, protect and enhance fish, wildlife, and plants and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the American people.

Conserving Wildlife and Habitats
We work for you... by conserving the nature of America.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is the principal Federal agency for conserving, protecting, and enhancing fish, wildlife, plants, and their habitats for the continuing benefit of you, the American public. We manage the 93-million-acre National Wildlife Refuge System with more than 530 individual refuges, wetlands, and special management areas - to mark their 100th anniversary in 2003. We operate 66 national fish hatcheries, 64 fishery resource offices, and 78 ecological services field stations - local offices near to you, where we work to conserve natural resources. We enforce Federal wildlife protection laws, such as the Endangered Species Act. We manage migratory birds ... restore nationally significant fisheries ... conserve wetlands ... and help foreign governments with their conservation efforts.

Working with Others

We work for you ... by working with you to protect the nature of America! 

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service helps protect a healthy environment for fish and wildlife ... and for people. We encourage Americans to enjoy the outdoors. In all of our activities, “you” are part of the equation. Our national wildlife refuges provide hunting and fishing opportunities for millions of Americans ... and spectacular sites for the rapidly growing number of Americans who do their wildlife-watching with binoculars, camera, or sketch pad. Our world-famous “Duck Stamp” contest yields high-quality art for each year’s migratory bird hunting stamp – and many bucks for the ducks! Our landowner assistance programs and grants encourage people like you to maintain and conserve fish, wildlife, plants, and their habitats right there in your own hometowns. And we manage the nation’s Federal Aid programs for fish and wildlife, through which hunters and anglers pay to sustain their sports ... and a brighter future for America’s wildlife.

Educating for Conservation

We work for you ... by giving you practical tools for education about fish and wildlife! 

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service helps Americans learn about fish, wildlife, plants, and their habitats – because a public that’s educated about natural resource issues is an informed public. We have many ways in which to help – our new National Conservation Training Center in West Virginia is the Nation’s premier site for fish and wildlife conservation education, where people from government, industry, and non-profit groups all come for the latest in professional conservation training. Our national publications clearinghouse – and our publications units in our regional offices in seven of the Nation’s largest cities – can help you with specialized information about fish, wildlife, and plants. An even quicker source of practical information to answer your wildlife questions is our array of electronic Web sites ... where our most popular publications are posted and down-loadable by you – as are many hundreds of our most beautiful wildlife photographic images. Check out our links for information about fish and wildlife exhibits and training programs near you ... and kids, don’t forget to visit our special link, designed just for you.

Learning About Us

We work for you ... by encouraging you to become a part of America's conservation work! 

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is an interesting place to visit ... because what we do is such great work! Conservation of fish, wildlife, plants, and their habitats is very meaningful to us ... and, we hope, to you, too! We've provided a number of links to help you understand the work and organization of the Fish and Wildlife Service - our history, our mission, our locations, and our people. 

The Service's major responsibilities involve migratory birds, endangered species, certain marine mammals, and freshwater and anadromous fish - as well as people, of course. At the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, we work with others to conserve, protect and enhance fish, wildlife, and plants and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the American people. We invite you to explore the Fish and Wildlife Service, and we hope you will consider joining us as an employee or a volunteer.