The Delevan National Wildlife Refuge is one of six refuges in the

Sacramento National Wildlife Refuge Complex The Sacramento National Wildlife Refuge Complex is part of the United States system of National Wildlife Refuges (NWR). It is located in northern California, in the valley of the Sacramento River. The Sacramento NWR Complex was created in an att ...

in the Sacramento Valley of central northern

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...

.FWS.gov: Delevan National Wildlife Refuge profile
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Geography

The refuge is located in

Colusa County, California Colusa County () is a county located in the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 census, the population was 21,839. The county seat is Colusa. It is in the North Valley of California, northwest of the state capital, Sacramento. History ...

, approximately north of

Sacramento ) , image_map = Sacramento County California Incorporated and Unincorporated areas Sacramento Highlighted.svg , mapsize = 250x200px , map_caption = Location within Sacramento ...

. The nature reserve consists of over of intensively managed

wetland A wetland is a distinct ecosystem that is flooded or saturated by water, either permanently (for years or decades) or seasonally (for weeks or months). Flooding results in oxygen-free (anoxic) processes prevailing, especially in the soils. The p ...

s and of uplands. An estimated 1,000 visitors observe wildlife from a primitive roadside

overlook A scenic viewpoint – also called an observation point, viewpoint, viewing point, vista point, lookout, scenic overlook,These terms are more commonly used in North America. etc. – is an elevated location where people can view scenery (often ...

along the Maxwell-Colusa Highway each year. Approximately 7,000 people hunt on the refuge each year.

Natural history

More than 200,000

duck Duck is the common name for numerous species of waterfowl in the family Anatidae. Ducks are generally smaller and shorter-necked than swans and geese, which are members of the same family. Divided among several subfamilies, they are a form ...

s and 100,000

geese A goose ( : geese) is a bird of any of several waterfowl species in the family Anatidae. This group comprises the genera '' Anser'' (the grey geese and white geese) and ''Branta'' (the black geese). Some other birds, mostly related to the she ...

come to the refuge each winter. With 95 percent of the wetlands of the Central Valley lost over the last 100 years, waterfowl have become increasingly dependent upon the refuges of the Sacramento Valley section. The refuge supports several endangered plants and animals:

giant garter snake The giant garter snake (''Thamnophis gigas'') is the largest species of garter snake. Relatively rare, it is a semi-aquatic snake with a limited distribution in the wetlands of central California. Description The giant garter snake is the larges ...

, wintering peregrine falcon and bald eagle, breeding

tricolored blackbird The tricolored blackbird (''Agelaius tricolor'') is a passerine bird of the family Icteridae. Its range is limited to the coastal areas of the Pacific Ocean, Pacific coast of North America, from Northern California in the U.S. (with occasional st ...

, and a large colony of the endangered palmate-bracted bird's beak (''Cordylanthus palmatus'') plant. Resident wildlife include grebe, heron, blackbird, beaver, muskrat, black tailed deer and other species typical of upland and wetland habitats.

References

External links

FWS.gov: official Delevan National Wildlife Refuge website
{{authority control National Wildlife Refuges in California Wetlands of California Protected areas of Colusa County, California Landforms of Colusa County, California Natural history of Colusa County, California