Imperial National Wildlife Refuge

08/02/2025

Public Safety Notice 🚨Due to the recent fire and collapse of the Oxbow Bridge, a significant amount of debris is now floating downstream toward our area.
Boaters and those planning on enjoying the river or lake are urged to use extra caution, as floating debris may pose a hazard to navigation and safety.
Please stay alert, and report any large or dangerous debris to public safety authorities. Stay safe.

02/12/2025

No pressure, but will you be our valentine?

Imperial National Wildlife Refuge was established on February 14th, 1941 and protects 25,768 acres of wildlife habitat on the Colorado River. Happy 84th birthday to us!!

11/18/2024

Come work with us 🔥

10/08/2024

Please be advised, starting this Wednesday (10/9/2024) our partner's at the Bureau of Reclamation will be doing some clearing of vegetation near the river gauge off the main river channel. For more information please visit our partner's website https://www.usbr.gov/lc/yuma/

08/30/2024

Meer’s Point Boat Ramp will remain closed in anticipation of low water levels this weekend. We apologize for the inconvenience. To see the dam release schedule, please visit the U.S Bureau of Reclamations website linked here

Bureau of Reclamation, Lower Colorado Region.

08/20/2024

The many faces of Digger

06/03/2024

Update: Meer’s Point is now open. The unpaved portion of Red Cloud Mine Road through the refuge remains closed

05/29/2024

Refuge Fire
May 29, 2024– Daily Update

Incident Management Team Transitioning to Fish and Wildlife Service

Location: Imperial National Wildlife Refuge, north of Martinez Lake, Yuma AZ
Start Date: May 25, 2024
Size: Approximately 1041 Acres
Percent Contained: 61 %
Cause: Human Caused, Under Investigation
Vegetation: Salt Cedar and Riparian vegetation
Resources: 2 Crews, 8 Engines, 1 Helicopters, 1 Dozers, 1Water Tender and Additional Support Personnel
Number of Personnel Assigned: 116

Update: Fire crews will continue to monitor and patrol hot spots within the interior of the burned area for days or weeks to come. Crews will also be conducting suppression repair efforts to return the burned area to pre-fire condition as much as possible to maintain critical habitat. The Central West Zone Incident Management Team (CWZT3) will transition all fire resources back to the Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) on Friday. The fuels involved in the burned area will continue to smolder for weeks due to weather conditions, higher temperatures, wind gusts and lower relative humidities. These conditions will play a part in how long unburned vegetation will need to be monitored. Fire resources will remain on the fire for as long as a threat persists while being under the management of the FWS.

Community Response: Roadways on the Imperial National Wildlife Refuge will remain closed for an undetermined time while firefighters continue monitoring, patrolling hot spots. We are requesting that the public continue to exercise patience during the closure for the safety of themselves and fire crews. There are currently no immediate threats to surrounding communities, infrastructure, or natural resources.

Smoke: Smoke production is very limited, but some smoldering of fuels will produce smoke for weeks to come.

Closures: Red Cloud Mine Road and service roads on the Refuge.

Fire Restrictions: No fires are allowed in Fish and Wildlife Service areas. More information about fire management can be found at: www.fws.gov/program/fire-management.

For fire information please call (928) 783-3371
InciWeb: InciWeb.gov Refuge Fire

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service manages fire safely and cost-effectively to improve the condition of lands while reducing the risk of damaging wildfires to surrounding communities. This balanced approach to fire management benefits people and wildlife.

05/28/2024

Here is the Daily Update for May 28, 2024. We apologize for the delay. The Refuge is experiencing internet issues.

Arizona Central West Zone
Type Three Incident
Management Team
Incident Commander- Benji Stewart
May 28, 2024- Daily Update

Firefighters Facing Challenges with Vegetation Extinguishment

Start Date: May 25, 2024
Size: Approximately 1037 Acres
Percent Contained: 20%
Cause: Human Caused, Under Investigation
Vegetation: Salt Cedar and Riparian vegetation
Resources: 2 Crews, 10 Engines, 2 Helicopters, 2 Dozers, 1 Water Tender and Additional Support Personnel
Number of Personnel Assigned: 121

Update: Fire Crews made significant progress on the Refuge Fire today along the exterior of the perimeter. The fire is burning in salt cedar which holds heat. This means the fire will continue to smolder for many weeks to come. There are many hazards in the interior areas of the fire related to smoldering fuels and holes where the fire has burned into the layers of combustible materials that have built up over many years. The weather is another factor, increasing temperatures, lower relative humidity of 5 to 10 percent and gusting winds will keep the already burned fuels smoldering. Fire suppression repair of the endangered species areas needs to be completed by fire personnel to allow the ongoing protection of fish and wildlife. Over 100 fire personnel are working to fully contain the fire so that a date can be set to reopen the refuge.

Community Response: Firefighters are continuing to work on the roads around the fire. We are requesting that the public continue to exercise patience during the closure for the safety of themselves and fire crews.
There are currently no threats to surrounding communities, infrastructure, or natural resources.

Smoke: Smoke production is very limited, but some smoldering of fuels will continue into the near future.

Closures: Red Cloud Mine Road and Meers Point Recreation Area.

Fire Restrictions: No fires are allowed in Fish and Wildlife Service areas.

More information about fire management can be found at:
www.fws.gov/program/fire-management.
For fire information please call (480) 608-2181
Inci Web: InciWeb.gov Refuge Fire
Facebook: Imperial National Wildlife Refuge
Email Address: [email protected]

05/27/2024

Daily update:

Start Date: May 25, 2024
Size: Approximately 1,226 Acres
Percent Contained: 20%
Cause: Human Caused, Under Investigation Vegetation: Salt Cedar and riparian vegetation
Resources: 3 Crews, 7 Engines, 1 Dozer, 2 Helicopters and additional support personnel
Number of Personnel Assigned: 130

Update: The CWZT3 Team is assuming command of the Refuge Fire as of 6 p.m. today. Local fire resources have been fighting the fire since yesterday and have stopped the forward progression to the north and south. The fire continues to burn to the east. Fire crews are concentrating on minimal threats to properties and communities that are in the fires path. As of today little to no serious risks are being assessed to the following areas: Welton-Mohawk-Electric Power Transmission lines, Bureau of Reclamation (BOR)/Multi Species Conservation Program (MSCP) monitoring and pumping infrastructure, BOR Martinez Lake water gaging station, water and control infrastructure such as culverts and piping, Marine Corps Recreation Center, Private property Red Cloud Mine and Fisher's Landing Marina and Community. Fire crews will continue to focus on these areas. Additional fire resources will be added as needed to suppress the fire to protect these values at risk.
Community Response: Firefighter and public safety are the first priority while fighting this fire. The public is encouraged to stay out of the areas where firefighters are conducting fire suppression activities

Smoke: Limited smoke will be visible around the fire and surrounding communities.

Closures: Red Cloud Mine Road and Meers Point Recreation Area.

Fire Restrictions: No fires are allowed on Fish and Wildlife Service areas. More information about fire management can be found at:
https://www.fws.gov/program/fire-management.

For fire information please call (480) 608-2181

InciWeb: InciWeb.gov Refuge Fire

Facebook: Imperial National Wildlife Refuge https://rb.gy/4bwyod

Email Address: 2024.refuge@ firenet.gov

05/26/2024

Imperial National Wildlife Refuge is closed due to a wildfire. Please avoid the area for safety reasons.

05/23/2024

Cibola National Wildlife Refuge News Update: 2024 Spring Wheat Planting

In February of this year, in partnership with the Friends of Cibola NWR group, the Refuge planted 38 acres of spring wheat to increase dove hunting opportunities. 20 acres is within our Island Unit, and 18 acres is in Unit 2. The Unit 2 field had not been utilized in several seasons, and we have experienced challenges with irrigation and water flow on this field. Additionally, this is an area that is heavily utilized by burros due to several areas of fence that need to be repaired. Due to the challenges with water flow across the field, we have only seen approximately a third of the field germinate. While this portion was seeing good growth, it has come under heavy grazing pressure by burros. Due to the current state of the field, and new maintenance needs for the canal feeding this field in addition to the other forage fields in Unit 2, we will be focusing our attention to ensuring the Island Unit field successfully comes to seed for the Fall Dove season.

For questions, please contact the Southwest AZ Complex office at [email protected] or (928) 345-4916. https://www.fws.gov/refuge/cibola/news