Colusa NWR was established in 1945 as a refuge and breeding ground for migratory birds and other wildlife and to reduce damage of agricultural crops caused by waterfowl.

The refuge lies in the Colusa Basin and is bisected by the Colusa Basin Drain, which drains the basin southeast to the Sacramento River. The low topography and presence of the Colusa Basin Drain makes refuge lands subject to regular winter flooding.

Thousands of waterfowl are present from September through March. Peak populations occur in December and January. Colusa NWR regularly supports peak wintering populations of over 150,000 ducks and 60,000 geese. Many birds including nesting wood ducks and mammals can be seen year-round.

The habitats include seasonal marshes, permanent ponds, and uplands. The seasonally flooded, saline-alkali soils provide great habitat for the palmate-bracted bird's-beak, a federally listed threatened plant species. It is an annual herb in the snapdragon family and its petals are divided into two lips with the upper one shaped like a bird's-beak, leading to its name.

Contact Colusa National Wildlife Refuge

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Colusa National Wildlife Refuge is not employed by or affiliated with the Land Conservation Assistance Network, and the Network does not certify or guarantee their services. The reader must perform their own due diligence and use their own judgment in the selection of any professional.

Listed in:

• Department of Interior - Fish and Wildlife Service Programs
• Ecotourism
• State and Federal Land

Contact Colusa National Wildlife Refuge

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
752 County Road 99W
Willows, California  95988
Phone: 530-934-2801
 Email Colusa National Wildlife Refuge
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Service Area

Services provided in:

• Colusa County, California

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