USFWS · Nebraska

Fort Niobrara National Wildlife Refuge

Fort Niobrara National Wildlife Refuge is located in the U.S. state of Nebraska and includes 19,131 acres (77.42 km2). The refuge borders the Niobrara National Scenic River on the west and is managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. From 1879 to 1906, the Fort Niobrara Military Reservation was located on what later became refuge lands to house a garrison of the U.S. Cavalry. After the fort was closed, the effort to preserve the region as a wildlife refuge culminated in the creation of the refuge on January 11, 1912. The refuge also manages Valentine and John and Louise Seier National Wildlife Refuges as parts of the Fort Niobrara National Wildlife Refuge Complex.

From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

National Wildlife Refuge19,085 acresUSFWSNE
Official page at U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service ↗

Facts

Where each comes from ↓
DesignationNational Wildlife Refuge
Managed byU.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
StateNebraska
Size19,085 acres (computed from the boundary polygon)
FWS regionRegion 6
Center point42.8835, -100.4423
Night skyVery dark ground, a faint glow at most (Black Marble reading 21)

Boundary map

1 outline

Boundary, simplified to about 0.005 degrees

The outline is the agency boundary simplified for display, so small parcels and inholdings may not show. The agency page has the authoritative map.

Weather by month

NOAA climate normals →
Weather by month near Fort Niobrara National Wildlife Refuge20°30°40°50°60°70°80°January: 0.32 inches of precipitation, 4.4 inches of snowFebruary: 0.61 inches of precipitation, 6.5 inches of snowMarch: 1.01 inches of precipitation, 6.0 inches of snowApril: 2.48 inches of precipitation, 5.6 inches of snowMay: 3.52 inches of precipitation, 0.1 inches of snowJune: 3.96 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowJuly: 2.82 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowAugust: 2.04 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowSeptember: 1.72 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowOctober: 1.42 inches of precipitation, 2.0 inches of snowNovember: 0.57 inches of precipitation, 4.6 inches of snowDecember: 0.43 inches of precipitation, 5.0 inches of snowJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecJanuary: 24.5°F averageFebruary: 27.6°F averageMarch: 37.6°F averageApril: 47.2°F averageMay: 58.1°F averageJune: 69.0°F averageJuly: 75.7°F averageAugust: 73.6°F averageSeptember: 64.2°F averageOctober: 49.3°F averageNovember: 36.2°F averageDecember: 26.3°F average0 in2 in4 in6 in8 inTemp °FInches
The line is the average temperature and the bars are average precipitation at Valentine Miller Fld, 5 miles from the center point at 2,590 feet, station USW00024032 in the NOAA monthly climate normals for 1991 to 2020. Precipitation totals about 21 inches a year. The dotted line is average snowfall, about 34 inches a year on the same inches scale.

Large units span more than one climate. The station stands in for the center point, and the outer parts of the boundary can be warmer or colder.

Explore

Nearby on the other atlases

National Park System units within 30 miles · Park Atlas
National Scenic River · 24 mi
Niobrara National Scenic River
National Register listings within 15 miles · 11 in all · Register Atlas

Landmarks are listed first, then by distance from the boundary.

Reference

Questions people ask

How big is Fort Niobrara National Wildlife Refuge?

19,085 acres, measured from the published boundary polygon. The agency’s own figure can differ where the boundary includes water or inholdings.

Source: How acreage is computed

Who manages Fort Niobrara National Wildlife Refuge?

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Source: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

What state is Fort Niobrara National Wildlife Refuge in?

Nebraska.

Source: How states are assigned

How do I get to Fort Niobrara National Wildlife Refuge?

A point inside the boundary is at 42.883, -100.442. Niobrara National Scenic River is 24 miles away. The official page carries directions and the office address.

Source: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

How dark is the night sky at Fort Niobrara National Wildlife Refuge?

NASA’s Black Marble night-lights image reads 21 on a 0 to 255 scale at the center point, very dark ground, a faint glow at most.

Source: NASA Black Marble

Which national parks are near Fort Niobrara National Wildlife Refuge?

Niobrara National Scenic River (24 mi). Park Atlas has fees, hours and alerts for each.

Source: Nearby on the other atlases

Are there historic places near Fort Niobrara National Wildlife Refuge?

11 National Register listings within 15 miles, including Borman Bridge and Berry State Aid Bridge.

Source: Register Atlas

Sources

  • Boundary, name: the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service refuge boundary layer.
  • States: computed by intersecting the boundary with Census state polygons; a state is listed when it holds at least one percent of the area.
  • Acreage: geodesic area of the published polygon. The agency’s official acreage can differ where the boundary includes water, easements or inholdings.
  • Description: Fort Niobrara National Wildlife Refuge on Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. The article was accepted because its title contains this unit’s name.
  • Campgrounds: the Campsite Atlas index of federal campgrounds, matched to this boundary at build time.
  • Night sky: NASA Black Marble (VIIRS, 2016 composite) sampled at zoom 6 around the center point.
  • Weather, alerts, air quality, river flow and earthquakes load live in your browser from NWS, AirNow, USGS and iNaturalist when you open the page.