USFWS · National wildlife refuge · Washington

Billy Frank Jr. Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge

The Billy Frank Jr. Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge is a wildlife preserve operated by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service on the Nisqually River Delta near Puget Sound in northeastern Thurston County, Washington and northwestern Pierce County, Washington. The refuge is located just off Interstate 5, between the cities of Tacoma and Olympia.

From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

National Wildlife Refuge6,095 acresUSFWSWA
Official page at U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service ↗
1fire
active
West Fork · 48 mi from the center · 310 acres
Interagency incident data as of 2026-09-17
Incident details ↓

Facts

Where each comes from ↓
DesignationNational Wildlife Refuge
Managed byU.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
StateWashington
Size6,095 acres (computed from the boundary polygon)
FWS regionRegion 1
Center point47.0918, -122.7150
Night skySome glow on the horizon (Black Marble reading 73)

Boundary map

11 outlines

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.

Fire nearby

Within 50 miles · as of 2026-09-17
  • Wildfire
    West Fork

    48 mi from the center point · 310 acres · 16% contained

Distance is to the reported incident point, not the fire edge, and is measured from the center of a boundary that may be many miles across. Check the agency page for closures.

Explore

Nearby on the other atlases

National Register listings within 15 miles · 159 in all · Register Atlas

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

Reference

Questions people ask

How big is Billy Frank Jr. Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge?

6,095 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 Billy Frank Jr. Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge?

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Source: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

What state is Billy Frank Jr. Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge in?

Washington.

Source: How states are assigned

How do I get to Billy Frank Jr. Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge?

A point inside the boundary is at 47.092, -122.715. The official page carries directions and the office address.

Source: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

Is there a fire near Billy Frank Jr. Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge right now?

1 active incident within 50 miles as of 2026-09-17, the nearest West Fork at 48 miles. Distance is to the reported incident point, not the fire edge.

Source: Fire nearby

How dark is the night sky at Billy Frank Jr. Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge?

NASA’s Black Marble night-lights image reads 73 on a 0 to 255 scale at the center point, some glow on the horizon.

Source: NASA Black Marble

Are there historic places near Billy Frank Jr. Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge?

159 National Register listings within 15 miles, including Fort Nisqually Factor's House and Delphi School.

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: Billy Frank Jr. Nisqually 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.