Bitter Lake National Wildlife Refuge
Bitter Lake National Wildlife Refuge is a United States National Wildlife Refuge located in two separate sections in central Chaves County, New Mexico, United States, a few miles northeast of the city of Roswell. Both sections lie on the banks of the Pecos River. The refuge was established in 1937 to provide habitat for migratory birds such as the sandhill crane and the snow goose, but it is also notable for rare native fish and the over 90 species of dragonflies and damselflies that inhabit the refuge.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

| Designation | National Wildlife Refuge |
| Managed by | U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service |
| State | New Mexico |
| Size | 24,876 acres |
| FWS region | Region 2 |
| Center point | 33.59° N, 104.41° W |
| Night sky | Very dark ground, a faint glow at most (Black Marble reading 29) |
Boundary map
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
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
- 0.9 miGarrett, Patrick Floyd, House ↗Roswell, NM
- 3.8 miUrton Orchards ↗Roswell, NM
- 4.2 miHenge, The ↗Roswell, NM
- 4.2 miSlaughter--Hill Ranch ↗Roswell, NM
- 4.3 miMilne--Bush Ranch ↗Roswell, NM
- 4.7 miGoddard, Robert H., House ↗Roswell, NM
- 5.5 miSaunders-Crosby House ↗Roswell, NM
- 5.6 miChaves County Courthouse ↗Roswell, NM
Landmarks are listed first, then by distance from the boundary.
Guidebooks for New Mexico
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Titles come from Open Library's catalog, matched by subject heading or by title.
Reference
Questions people ask
How big is Bitter Lake National Wildlife Refuge?
24,876 acres.
Source: How acreage is computed
Who manages Bitter Lake National Wildlife Refuge?
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Source: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
What state is Bitter Lake National Wildlife Refuge in?
New Mexico.
Source: How states are assigned
How do I get to Bitter Lake National Wildlife Refuge?
A point inside the boundary is at 33.592° N, 104.409° W. The official page carries directions and the office address.
Source: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Are there historic places near Bitter Lake National Wildlife Refuge?
The National Register has 12 listings within 15 miles, including Garrett, Patrick Floyd, House and Urton Orchards.
Source: Register Atlas
Sources
- Boundary, name: the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service refuge boundary layer.
- States and territories: computed by intersecting the boundary with Census state polygons and coarse outlines of the territories and outlying islands. A place is listed when it holds at least one percent of the area. A boundary that touches no outline is listed under the nearest one.
- Acreage: geodesic area of the published polygon. The agency’s official acreage can differ where the boundary includes water, easements or inholdings.
- Photograph: the image Wikidata records for this refuge (Q4919014), the item linked to its Wikipedia article. Author and license come from the file page on Wikimedia Commons.
- Description: Bitter Lake 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.