USFWS · National wildlife refuge · California

Kern National Wildlife Refuge

Kern National Wildlife Refuge is a 11,249-acre (45.52 km2) protected area located in the southern portion of California's San Joaquin Valley, 20 miles (32 km) west of the city of Delano. Situated on the southern margin of what was once the largest freshwater wetland complex known as Tulare Lake in the western United States, Kern National Wildlife Refuge provides an optimum wintering habitat for migratory birds with an emphasis on waterfowl and water birds. The wetlands provide habitat for birds as part of the Pacific Flyway.

From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Official page at U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service ↗
DesignationNational Wildlife Refuge
Managed byU.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
StateCalifornia
Size11,229 acres (computed from the boundary polygon)
FWS regionRegion 8
Center point35.7486, -119.6168
Night skyVery dark ground, a faint glow at most (Black Marble reading 27)

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.

Reference

Questions people ask

How big is Kern National Wildlife Refuge?

11,229 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 Kern National Wildlife Refuge?

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Source: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

What state is Kern National Wildlife Refuge in?

California.

Source: How states are assigned

How do I get to Kern National Wildlife Refuge?

A point inside the boundary is at 35.749, -119.617. The official page carries directions and the office address.

Source: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

How dark is the night sky at Kern National Wildlife Refuge?

NASA’s Black Marble night-lights image reads 27 on a 0 to 255 scale at the center point, very dark ground, a faint glow at most.

Source: NASA Black Marble

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: Kern 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.