USFWS · National wildlife refuge · New Mexico

Maxwell National Wildlife Refuge

The Maxwell National Wildlife Refuge, located in the high central plains of northeastern New Mexico, was established in 1965 as a feeding and resting area for migratory birds. Over 350 acres (1.4 km2) of the refuge are planted with wheat, corn, barley, and alfalfa to provide food for resident and migratory wildlife. Visitors may see bald and golden eagles, falcons, hawks, sandhill cranes, ducks, white pelicans, burrowing owls, great horned owls, black-tailed prairie dogs, raccoons, coyotes, skunks, cougars, muskrats, badgers, bobcats, mule deer, white-tailed deer, and the occasional elk.

From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

National Wildlife Refuge3,635 acresUSFWSNM
Official page at U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service ↗
4fires
active
Dash · 29 mi from the center · 55 acres
3 more within 50 miles
Incident details ↓

Facts

Where each comes from ↓
DesignationNational Wildlife Refuge
Managed byU.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
StateNew Mexico
Size3,635 acres (computed from the boundary polygon)
FWS regionRegion 2
Center point36.5716, -104.5843
Night skyVery dark ground, a faint glow at most (Black Marble reading 24)

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.

Fire nearby

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

    29 mi from the center point · 55 acres

  • Wildfire
    Sw3

    31 mi from the center point · 145 acres

  • Wildfire
    Post

    36 mi from the center point · 4,335 acres · 90% contained

  • Prescribed
    Comanche Powderhouse Rx

    42 mi from the center point

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 · 4 in all · Register Atlas

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

Reference

Questions people ask

How big is Maxwell National Wildlife Refuge?

3,635 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 Maxwell National Wildlife Refuge?

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Source: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

What state is Maxwell National Wildlife Refuge in?

New Mexico.

Source: How states are assigned

How do I get to Maxwell National Wildlife Refuge?

A point inside the boundary is at 36.572, -104.584. The official page carries directions and the office address.

Source: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

Is there a fire near Maxwell National Wildlife Refuge right now?

4 active incidents within 50 miles as of 2026-09-17, the nearest Dash at 29 miles. Distance is to the reported incident point, not the fire edge.

Source: Fire nearby

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

NASA’s Black Marble night-lights image reads 24 on a 0 to 255 scale at the center point, very dark ground, a faint glow at most.

Source: NASA Black Marble

Are there historic places near Maxwell National Wildlife Refuge?

4 National Register listings within 15 miles, including Colfax County Courthouse in Springer and Immanuel Lutheran Church.

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: Maxwell 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.