USFWS · New York

Montezuma National Wildlife Refuge

Montezuma National Wildlife Refuge is a wildlife preserve operated by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service, encompassing part of the Montezuma Swamp at the north end of Cayuga Lake. The 10,004-acre (40.48 km2) preserve is composed of swamps, pools and channels and is a stopping point for migratory birds. It is the largest contiguous wetland complex in the northeastern United States and comprises a portion of the larger Montezuma Wetlands Complex, which is managed by a partnership between the USFWS, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, as well as several other non-profit support organizations.

From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

National Wildlife Refuge10,304 acresUSFWSNY
Official page at U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service ↗
Montezuma National Wildlife Refuge
Photo by Staib, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0, from Wikimedia Commons.

Facts

Where each comes from ↓
DesignationNational Wildlife Refuge
Managed byU.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
StateNew York
Size10,304 acres
FWS regionRegion 5
Center point42.98° N, 76.75° W
Night skyAbout as dark as the ground gets (Black Marble reading 16)

Boundary map

14 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.

Weather by month

NOAA climate normals →
Weather by month near Montezuma National Wildlife Refuge20°30°40°50°60°70°80°January: 2.93 inches of precipitation, 29.1 inches of snowFebruary: 2.48 inches of precipitation, 25.9 inches of snowMarch: 3.23 inches of precipitation, 17.2 inches of snowApril: 3.68 inches of precipitation, 3.1 inches of snowMay: 3.77 inches of precipitation, 0.2 inches of snowJune: 4.10 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowJuly: 4.31 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowAugust: 4.26 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowSeptember: 3.87 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowOctober: 4.47 inches of precipitation, 0.4 inches of snowNovember: 3.59 inches of precipitation, 8.8 inches of snowDecember: 3.57 inches of precipitation, 24.7 inches of snowJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecJanuary: 23.3°F averageFebruary: 24.7°F averageMarch: 32.1°F averageApril: 44.6°F averageMay: 56.9°F averageJune: 66.2°F averageJuly: 70.7°F averageAugust: 69.1°F averageSeptember: 61.9°F averageOctober: 50.3°F averageNovember: 39.5°F averageDecember: 29.9°F average0 in10 in20 in30 inTemp °FInches
The line is the average temperature and the bars are average precipitation at Auburn, 11 miles from the center point at 770 feet, station USC00300321 in the NOAA monthly climate normals for 1991 to 2020. Precipitation totals about 44 inches a year. The dotted line is average snowfall, about 109 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 Historical Park · 4 mi
Women's Rights National Historical Park
National Historical Park · 10 mi
Harriet Tubman National Historical Park
National Register listings within 15 miles · 98 in all · Register Atlas

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

Guidebooks for New York

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  • Rockhounding New York
    Robert Beard, 2025
    Find at Bookshop.org
  • Hiking New York
    Rhonda Ostertag, 2018
    Find at Bookshop.org
  • Hiking Through History New York
    Randi Minetor and Nic Minetor, 2016
    Find at Bookshop.org

Titles come from Open Library's catalog, matched by subject heading or by title.

Reference

Questions people ask

How big is Montezuma National Wildlife Refuge?

10,304 acres.

Source: How acreage is computed

Who manages Montezuma National Wildlife Refuge?

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Source: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

What state is Montezuma National Wildlife Refuge in?

New York.

Source: How states are assigned

How do I get to Montezuma National Wildlife Refuge?

A point inside the boundary is at 42.980° N, 76.754° W. Women's Rights National Historical Park is 4 miles away. The official page carries directions and the office address.

Source: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

Which national parks are near Montezuma National Wildlife Refuge?

Women's Rights National Historical Park (4 mi) and Harriet Tubman National Historical Park (10 mi). Park Atlas has fees, hours and alerts for each.

Source: Nearby on the other atlases

Are there historic places near Montezuma National Wildlife Refuge?

The National Register has 98 listings within 15 miles, including Harriet Tubman Home for the Aged and Mentz Church.

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 (Q1946206), the item linked to its Wikipedia article. Author and license come from the file page on Wikimedia Commons.
  • Description: Montezuma 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.