USFWS · National wildlife refuge · Florida

Pelican Island National Wildlife Refuge

Pelican Island National Wildlife Refuge is a United States National Wildlife Refuge (NWR), and part of the Everglades Headwaters NWR complex, located just off the western coast of Orchid Island, Florida in the Indian River Lagoon east of Sebastian, Florida. The refuge consists of a 3-acre (12,000 m2) island that includes an additional 2.5 acres (10,000 m2) of surrounding water and is located off the east coast of Florida of the Indian River Lagoon. Established by an executive order of President Theodore Roosevelt on March 14, 1903, Pelican Island was the first National wildlife refuge in the United States. It was created to protect egrets and other birds from extinction through plume hunting.

From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

National Wildlife Refuge5,423 acresUSFWSFL
Official page at U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service ↗
1fire
active
Blue Lake · 18 mi from the center · 932 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
StateFlorida
Size5,423 acres (computed from the boundary polygon)
FWS regionRegion 4
Center point27.8098, -80.4406
Night skySome glow on the horizon (Black Marble reading 70)

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
    Blue Lake

    18 mi from the center point · 932 acres · 90% 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 · 27 in all · Register Atlas

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

Reference

Questions people ask

How big is Pelican Island National Wildlife Refuge?

5,423 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 Pelican Island National Wildlife Refuge?

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Source: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

What state is Pelican Island National Wildlife Refuge in?

Florida.

Source: How states are assigned

How do I get to Pelican Island National Wildlife Refuge?

A point inside the boundary is at 27.810, -80.441. The official page carries directions and the office address.

Source: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

Is there a fire near Pelican Island National Wildlife Refuge right now?

1 active incident within 50 miles as of 2026-09-17, the nearest Blue Lake at 18 miles. Distance is to the reported incident point, not the fire edge.

Source: Fire nearby

How dark is the night sky at Pelican Island National Wildlife Refuge?

NASA’s Black Marble night-lights image reads 70 on a 0 to 255 scale at the center point, some glow on the horizon.

Source: NASA Black Marble

Are there historic places near Pelican Island National Wildlife Refuge?

27 National Register listings within 15 miles, including Smith, Archie, Wholesale Fish Company and Old Town Sebastian Historic District East.

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: Pelican Island 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.