USFWS · Kansas

Quivira National Wildlife Refuge

Quivira National Wildlife Refuge in south central Kansas, United States, is a wildlife refuge that includes rare inland marshes. Located near the town of Stafford, it lies mostly in northeastern Stafford County, but small parts extend into southwestern Rice and northwestern Reno Counties. Its proximity to the Central Flyway migration route and the salt marshes on the refuge combine to endow the refuge with a large variety of birds. Many of these birds are uncommon in other parts of Kansas or even the central part of the continent.

From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

National Wildlife Refuge22,188 acresUSFWSKS
Official page at U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service ↗
Quivira National Wildlife Refuge
Photo by Hollingsworth / USFWS, in the public domain, from Wikimedia Commons.
1 fire
active
Quivira Rx (prescribed burn) · 2 mi from the center · 4,600 acres
Interagency incident data as of 2026-11-01
Incident details ↓

Facts

Where each comes from ↓
DesignationNational Wildlife Refuge
Managed byU.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
StateKansas
Size22,188 acres
FWS regionRegion 6
Center point38.16° N, 98.50° W
Night skyAbout as dark as the ground gets (Black Marble reading 19)

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.

Weather by month

NOAA climate normals →
Weather by month near Quivira National Wildlife Refuge30°40°50°60°70°80°90°January: 0.82 inches of precipitation, 5.1 inches of snowFebruary: 1.05 inches of precipitation, 3.5 inches of snowMarch: 1.96 inches of precipitation, 3.0 inches of snowApril: 2.49 inches of precipitation, 0.5 inches of snowMay: 4.64 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowJune: 3.98 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowJuly: 4.00 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowAugust: 3.35 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowSeptember: 1.94 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowOctober: 2.25 inches of precipitation, 0.2 inches of snowNovember: 1.21 inches of precipitation, 1.6 inches of snowDecember: 1.05 inches of precipitation, 4.2 inches of snowJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecJanuary: 32.4°F averageFebruary: 35.9°F averageMarch: 45.8°F averageApril: 55.3°F averageMay: 65.5°F averageJune: 76.0°F averageJuly: 80.6°F averageAugust: 78.6°F averageSeptember: 70.6°F averageOctober: 57.8°F averageNovember: 44.4°F averageDecember: 34.2°F average0 in2 in4 in6 inTemp °FInches
The line is the average temperature and the bars are average precipitation at Hudson, 9 miles from the center point at 1,867 feet, station USC00143847 in the NOAA monthly climate normals for 1991 to 2020. Precipitation totals about 29 inches a year. The dotted line is average snowfall, about 18 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.

Fire nearby

Within 50 miles · as of 2026-11-01
  • Prescribed
    Quivira Rx

    2 mi from the center point · 4,600 acres

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 · 12 in all · Register Atlas

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

Guidebooks for Kansas

We earn a small commission if you buy through these links. It does not change what we list.

  • The guide to Kansas birds and birding hot spots
    Bob Gress, 2025
    Find at Bookshop.org
  • Kansas Trail Guide
    Jonathan M. Conard and Kristin M. Conard, 2015
    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 Quivira National Wildlife Refuge?

22,188 acres.

Source: How acreage is computed

Who manages Quivira National Wildlife Refuge?

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Source: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

What state is Quivira National Wildlife Refuge in?

Kansas.

Source: How states are assigned

How do I get to Quivira National Wildlife Refuge?

A point inside the boundary is at 38.162° N, 98.503° W. The official page carries directions and the office address.

Source: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

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

1 active incident within 50 miles as of 2026-11-01, the nearest Quivira Rx at 2 miles. Distance is to the reported incident point, not the fire edge.

Source: Fire nearby

Are there historic places near Quivira National Wildlife Refuge?

The National Register has 12 listings within 15 miles, including Henderson, Sarah L., House and Sylvia Rural High School.

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 (Q7272686), the item linked to its Wikipedia article. Author and license come from the file page on Wikimedia Commons.
  • Description: Quivira 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.