USFWS · National wildlife refuge · Texas

Santa Ana National Wildlife Refuge

Santa Ana National Wildlife Refuge is a 2,088-acre (8.45 km2) National Wildlife Refuge situated along the banks of the Rio Grande, south of Alamo in the Lower Rio Grande Valley, in Hidalgo County, Texas. This sub-tropical sanctuary harbors one of the highest wildlife diversities of any single unit in the National Wildlife Refuge system and has been referred to as the “Gem of the National Wildlife Refuge System”. Many Mexican and tropical species reach the northern limit of their distributions in the Lower Rio Grande Valley, including several that occur nowhere else in the US. Santa Ana National Wildlife Refuge preserves one of the largest tracks of old growth habitat in the Lower Rio Grande, in a region where much of the land use has been dominated by, and shifted over the last century, from small farms, to commercial agro-industries, to significant population growth and urban development in recent decades.

From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

National Wildlife Refuge2,110 acresUSFWSTX
Official page at U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service ↗
1fire
active
Breezy · 44 mi from the center · 500 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
StateTexas
Size2,110 acres (computed from the boundary polygon)
FWS regionRegion 2
Center point26.0695, -98.1462
Night skyNoticeable light pollution (Black Marble reading 102)

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
    Breezy

    44 mi from the center point · 500 acres · 50% 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 · 12 in all · Register Atlas

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

Reference

Questions people ask

How big is Santa Ana National Wildlife Refuge?

2,110 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 Santa Ana National Wildlife Refuge?

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Source: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

What state is Santa Ana National Wildlife Refuge in?

Texas.

Source: How states are assigned

How do I get to Santa Ana National Wildlife Refuge?

A point inside the boundary is at 26.070, -98.146. The official page carries directions and the office address.

Source: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

Is there a fire near Santa Ana National Wildlife Refuge right now?

1 active incident within 50 miles as of 2026-09-17, the nearest Breezy at 44 miles. Distance is to the reported incident point, not the fire edge.

Source: Fire nearby

How dark is the night sky at Santa Ana National Wildlife Refuge?

NASA’s Black Marble night-lights image reads 102 on a 0 to 255 scale at the center point, noticeable light pollution.

Source: NASA Black Marble

Are there historic places near Santa Ana National Wildlife Refuge?

12 National Register listings within 15 miles, including Old Hidalgo School and Old Hidalgo Courthouse and Buildings.

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: Santa Ana 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.