USFWS · National wildlife refuge · Alabama

Watercress Darter National Wildlife Refuge

Watercress Darter National Wildlife Refuge is a 25-acre (100,000 m2) National Wildlife Refuge located in Jefferson County, Alabama, within the city limits of Bessemer. Watercress Darter NWR consists of a .25-acre (1,000 m2) pond known as Thomas Spring which is essential to the survival of the endangered watercress darter. A second pond was built on the site in 1983. The facility is unstaffed, but is administered by the Mountain Longleaf National Wildlife Refuge in Anniston, Alabama.

From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

National Wildlife Refuge24 acresUSFWSAL
Official page at U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service ↗
1fire
active
Unit 16/20 Rx (prescribed burn) · 22 mi from the center · 534 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
StateAlabama
Size24 acres (computed from the boundary polygon)
FWS regionRegion 4
Center point33.3754, -86.9623
Night skyBright skies nearby (Black Marble reading 204)

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
  • Prescribed
    Unit 16/20 Rx

    22 mi from the center point · 534 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 Park System units within 30 miles · Park Atlas
National Monument · 13 mi
Birmingham Civil Rights National Monument
National Register listings within 15 miles · 106 in all · Register Atlas

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

Reference

Questions people ask

How big is Watercress Darter National Wildlife Refuge?

24 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 Watercress Darter National Wildlife Refuge?

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Source: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

What state is Watercress Darter National Wildlife Refuge in?

Alabama.

Source: How states are assigned

How do I get to Watercress Darter National Wildlife Refuge?

A point inside the boundary is at 33.375, -86.962. Birmingham Civil Rights National Monument is 13 miles away. The official page carries directions and the office address.

Source: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

Is there a fire near Watercress Darter National Wildlife Refuge right now?

1 active incident within 50 miles as of 2026-09-17, the nearest Unit 16/20 Rx at 22 miles. Distance is to the reported incident point, not the fire edge.

Source: Fire nearby

How dark is the night sky at Watercress Darter National Wildlife Refuge?

NASA’s Black Marble night-lights image reads 204 on a 0 to 255 scale at the center point, bright skies nearby.

Source: NASA Black Marble

Which national parks are near Watercress Darter National Wildlife Refuge?

Birmingham Civil Rights National Monument (13 mi). Park Atlas has fees, hours and alerts for each.

Source: Nearby on the other atlases

Are there historic places near Watercress Darter National Wildlife Refuge?

106 National Register listings within 15 miles, including Sixteenth Street Baptist Church and Number One Furnace, Sloss Blast Furnace Site.

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: Watercress Darter 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.