USFWS · Alabama

Wheeler National Wildlife Refuge

The Wheeler National Wildlife Refuge is a 35,000-acre (140 km2) national wildlife refuge (NWR) located along the Tennessee River near Decatur, Alabama. Named after Major General Joseph Wheeler, it was established to provide a habitat for wintering and migrating birds in the Eastern United States.

From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

National Wildlife Refuge33,827 acresUSFWSAL
Official page at U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service ↗
Wheeler National Wildlife Refuge
Photo by U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, in the public domain, from Wikimedia Commons.
2 fires
active
Lynx · 38 mi from the center · 43 acres
1 more within 50 miles
Incident details ↓

Facts

Where each comes from ↓
DesignationNational Wildlife Refuge
Managed byU.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
StateAlabama
Size33,827 acres
FWS regionRegion 4
Center point34.60° N, 86.87° W
Night skySome glow on the horizon (Black Marble reading 63)

Boundary map

3 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 Wheeler National Wildlife Refuge40°50°60°70°80°January: 5.44 inches of precipitationFebruary: 5.56 inches of precipitationMarch: 5.40 inches of precipitationApril: 5.22 inches of precipitationMay: 4.86 inches of precipitationJune: 4.55 inches of precipitationJuly: 4.84 inches of precipitationAugust: 3.88 inches of precipitationSeptember: 3.91 inches of precipitationOctober: 3.92 inches of precipitationNovember: 4.42 inches of precipitationDecember: 5.97 inches of precipitationJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecJanuary: 41.8°F averageFebruary: 45.5°F averageMarch: 53.2°F averageApril: 61.6°F averageMay: 69.1°F averageJune: 76.3°F averageJuly: 79.3°F averageAugust: 78.6°F averageSeptember: 73.3°F averageOctober: 62.2°F averageNovember: 51.3°F averageDecember: 44.4°F average0 in2 in4 in6 inTemp °FInches
The line is the average temperature and the bars are average precipitation at Decatur 4Se, 4 miles from the center point at 550 feet, station USC00012209 in the NOAA monthly climate normals for 1991 to 2020. Precipitation totals about 58 inches a year.

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
  • Wildfire
    Lynx

    38 mi from the center point · 43 acres

  • Prescribed
    Bnk Spear Rx

    41 mi from the center point · 244 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 · 85 in all · Register Atlas

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

Guidebooks for Alabama and the South

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

  • Paddling Alabama
    Joe Cuhaj and Curt Burdick, 2021
    Find at Bookshop.org
  • Exploring Wild Alabama
    Kenneth M. Wills and Dr. L. J. Davenport, 2016
    Find at Bookshop.org
  • Rail-trails Southeast
    Rails-to-Trails Conservancy, 2024
    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 Wheeler National Wildlife Refuge?

33,827 acres.

Source: How acreage is computed

Who manages Wheeler National Wildlife Refuge?

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Source: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

What state is Wheeler National Wildlife Refuge in?

Alabama.

Source: How states are assigned

How do I get to Wheeler National Wildlife Refuge?

A point inside the boundary is at 34.601° N, 86.868° W. The official page carries directions and the office address.

Source: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

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

2 active incidents within 50 miles as of 2026-11-01, the nearest Lynx at 38 miles. Distance is to the reported incident point, not the fire edge.

Source: Fire nearby

Are there historic places near Wheeler National Wildlife Refuge?

The National Register has 85 listings within 15 miles, including Redstone Test Stand and Propulsion and Structural Test Facility.

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 (Q7992235), the item linked to its Wikipedia article. Author and license come from the file page on Wikimedia Commons.
  • Description: Wheeler 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.