Friends of Neal Smith National Wildlife Refuge

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President’s Message

Go to the official Neal Smith National Wildlife Refuge website. NSNWR was established in 1990 with the purpose to protect, restore and reconstruct and manage native ecosystems of tallgrass prairie, oak savanna and sedge meadow.

The power of a Friends group is its members. Become a member today to support projects that benefit both wildlife and people at Neal Smith National Wildlife Refuge.

Fall of 2028 is now the anticipated timeline for the completion of construction and for the building to reopen. The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service recently released a draft compatibility determination to propose and collect comments on how the Refuge will continue with its offerings of environmental education and interpretation on-site once the Visitor Center is repaired.
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News and Events

NEAL SMITH NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE LAUNCHES NEW SATURDAY VISITOR OUTREACH INITIATIVE

Friends Scholarship Recipient Announced
Brock Barnett, a 2026 graduate of PCM High School, is the recipient of the 2026 Friends of Neal Smith National Wildlife Refuge Scholarship. He plans to major in agricultural engineering with an emphasis in conservation practices at Iowa State University this fall. Read more…

Neal Smith National Wildlife Refuge is launching a new volunteer-led outreach initiative to enhance the visitor experience on weekends. Starting Saturday, June 13, at 10:00 a.m., volunteers will debut a dedicated visitor welcome station located directly in front of the refuge’s visitor center. Would you like to help out? Volunteer Opportunity! Read more…

Celebrate the new calf and support the Refuge a limited edition magnet! These will be shipped with each new membership or a donation of $5.00 or more made to the Friends of Neal Smith NWR. These flat magnets can be used indoors and outdoors, on cars, fridges or file cabinets.

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The summer interns are already hard at work. Read about their busy week in Field Notes.

The latest issue of Prairie Wind newsletter is now posted online. In this issue you can read messages from Scott Gilje, Refuge Manager, and see what’s happening this spring from Nancy Corona, Visitor Services Manager. This issue also features pictures of the Design Concepts of the Visitor Center Changes, and much more!