As development continues to absorb America's wild places, the nation's wildlife refuges are becoming an increasingly important place of respite from the crowds and stress of urban environments.

These refuges provide people with an opportunity to enjoy six wildlife-dependent recreation uses: hunting, fishing, wildlife photography, wildlife observation, interpretation and environmental education. However, many folks are unaware of their existence.

There are nearly 550 national wildlife refuges nationwide, encompassing about 97 million acres of fish and wildlife habitat.

Much of the funding that has been used to create this network of refuges has come from sportsmen.

Oct. 7-14 has been designated as National Wildlife Refuge Week, a time to celebrate this vast resource that is available to all.

"National wildlife refuges promise outdoor adventure to children growing up in a digital age, whose idea of nature might be watching animals on television. Refuges offer the real thing," said U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Director H. Dale Hall.

The Nevada Department of Wildlife works in partnership with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to protect animal species that are in danger of losing their habitat, both on federal wildlife refuges and state wildlife management areas.

"Refuges and our wildlife management areas are critically important, not only to the conservation of game species, but also the diversity of sensitive species in Nevada," said Jon Sjoberg, supervisory fisheries biologist for the department.

Southern Nevada is home to four National Wildlife Refuges: Desert NWR, Ash Meadows NWR, Pahranagat NWR and the Moapa Valley NWR. There also are three wildlife management areas (WMA) that are owned by NDOW -- the Overton WMA, Key Pittman WMA and the Kirch WMA.

Hunters and anglers have been supporting activities on these set-aside areas for decades. Much of the funding for land purchases is generated through the purchase of Federal Duck Stamps. Moreover, federal excise taxes on hunting and fishing equipment also provide money for refuges and other wildlife management areas.

The Nevada Department of Wildlife protects, restores and manages fish and wildlife, and promotes fishing, hunting, and boating safety.

The department's wildlife and habitat conservation efforts are primarily funded by sportsmen's license and conservation fees and a federal surcharge on hunting and fishing gear.

Support wildlife and habitat conservation in Nevada by purchasing a hunting, fishing, or combination license.

For more information, visit www.ndow.org.