Nature, wildlife service, plant conservation and the great outdoors can be found at the Sam D. Hamilton Noxubee National Wildlife Refuge which represents and offers these habitual experiences not far from Mississippi State University in Brooksville, Mississippi.

Steve Reagan, project leader at the Noxubee Refuge, said approximately 160,000 people visit the refuge annually.  

“Visitors come to the refuge to connect with nature and rejuvenate themselves,” Reagan said. “Many MSU students visit the refuge to relax, de-stress and enjoy the outdoors. Often families can be seen setting up a picnic, walking or bike riding while they look for interesting wildlife to observe.” 

According to Reagan, the refuge offers a wide variety of outdoor opportunities including hunting, fishing, wildlife observation, nature photography and environmental education and interpretation.  

“There are numerous hiking trails on the refuge to explore that will take visitors through a variety of wildlife habitats,” Reagan said. “More than 70 miles of roads, most of which are gravel, allow visitors to reach most areas of the refuge with reasonable effort. Volunteers are an important feature of the refuge.”  

Andrea Dunstan, visitation services employee at the Noxubee Refuge, said the refuge is a part of the National Wildlife Refuge System. 

“We are open to the public from sunrise to sunset seven days a week. The visitor center has an exhibit hall, the Nature Store and a video of the refuge available to view upon request,” Dunstan said. 

Dunstan also said the visitor center is open from 7:30 a.m to 3:30 p.m. Monday through Friday except for federal holidays. On Saturdays volunteers open the visitor center (from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.). The best map and permitting information can be found in the Hunting, Fishing and Public Use Regulations brochure. 

Paul Reynolds, fire management officer at the refuge, said students interested in wildlife and natural resources are welcome to volunteer or receive basic fire training.

“Incoming freshmen can take special classes online for training, and they can come to the refuge physically to complete training and become certified,” Reynolds said. “They have the opportunity to become a wildlife firefighter after their fitness test.”

Reynolds said the certification and fitness tests prepare for first and secondary benefits of hazardous fuel assistance.

“We’ve got 20 students already to come and help us burn and one to two of those students are from MSU,” Reynolds said. “It’s been a big help. We’re trying to catch that freshman class so that they will have the opportunity to gain these experiences.”

Reynolds described the Noxubee Refuge as a beautiful place to work.

“The timbers, the wildlife and the lakes make it easy to get up and come to work every morning,” he said.

For more information about the Sam D. Hamilton Noxubee National Wildlife Refuge, visit //fws.gov/refuge/Noxubee.//