Gearing up for a big 100th anniversary celebration in 2016, America's national parks are getting plenty of attention these days. But let's not forget the country's national wildlife refuges. As the name suggests, these sanctuaries were designated to protect wildlife and conserve their habitats in the face of an ever-developing world.

President Theodore Roosevelt established the nation's first national wildlife refuge — Florida's Pelican Island in 1903. Today, there are 563 of them scattered across the country at least one in every state encompassing 150 million acres of land and water.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service capably manages them all. One great thing about the refuges is they offer benefits that go way beyond conservation. They also create opportunities for human activities and recreation, such as camping, hiking, fishing, hunting, boating, photography, wildlife observation and environmental education.

Below are eight national wildlife refuges that we rate as standouts, but there are bound to be one or more right in your backyard so check the entire list at www.fws.gov/refuges.

Rachel Carson National Wildlife Refuge, Maine

Located 30 miles south of Portland, this refuge presents a diverse and scenic mix of shoreline, salt marsh, mud flats and forest. Named for the late U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service marine biologist and author of the 1962 clarion call "Silent Spring" that alerted the world to the dangers of chemical pesticides, the refuge protects a number of endangered species including the piping plover.

Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge, Minnesota

Here's a refuge where white-tailed deer, coyotes, bald eagles, wild turkeys and trout live right next door to more than 3 million residents of the Twin Cities area. Stretching some 70 miles along the Minnesota River, this 14,000-acre suburban sanctuary features ecosystems ranging from wetlands to oak savannah.

Situated along the Mississippi Flyway, it's an ideal spot for birding, especially during seasonal migrations. The refuge is laced with trails perfect for hiking, bicycling and cross-country skiing.

Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge, Virginia and Maryland

Positioned along the Atlantic Flyway, on 37-mile-long Assateague Island a sandy barrier island that spans parts of Virginia and Maryland this refuge was named one of the nation's top 10 birding locations by the National Audubon Society. More than 320 species of birds have been spotted there.

In spite of its avian prominence, the refuge may be more famous for one of its four-legged inhabitants: the Chincoteague pony. These pint-sized feral horses are said to be descendants of domestic horses brought to the island by colonial American settlers. Visitors frequently spot the ponies on refuge beaches or along the three-mile Wildlife Loop, a pedestrian and bike-friendly path girding Snow Goose Pond.

St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge, Florida

You'll want to watch your toes at this swampy 72,000-acre sanctuary 25 miles south of Tallahassee home to hundreds of alligators that range up to 12 feet long. The big reptiles are easily spotted in the marshes along the road to the 1842 St. Marks Lighthouse on Apalachee Bay.

Aside from gators, the refuge protects more than 300 bird species and a variety of creatures, including the Florida black bear, bobcats and river otters. Established in 1931 as one of the nation's earliest refuges, St. Marks features a well-developed trail system, including a segment of the Florida National Scenic Trail.

Thousands of snow geese take to the skies above Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge in New Mexico.


Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge, New Mexico

Every autumn, thousands of visitors including a platoon of pro photographers from around the world descend on this beautiful riparian preserve on the Rio Grande River near Socorro, New Mexico, to witness one of the nation's greatest birding spectacles: the raucous return of thousands of sandhill cranes and snow geese.

The Festival of the Cranes celebrates this annual migration over a six-day period each November, but the birds continue to fly in and out of the Bosque (Spanish for "wooded place") well into the winter months.

Aransas National Wildlife Refuge, Texas

In 1941, when only 15 whooping cranes survived in the wild, Aransas NWR became the focal point of efforts that successfully saved the species from extinction. Today, the refuge is a winter home to hundreds of the leggy cranes, still one of America's rarest bird species.

Herons, roseate spoonbills, egrets and white ibis make appearances here as well best viewed from the 1.4-mile Heron Flats Trail. Wildflowers flank a 16-mile paved auto loop (great for cycling) that makes for a scenic drive with plenty of wildlife viewing opportunities. A fishing pier invites anglers, and hunting for white-tailed deer and feral pigs is permitted.

Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge, Colorado

Occupying the once-toxic site of a U.S. Army chemical weapons plant, this 16,000-acre patch of lakes, woodlands and prairie grasslands just 8 miles northeast of downtown Denver is the nation's largest urban wildlife refuge.

Following a 12-year cleanup completed in 2004, it has been transformed into an island-like habitat for an amazing variety of creatures more than 300 species, including bison, deer, coyotes, prairie dogs, bald eagles, owls, songbirds and even pelicans. Visitor opportunities include nature programs, guided wildlife viewing tours, wildlife photography, fishing and hiking on 9 miles of nature trails.

Oregon Islands National Wildlife Refuge, Oregon

Colossal rock formations stand sentinel along this slice of the southwestern Oregon coast a complex of six separate refuges that spans 320 miles from Tillamook Head south to the California border. Scenic viewpoints along the coastal highway provide stunning views of rocks, reefs and small islands and the chance to observe seals, sea lions and a variety of birds, including tufted puffins, guillemots, cormorants, murres and peregrine falcons.

Coquille Point, a promontory near Bandon, is a mainland unit of the refuge and features an observation deck with interpretive signboards and a path to the beach below where tide pools teem with crabs, anemones and other invertebrates.