Jocelyn Nungaray National Wildlife Refuge

Jocelyn Nungaray National Wildlife Refuge (originally named Anahuac) was established in 1963 to provide wintering and migration habitat for ducks and geese. We protect the coastal marsh for migratory and resident waterfowl, shorebirds, and waterbirds. The refuge is one of three refuges in the Texas Chenier Plain Wildlife Refuge Complex, and one of a string of wildlife refuges situated on the Gulf of America. We are a designated Globally Important Bird Area, Monarch Waystation, and a Western Hemisphere Shorebird Reserve Network Site of International Importance. The 39,000-acre refuge is located on the Texas Gulf Coast just outside the Houston, Texas metropolitan area. 

Long before her name stood at the entrance of a national wildlife refuge, Jocelyn Nungaray was known by her family and friends as a girl with a big spirit, who loved animals and enjoyed spending time in nature. 

Jocelyn tragically lost her life in Houston, Texas in June 2024. To help honor her memory and to pay tribute to her compassion for animals, U.S. Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum signed a Secretary’s Order on March 10 renaming the Anahuac National Wildlife Refuge in Texas to the Jocelyn Nungaray National Wildlife Refuge, following an executive order issued by President Donald J. Trump.   

In world that often moves too fast, and forgets so much, the Jocelyn Nungaray National Wildlife Refuge is a place to remember—not only the gentle spirit of the young girl whose love for nature inspired its name, but the deeper truths she understood so well: that every creature matters, and every living thing deserves a home.