Ramsar Sites Information Service Annotated RSIS search report Your search found 41 Ramsar Site(s) covering 1,884,551 ha You applied the following search filter(s): Region/country: North America Region/country: United States of America Ash Meadows National Wildlife Refuge Site number: 347 | Country: United States of America | Administrative region: Nevada Area: 9,509 ha | Coordinates: 36°25'N 116°19'59"W | Designation dates: 18-12-1986 View Site details in RSIS Ash Meadows National Wildlife Refuge. 18/12/86; Nevada; 9,509 ha; 36°25'N 116°20'W. National Wildlife Refuge. A unique oasis ecosystem of streams, pools, and wet meadows, formed around springs supplying a tributary of the Amargosa River. The site lies within an area exhibiting the greatest biological endemism in the USA. Four species of endangered endemic fish and an endemic aquatic insect are present, and several of the region's plants are listed as threatened or endangered endemic species. Other endemics include several molluscs and one mammal. The water table is close to the surface and soils are mostly saline, often with a well-developed salt crust. Human activities have consisted of agriculture, irrigation, peat and clay mining, and off-road vehicle use. Ramsar site no. 347. Most recent RIS information: 1992. Grassland Ecological Area (GEA) Site number: 1,451 | Country: United States of America | Administrative region: California Area: 65,000 ha | Coordinates: 37°10'N 120°49'59"W | Designation dates: 02-02-2005 View Site details in RSIS Grassland Ecological Area. 02/02/05; California; 65,000 ha; 37°10'N 120°50'W. National Wildlife Refuge, Western Hemisphere Shorebird Reserve. Located in the Central Valley in the San Joaquin River Basin, the site is the largest remaining contiguous block of freshwater wetlands in California. It consists of semipermanent and permanent marshes, riparian corridors, vernal pool complexes, wet meadows, native uplands and grasslands, featuring Alkali Sacaton grassland Sporobolus airoides and the endemic Delta button celery, Eryngium racemosum. The site is renowned for its wintering waterbirds which reach several hundred thousands every winter. These include Sandhill Cranes (Grus canadensis), 19 duck species (Northern pintail Anas acuta; Green-winged teal Anas crecca; Northern shoveler Anas clypeata; Canvasbacks Aythya valisineria and others), 6 species of geese, tens of thousands of shorebirds (most abundantly Western Sandpiper Calidris mauri, Dunlin Calidris alpina and Long-billed dowitcher Limnodromus scolopaceus). The site is home to four endangered shrimps as well the threatened Giant garter snake Thamnophis gigas. Due to flood-control and irrigation projects the entire hydrology of the valley had been dramatically altered, but water quality and allocation issues have been successfully addressed with the Central Valley Project Improvement Act in 1992. Most of the wetlands are managed by the controlled application of water using a series of canals and control structures, mimicking historical flood patterns with pulses of high water flow during winter and spring. The largest potential threat to the site is urban development. Ramsar site no. 1451. Most recent RIS information: 2005. Annotated RSIS search report - 1/17 Sue and Wes Dixon Waterfowl Refuge at Hennepin & Hopper Lakes Site number: 2,042 | Country: United States of America | Administrative region: Illinois Area: 1,117 ha | Coordinates: 41°13'19"N 89°20'17"W | Designation dates: 02-02-2012 View Site details in RSIS Sue and Wes Dixon Waterfowl Refuge at Hennepin & Hopper Lakes. 02/02/12; Illinois; 1,117 ha, 41°13'20"N 089°20'17"W. Includes Nature Preserve. A complex system of backwater lakes, marshes, wet prairie, savannah, and forest that has been restored to a landscape that closely resembles the presettlement conditions of the place, before the human impacts of the 20th century. The mix of rare wetland habitats integrated within the extensive natural landscape is unique in this region, where most remaining wetlands have been isolated and/or fragmented. Due to the extent and quality of habitat, the site is home to federally endangered or threatened species such as the decurrent false aster (Boltonia decurrens), Piping Plover (Charadrius melodus), and King Rail (Rallus elegans). The Refuge hosts 22 federally or state endangered and threatened birds, including the Peregrine Falcon (Falco peregrinus), Common Moorhen (Gallinula chloropus), American Bittern (Botaurus lentiginosus), and Pied-billed Grebe (Podilymbus podiceps). The Refuge has become a living laboratory where restoration techniques, successional dynamics, and adaptive management strategies can be tested and evaluated. The site offers excellent opportunities for hiking, bird-watching, wildlife photography, canoeing, and kayaking. Threats include invasive species, fires, and pesticide residues due to nearby agricultural activities. The Refuge is owned by nine non-profit entities and managed by one of them, the Wetlands Initiative, under agreement with the others. Ramsar Site no. 2042. Most recent RIS information: 2012. Chesapeake Bay Estuarine Complex Site number: 375 | Country: United States of America | Administrative region: Virginia Area: 45,000 ha | Coordinates: 38°00'N 76°19'59"W | Designation dates: 04-06-1987 View Site details in RSIS Chesapeake Bay Estuarine Complex. 04/06/87; Virginia; 45,000 ha; 38°00'N 076°20'W. National Wildlife Refuge, Wildlife Management Area, State Park, Natural Environment Area, Natural Resources Management Area. A vast estuarine complex, composed of multiple, physically separate protected areas. Ten major rivers enter the system. Natural habitats include sand beaches, dunes, mudflats, open water with submerged beds of aquatic vegetation, intertidal marshes, freshwater marshes, and lakes. The Bay is of particular importance for very large numbers of staging and wintering Anatidae (ducks, geese, swans, etc.) and other waterbirds. Breeding birds include two nationally endangered species. Other notable fauna include endangered marine turtles. The Bay's fishery (blue crab and oyster) is of significant economic importance, yielding a dockside value of $60 million per year. Environmental education, conservation-oriented recreation, and scientific research are the primary management objectives. Hunting and trapping of birds and mammals are strictly controlled. Ramsar site no. 375. Most recent RIS information: 1992. Delaware Bay Estuary Site number: 559 | Country: United States of America | Administrative region: Delaware,New Jersey Area: 51,252 ha | Coordinates: 39°10'59"N 75°13'59"W | Designation dates: 20-05-1992 View Site details in RSIS Delaware Bay Estuary. 20/05/92; Delaware, New Jersey; 51,252 ha; 39°11'N 075°14'W. Western Hemisphere Shorebird Reserve, National Wildlife Refuge, Wildlife Management Area, Fish & Wildlife Management Area, Nature Preserve, State Park. Major estuarine system in an ecological transition zone. The site consists of more than 70 separate protected wetland areas of varying salinity supporting various marsh communities. An important staging area for over 90% of the North American populations of several migratory shorebird species. More than one million individuals use the region, making it one of the two most important staging areas on the Atlantic coast of North America. Notable flora and fauna include five species of marine turtles, the endangered eagle Haliaetus leucocephalus, and several rare or endangered plants. The crab fishery and hunting is valued at over $85.5 million per year. Ramsar site no. 559. Most recent RIS information: 1992. Annotated RSIS search report - 2/17 Door Peninsula Coastal Wetlands Site number: 2,218 | Country: United States of America | Administrative region: Wisconsin Area: 4,630.8 ha | Coordinates: 45°13'20"N 86°59'44"W | Designation dates: 10-06-2014 View Site details in RSIS The Site, which occupies a major section of the Eastern Lake Michigan shoreline of northern Door County, comprises diverse examples of regionally and globally significant wetland communities, including interdunal wetlands and northern wet-mesic forest. It supports numerous species of fauna and flora including the rare dwarf lake iris (Iris lacustris) and over 150 species of birds that use the site for nesting or as staging areas during autumn and spring migrations. It also hosts the largest known population of the federally-endangered Hine’s emerald dragonfly (Somatochlora hineana). The Site is part of a karst hydrologic system that contributes to accelerated groundwater recharge. Areas of groundwater recharge are a critical habitat component for the Hine’s emerald dragonfly. Threats to the Site include invasive species such as giant red grass (Phragmites australis), urban development, and increasing recreational vehicle use. Climate change has also been identified as a potential threat, as it could lead to changes in levels of the groundwater and of Lake Michigan, changes in water pH and declines in species richness and diversity. Kawainui and Hamakua Marsh Complex Site number: 1,460 | Country: United States of America | Administrative region: Hawaïi Area: 414 ha | Coordinates: 21°24'N 157°45'W | Designation dates: 02-02-2005 View Site details in RSIS Kawainui and Hamakua Marsh Complex. 02/02/05; Hawaii; 414 ha; 21°24'N 157°45'W. State Wildlife Sanctuary. Sacred to Hawaiians, Kawainui Marsh, the largest remaining emergent wetland in Hawaii and Hawaii's largest ancient freshwater fishpond, is located in what was once the center of a caldera of the Koolau