Draft compatibility determinations (CD) for two outdoor recreation activities, boating and biking on Theodore Roosevelt National Wildlife Refuge Complex (Complex) Refuges, are now available for public review and comment for 14 calendar days from May 28, 2026, to June 11, 2026. These activities provide a means of travel and participation in all wildlife-dependent recreation on the nine refuges including hunting and fishing, and wildlife observation.
The documents are available for review in the library section of this webpage. You can find the library tab on the left side of the screen, towards the bottom of the menu. Please let us know if you need the documents in an alternative format. Please submit any comments by June 11, 2026, to Brett Moule, Project Leader, Theodore Roosevelt NWR Complex by email at [email protected]. Concerns expressed during the public comment period may be addressed in the final CD.
The FWS is seeking public review and comment on the proposed opening or expansion of hunting and/or fishing. The public is invited to review the draft documents, including draft plan(s), compatibility determination(s) as appropriate, and environmental compliance documentation. The draft documents are available through the Federal Register docket number: FWS–HQ–NWRS–2026–1223.
The comment period on the proposed hunting and sport fishing regulations across Service-managed lands and waters will stay open for 30-days from May 27 through June 26, 2026. Please submit your comments directly through the Federal Register.
The comment period on the Environmental Assessment for actions at this field station will stay open for 30 days from May 27 through June 27, 2026. Please submit your comments via email to [email protected] with the name of the refuge or hatchery in the subject line.
Visit Us
National Wildlife Refuges offer us all a chance to unplug from the stresses of daily life and reconnect with our natural surroundings. Panther Swamp National Wildlife Refuge will help you do just that! Covering over 40,000 acres of bottomland hardwood forests, cypress-tupelo sloughs, and meandering bayous, Panther Swamp NWR is one of the largest Refuges in the state of Mississippi. Our 40,000+ acres of land will help bring serenity through a variety of activities like hunting, fishing, photography, and many more fun activities!
Location and Contact Information
About Us
Panther Swamp National Wildlife Refuge's expansive bottomland hardwood forests, cypress-tupelo sloughs, and meandering bayous represent some of the best remaining examples of the historically predominant habitat types that once characterized the entire Mississippi floodplain.
What We Do
Wildlife conservation is at the heart of the National Wildlife Refuge System. It drives everything on U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service lands and waters managed within the Refuge System, from the purposes for which a national wildlife Refuge is established to the recreational activities offered to the resource management tools used. Using conservation best practices, the Refuge System manages Service lands and waters to help ensure the survival of native wildlife species.
Management activities on Panther Swamp NWR include moist soil management, water management, forest management, law enforcement, public hunting and fishing, invasive species invasive species
An invasive species is any plant or animal that has spread or been introduced into a new area where they are, or could, cause harm to the environment, economy, or human, animal, or plant health. Their unwelcome presence can destroy ecosystems and cost millions of dollars.
Learn more about invasive species control, research, inventory and monitoring, education and interpretation.
Our Species
Panther Swamp National Wildlife Refuge is home to a wide variety of species. Some animals that you may see while visiting are as follows: American Alligators, White-tailed Deer, Wood Ducks, Prothonotary Warblers, Mallards, plus many more wading birds, shore birds, mammals, reptiles, etc. These are just some of the key species found around Panther Swamp National Wildlife Refuge that help our Refuge ecosystem thrive. Research has even been done here in the Mississippi Delta on the rising population of the Louisiana black bear.
When visiting the Refuge, be sure to just observe the animals, never touching or harassing them.
Our Library
Check out our digital library to see management plans, brochures, and other refuge documents.
Projects and Research
Theodore Roosevelt NWR Complex has collaborated with Mississippi State University and University of Southern Mississippi to conduct multiple studies as part of the graduate programs through Research and Monitoring Special Use Permits. Panther Swamp National Wildlife Refuge is committed to help further these research projects and initiatives and is happy to collaborate with new projects as they come!