Jocelyn Nungaray National Wildlife Refuge

The refuge was originally named after nearby Anahuac, Texas, which is in turn named after the Mexican term Anahuac. Anahuac means "place beside the waters" in Nahuatl, the language of the Aztecs. On March 4, 2025, during his second term's first address to a joint session of Congress, President Donald Trump announced he had signed an executive order (14229) to rename the refuge after Jocelyn Nungaray, a 12-year-old girl from nearby Houston who was killed in June 2024. On July 24, 2025, Trump signed the Jocelyn Nungaray National Wildlife Refuge Act, which officially codified the new name into law. ==History==

Established in 1963 as the Anahuac NWR, the Jocelyn Nungaray National Wildlife Refuge is located on the upper Texas Coast in Chambers County. The refuge protects approximately It has been designated as a site of international importance to shorebirds by the Western Hemisphere Shorebird Reserve Network. The refuge is designated as part of the Great Texas Coastal Birding Trail, a network of trails and wildlife viewing sites established by the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. == Fauna ==

Mammals Some of the small mammals recorded from Chambers County include the Virginia opossum (Didelphis virginiana), nine-banded armadillo (Dasypus novemcinctus), eastern cottontail (Sylvilagus floridanus), and the swamp rabbit (Sylvilagus aquaticus), a semi-aquatic species that is in decline in Texas. Several small carnivores inhabit the refuge such as striped skunk (Mephitis mephitis), northern raccoon (Procyon lotor), long-tailed weasel (Mustela frenata), American mink (Neogale vison), northern river otter (Lontra canadensis) common gray fox (Urocyon cinereoargenteus), coyote (Canis latrans), and bobcat (Lynx rufus). White-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) occur throughout the area. Bats include the Brazilian free-tailed bat (Tadarida brasiliensis) and the Seminole bat (Lasiurus seminolus). Among the rodents are the northern pygmy mouse (Baiomys taylori), Texas marsh rice rat (Oryzomys texensis), fulvous harvest mouse (Reithrodontomys fulvescens), Baird's pocket gopher (Geomys breviceps), muskrat (Ondatra zibethicus), and American beaver (Castor canadensis). Invasive species include the Nutria (Myocastor coypus), and Feral Hog (Sus scrofa), the latter is a significant conservation threat throughout Texas. In 1967 U.S. Fish and Wildlife placed the red wolf on the endangered species list, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) placed them on their red list, and by 1971 red wolves were predicted to be extinct within a decade without urgent action. The declines resulted from hunting and trapping, loss of habitat, and habitat alterations, which all allowed coyotes (Canis latrans) to expand their distribution into the red wolf’s range and initiating a “hybrid swarm” of the few remaining populations of genetically pure red wolves. Southern Chambers County was specifically identified as having the densest population of genetically pure red wolves, with only Moore Ranch in Cameron Parish, Louisiana having comparable numbers. Biologists estimated there was a minimum of one red wolf per 12,300 acres in Chambers County, compared to one wolf per 66,600 acres in neighboring Jefferson County, estimating a total population of 92 wolves in the State of Texas in 1971. Although it would be expected that wolf genes would diminish with each successive generation, Birds The Jocelyn Nungaray NWR lies in the Central Flyway where many of North America’s migratory birds pass through on their annual migrations. The Houston Audubon’s High Island sanctuaries (located less than 2 miles southeast of the refuge), report nearly 400 species, and similar numbers should be expected on the refuge, possibly more on the refuge’s significantly larger acreage and more divers habitats and ecosystems. The refuge attracts many birdwatchers from around the world and is noted as a location where all nine species of North American rails occur, including the rare and secretive black rail (Laterallus jamaicensis). ''), Jocelyn Nungaray NWR Large flocks of ducks and geese spend the winter months in the marshes and wetlands on the coast of the Gulf of Mexico including the northern pintail (Anas acuta), redhead (Aythya americana), American wigeon (Mareca americana), northern shoveler (Spatula clypeata), Canada goose (Branta canadensis), cackling goose (Branta hutchinsii), and many others. Additional species of wintering birds include the snowy plover (Anarhynchus nivosus), long-billed curlew (Numenius americanus), Sandwich tern (Thalasseus sandvicensis), groove-billed ani (Crotophaga sulcirostris), vermilion flycatcher (Pyrocephalus rubinus), sedge wren (Cistothorus stellaris), Sprague's pipit (Anthus spragueii), palm warbler (Setophaga palmarum), Henslow's sparrow (Centronyx henslowii), and LeConte's sparrow (Ammospiza leconteii). Pond turtles (Emydidae) include the red-eared slider (Trachemys scripta), and less commonly the chicken turtle (Deirochelys reticularia), river cooter (Pseudemys concinna), and the diamond-backed terrapin (Malaclemys terrapin) which is restricted to the brackish and saltwater marshes. Other turtles include the eastern snapping turtle (Chelydra serpentina), eastern mud turtle (Kinosternon subrubrum), spiny softshell turtle (Apalone spinifera), and three-toed box turtle (Terrapene triunguis). Although rare, sea turtles such as the loggerhead (Caretta caretta), Kemp’s Ridley (Lepidochelys kempii), and others occasionally appear on the gulf beaches. Lizards include the green anole (Anolis carolinensis), six-lined racerunner (Aspidoscelis sexlineatus), slender glass lizard (Ophisaurus attenuatus), and the invasive species the Mediterranean gecko (Hemidactylus turcicus). Fish The refuge protects areas of freshwater, brackish, and saltwater, as well as lentic and lotic environments, and a rich diversity of fish can be found there. Alligator gar (Atractosteus spatula), spotted gar (Lepisosteus oculatus), longnose gar (Lepisosteus osseus), bowfin (Amia calva), American eel (Anguilla rostrata), Atlantic stingray (Dasyatis sabina), and Atlantic needlefish (Strongylura marina) all occur in the waters. Other species include the gizzard shad (Dorosoma cepedianum), lake chubsucker (Erimyzon sucetta), bantam sunfish (Lepomis symmetricus), hogchoker (Trinectes maculatus), pigfish (Orthopristis chrysoptera), fat sleeper (Dormitator maculatus), and pinfish (Lagodon rhomboides). Some of the game fish occurring in the refuge are the smallmouth buffalo (Ictiobus bubalus), striped mullet (Mugil cephalus), white bass (Morone chrysops), yellow bass (Morone mississippiensis), warmouth (Lepomis gulosus), longear sunfish (Lepomis megalotis), largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides), and red drum (Sciaenops ocellatus). Catfish include the black bullhead (Ameiurus melas), yellow bullhead (Ameiurus natalis), channel (Ictalurus punctatus), and flathead catfish (Pylodictis olivaris). Just a few species among the great diversity of smaller fishes such as minnows and shiners are the threadfin shad (Dorosoma petenense), red shiner (Cyprinella lutrensis), emerald shiner (Notropis atherinoides), pugnose minnow (Opsopoeodus emiliae), bullhead minnow (Pimephales vigilax), inland silverside (Menidia beryllina), sheephead minnow (Cyprinodon variegatus), golden topminnow (Fundulus chrysotus), gulf killifish (Fundulus grandis), blackstripe topminnow (Fundulus notatus), bayou topminnow (Fundulus pulvereus), rainwater killifish (Lucania parva), least killifish (Heterandria formosa), sailfin molly (Poecilia latipinna), slough darter (Etheostoma gracile), naked goby (Gobiosoma bosc), gulf pipefish (Syngnathus scovelli), and bay anchovy (Anchoa mitchilli). File:AnahuacxNWRHQ.JPG|The Headquarters and Visitor’s Center, located 13 miles northwest of the refuge. File:American Lotus, Jocelyn Nungaray National Wildlife Refuge, Texas.jpg|American Lotus (Nelumbo lutea) in Shoveler Pond, Jocelyn Nungaray NWR File:Live Oak Bayou, Jocelyn Nungaray National Wildlife Refuge, Texas.jpg|Live Oak Bayou, Skillern Tract, Jocelyn Nungaray NWR File:AnahuacSnowGeese (cropped).jpg|Snow geese (Anser caerulescens) flying in the refuge File:Anahuac National Wildlife Refuge (5A) Chambers Co. TX; 1 Dec 2018.jpg|The refuge is in the Western Gulf coastal grasslands ecoregion Image:Xylocopa_micans-female_wings.jpg|Southern carpenter bee, Jocelyn Nungaray NWR ==See also==