Nowitna National Wildlife Refuge, National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska, United States.

Nowitna National Wildlife Refuge is a large protected area in Alaska covering wetlands, forests, and the Nowitna River valley. The space provides habitat for numerous plants and animals across a vast, undeveloped landscape.

The refuge was created in 1980 by the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act (ANILCA) and is administered by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service. The IUCN lists it as a Category IV habitat and species management area. Its lands had been used for centuries before that by Koyukon Athabascans for hunting, fishing and trapping.

Koyukon Athabascans have hunted, fished and trapped on these lands for centuries, and trapping marten and other furbearers still supports the economy of people in the region. The refuge lies south of the Yukon River in Alaska's Interior.

The refuge is only reachable by aircraft or boat since there are no roads to access it. Visitors should prepare for a remote, undeveloped setting and ideally bring local knowledge or arrange for guides.

More than 120 bird species have been recorded on the refuge in summer, but only a few dozen hardy species remain through winter. The grassy margins of the Nowitna's lower reaches and surrounding lakes serve as breeding habitat for trumpeter swans, white-fronted geese, canvasback ducks and cranes.