St. Vincent National Wildlife Refuge, National Wildlife Refuge on St. Vincent Island, Florida.

St. Vincent National Wildlife Refuge is a protected area along Florida's Gulf coast with islands and mainland sections that support different types of habitats for wildlife. The place includes forests, marshes, beaches, and coastal zones where you can find birds, deer, alligators, and other species.

Native Americans lived on St. Vincent Island by around 240 CE, as pottery shards show; the island lay in the territory of the Chine people, known for piloting from Apalachee Bay to Mobile Bay. After the 1704 Apalachee Massacre the residents died or were displaced, and the island passed through various owners of European ancestry. In 1968 The Nature Conservancy bought it for $2.2 million, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service repaid them from Duck Stamp sales, and the refuge was established.

The island's name comes from the Spanish mission era, and its shell-lined main road, B Road, is a remnant of early 20th-century ranching. Since 1990 the refuge has bred endangered red wolves, whose pups are moved to Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge in North Carolina. Three lottery-awarded primitive hunts for sambar deer, white-tailed deer, feral hogs and raccoons are held between November and January, when the island closes to other visitors.

The nearest boat ramp is a quarter mile from the island at the end of Indian Pass Road (County Road 30B), 22 miles west of Apalachicola; private shuttles run from local captains. There is no visitor center, drinking water or restroom, and only B Road is shelled. Watch winds, tides, currents and oyster bars, and note the refuge closes to the public during three lottery hunts between November and January.

The area hosts a breeding program for endangered red wolves, a rare species that nearly disappeared from North America. These wolves play an important role in restoring ecosystems and show success in the fight against extinction.