located_in_the_administrative_territorial_entity passage key national wildlife refuge
The Chassahowitzka National Wildlife Refuge is part ___MASK72___ the United States National Wildlife Refuge System , located on the west coast ___MASK72___ ___MASK92___ , about north ___MASK72___ St . Petersburg . It is famous as the southern wintering site for the re - introduced eastern population ___MASK72___ whooping cranes . The United States Fish and Wildlife Service ( USFWS or FWS ) is an agency ___MASK72___ the federal government within the U . S . Department ___MASK72___ the Interior which is dedicated to the management ___MASK72___ fish , wildlife , and natural habitats . The mission ___MASK72___ the agency is " working with others to conserve , protect , and enhance fish , wildlife , plants and their habitats for the continuing benefit ___MASK72___ the American people ." The protected areas ___MASK72___ the United States are managed by an array ___MASK72___ different federal , state , tribal and local level authorities and receive widely varying levels ___MASK72___ protection . Some areas are managed as wilderness , while others are operated with acceptable commercial exploitation . , the 25 , 800 protected areas covered , or 14 percent ___MASK72___ the land area ___MASK72___ the United States . This is also one - tenth ___MASK72___ the protected land area ___MASK72___ the world . The U . S . also had a total ___MASK72___ 787 National Marine Protected Areas , covering an additional , or 12 percent ___MASK72___ the total marine area ___MASK72___ the United States . The whooping crane (" Grus ___MASK23___ "), the tallest North American bird , is an endangered crane species named for its whooping sound . In 2003 , there were about 153 pairs of whooping cranes . Along with the sandhill crane , it is one of only two crane species found in North America . The whooping crane ' s lifespan is estimated to be 22 to 24 years in the wild . After being pushed to the brink of extinction by unregulated hunting and loss of habitat to just 21 wild and two captive whooping cranes by 1941 , conservation efforts have led to a limited recovery . As of February 2015 , the total population was 603 including 161 captive birds . National Wildlife Refuge System is a designation for certain protected areas ___MASK72___ the United States managed by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service . The National Wildlife Refuge System is the system ___MASK72___ public lands and waters set aside to conserve America ' s fish , wildlife and plants . Since President Theodore Roosevelt designated ___MASK92___ ' s Pelican Island National Wildlife Refuge as the first wildlife refuge in 1903 , the System has grown to over 562 national wildlife refuges and 38 wetland management districts encompassing more than . The Passage Key National Wildlife Refuge is part ___MASK72___ the United States National Wildlife Refuge System , located offshore from St . Petersburg . The 64 - acre ( 260 , 000 m2 ) refuge was established in 1905 . It is one ___MASK72___ the three ' Tampa Bay Refuges ' , and is administered as a part ___MASK72___ the Chassahowitzka National Wildlife Refuge Complex . The Passage Key Wilderness Area is part ___MASK72___ the refuge , and consists ___MASK72___ 36 . 37 acres ( or 56 . 9 % ) ___MASK72___ its total area . It was established in 1970 , to protect native birds and serve as a breeding ground for them . Passage Key has suffered substantial shoaling in recent years , and is currently reduced to a small sandbar approximately 100 yards ( 91 m ) long at high tide . Passage Key has been a popular destination for nudists for several years . ___MASK92___ ( Spanish for " land of flowers ") is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States . It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico , to the north by Alabama and Georgia , to the east by the Atlantic Ocean , and to the south by the Straits of ___MASK92___ and Cuba . ___MASK92___ is the 22nd most extensive , the 3rd most populous , and the 8th most densely populated of the U . S . states . Jacksonville is the most populous municipality in the state and is the largest city by area in the contiguous United States . The Miami metropolitan area is ___MASK92___ ' s most populous urban area . The city of Tallahassee is the state capital . ___MASK38___ Roosevelt Jr . (; October 27 , 1858  January 6 , 1919 ) was an American statesman , author , explorer , soldier , naturalist , and reformer who served as the 26th President ___MASK72___ the United States from 1901 to 1909 . As a leader ___MASK72___ the Republican Party during this time , he became a driving force for the Progressive Era in the United States in the early 20th century . Pelican Island National Wildlife Refuge is a United States National Wildlife Refuge located just off the western coast ___MASK72___ Orchid Island in the ___MASK88___ River Lagoon east ___MASK72___ Sebastian , ___MASK92___ . The refuge consists ___MASK72___ a island that includes an additional ___MASK72___ surrounding water and is located off the east coast ___MASK72___ ___MASK92___ ___MASK72___ the ___MASK88___ River Lagoon . Established by an executive order ___MASK72___ President Theodore Roosevelt on March 14 , 1903 , Pelican Island was the first national wildlife refuge in the United States . It was created to protect egrets and other birds from extinction through plume hunting .