Cedar Keys National Wildlife Refuge is a protected coastal refuge near Cedar Key, Florida, at the western end of State Road 24. Part of the United States National Wildlife Refuge System, it spans 762 acres and was established in 1929; 379 acres later became the Cedar Keys Wilderness Area in 1972. Its islands include higher forested ground and lower salt marsh and mangrove habitat. The refuge is especially important for colonial nesting migratory birds such as white ibis, brown pelican, and double-crested cormorant, and cottonmouth snakes also live there. Public use emphasizes fishing, wildlife watching, photography, education programs, and limited hiking and beachcombing.