Established in 1972 along the lower Columbia River in southwestern Washington and northwestern Oregon, this National Wildlife Refuge was created to protect and manage the endangered Columbian white-tailed deer. Its more than 5,600 acres of pastures, tidal swamps, woodlots, marshes, and sloughs provide secure habitat for the deer while also supporting birds, Roosevelt elk, river otter, painted turtles, red-legged frogs, bald eagles, and osprey. Renamed in 1990 for former U.S. representative Julia Butler Hansen, the refuge has been central to the deer’s regional recovery, though flooding and the need for habitat on surrounding private lands remain important challenges.