The Sheldon National Wildlife Refuge is a 57,304-acre (23,190 ha) national wildlife refuge located on the northern border of the state of Nevada. A small portion extends northward into Oregon. It is managed by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service as the Nevada component of the Sheldon-Hart Mountain National Wildlife Refuge Complex, which is headquartered in Lakeview, Oregon. The Sheldon Refuge is noted for its population of wild horses.
The refuge was established in 1931 under executive order to carry out three central goals: First, the refuge was to provide a habitat for the pronghorn antelope, an animal whose population was in decline during the early 1900s. Second, conservation efforts were put forth to protect native fish, wildlife and plants. Finally, the refuge was to serve as a migratory bird sanctuary.
The Sheldon is one of the few intact sagebrush steppe ecosystems in the Great Basin and as a result hosts a variety of wildlife species endemic to the unique environment. Desert fishes, greater sage-grouse, migratory birds, mule deer and the pygmy rabbit are all residents of the refuge.