Located in the Bear Creek, Salt Slough, and San Joaquin River floodplain, it hosts a myriad of tree-lined channels and oxbows, wetlands and native grasslands.

Thousands of acres of wetlands, fed by an intricate set of canals, are managed to produce natural food supplies for migratory waterfowl.

San Luis also contains the most extensive network of pristine native grasslands, shrubs, and vernal pools that still remain within the Central Valley.

Herons and egrets nest in mature oaks and willows and feed on the refuge's abundant frog and crayfish populations.

This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the United States Fish and Wildlife Service.