The Utah Museum of Natural History features an exhibit called "America's Wildest Places," which focuses on America's National Wildlife Refuge System. It continues until May 26.

Museum employee Cattie Webb said the exhibit's visitors were, like subjects of the exhibit, from throughout the country.

The exhibit shows the importance of the United States' National Wildlife system. According to the exhibit, the system's purpose includes restoring and conserving wetlands, conserving big game, the recovery of endangered animals and plants.

The system is designed to preserve biological diversity, including marine ecosystems. Conservation of marine ecosystems such as reefs marks a new direction for the system, according to the exhibit.

Various refuges were discussed. For example, kenai salmon are the brown bear's most important food. Without salmon, bears could not survive during winter because they could not accumulate enough body fat.

President Theodore Roosevelt started the NWR system by executive order in 1903.

Pelican Island in Florida was the first refuge. According to the exhibit, the area is home to about 3,000 species.

Many refuges are located along migratory bird flyways to preserve bird numbers. Without wetlands more than 200 species of birds might perish and clams, crabs and many fish would have no nurseries. The exhibit likens the refuges to a chain of hotels and restaurants along North America's major flyways.

The Doug Darling blueprint for restoring wetlands was shown. The steps are to build low dikes, then create pools that collect snowmelt with small islands within the pools for nest sites and finally gather tons of aquatic plants from existing marshes and plant them for food and cover.

There are 540 refuges with 100 million acres under protection. Every state and territory is home to at least one refuge. The system is managed by the Fish and Wildlife Service which is overseen by the Department of the Interior.

According to the Fish and Wildlife Service, about 40 million people visit the nation's refuges each year. Thirty-seven thousand volunteers and hundreds of community based organizations work with the refuge's national staff.

A touch screen showed where the refuges are in each state. Utah has the Fish Springs NWR, the Quray NWR and the Bear River migratory bird refuge.

This touch screen was a highlight of the whole exhibit. The main menu offered a refuge locator, heroes of the refuge system, stories of the refuges, and a history and chronology, as well as information on America's scenic highways.

John Jeppson, an exhibit visitor, said he goes to the refuge in Farmington Bay once a week.

Charmaine Jeppson also recently visited that refuge and saw golden eagles, seven barn owls, a peregrine falcon, red winged blackbirds, herons, kestrels and swans.

Today, the refuge's wildlife is threatened by encroaching development and deteriorating habitats.

When & where

* America's Wildest Places runs through May 26. The Utah Museum of Natural History is located at 1390 E. President's Circle. For more information, call 801-581-4303, or visit www.umnh.utah.edu.