Located within the picturesque Narrow River on the Southern Coast of Rhode Island, this Refuge is comparatively small in size, but big in protecting the unique features of this area.

At 317 acres, the John H. Chafee National Wildlife Refuge provides habitat for the largest black duck population in Rhode Island, and is recognized under international agreements as a critically important area for this species. The scenic vistas offered by the refuge and surrounding areas is well noted and attracts people from throughout the region.

The refuge contains expansive saltmarsh habitats and adjacent uplands which teem with a variety of wildlife including great egrets, herons, and several species of plovers and other shorebirds.

Over 200 different species occupying a variety of habitats call the refuge home. Pettaquamscutt Cove is an estuary which teams with a wide variety of waterfowl, shorebirds, and wading birds throughout the year. Black bellied plovers can be seen searching the mudflats for insects, and mussels and clams hidden in the flats add to the areas quality. Black Ducks ply the waterways, and young piping plovers can be seen in late summer. Osprey search the area for one of the over 20 fish species which occur in the lower Narrow River and Pettaquamscutt Cove.

Originally named the Pettaquamscutt Cove National Wildlife Refuge in 1988, it was renamed the John H. Chafee National Wildlife Refuge in 1999, in honor of the late Senator who was a leading conservationist in the nation, and a strong supporter of the Refuges in Rhode Island.