Anaho Island National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) is located near the eastern shoreline of Pyramid Lake, Washoe County, Nevada. The refuge was established by President Woodrow Wilson in 1913 as a sanctuary for colonial nesting birds, primarily American white pelicans. Anaho Island is a part of the Pyramid Lake Paiute Indian Reservation, but is managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service as part of the National Wildlife Refuge System under an agreement with the Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribe.

To provide a secure environment for these colonial nesting birds, Anaho Island NWR is closed to the public. Boating is prohibited within 500 feet of the island.

Through February of 2006, there will be a unique volunteer opportunity weekly to visit the island and assist biologists in locating fish tags. Call Anaho Island Refuge Manager, Donna Withers at 775-423-5128 for more information.

The island supports one of the largest breeding colonies of American white pelicans in the western United States. In recent years, between 8,000 and 10,000 pelicans have returned to Anaho Island during the spring from their wintering areas in Southern California and Baja, Mexico. These fish-eating birds rely on the spring spawning runs of Pyramid Lake fish as well as the numerous shallow lakes and wetlands within 70 miles of the island, primarily the Lahontan Valley and Stillwater National Wildlife Refuge. The island also provides nesting habitat for Double crested cormorants, California gulls, Great blue herons, Black-crowned night herons, and occasionally Caspian terns.