Winning photos of creatures found in America’s national wildlife refuges

National wildlife refuges are America’s lesser-known public lands.

National parks and monuments draw lots of visitors and attention, but the National Wildlife Refuge System includes lands open to the public too. It protects 150 million acres of land and water from Maine to Alaska -- and the creatures that live there.

There are 39 refuges in California that are part of the national system managed by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, which includes 563 refuges and 38 wetland areas.

Here are some stunning examples of species that thrive in these wild lands and of places you may want to visit on your next getaway.

The images were selected from about 800 entries in a 2015 photography contest run by the National Wildlife Refuge Assn., a conservation group that works to protect habitats and wildlife.

Dennis Davenport of Portland, Ore., took the top prize of $1,000 for his photo of an American Kestrel at Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge in Washington state.

Second place went to Craig Goettsch of Colorado Springs, Colo., for this photo of a yellow-crowned night heron at J.N. Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge in Florida.

Third place went to Steve Dimock of Bandon, Ore., (see main photo) for his image of a harbor seal pup at Oregon Islands National Wildlife Refuge in Oregon.

Freddie Beckwith of Pottsboro, Texas, came in fourth for this delicate image of a Gulf fritillary butterfly at Hagerman National Wildlife Refuge in Texas.

Check out the photographs that received honorable mentions at the organization’s website. They feature Nevada’s Ruby Mountains, a bobcat at Tule Lake in California and other arresting nature shots.

Visit the National Wildlife Refuge System for a complete list of federal lands from coast to coast.

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