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		Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge is a well-managed resource of local, regional and national significance that represents a unique cross-section of natural processes, habitat and wildlife typical to the local wetland environment, as well as human activity in the area over time.   The refuge is well connected to the town of Ridgefield and the wider region via a range of greenways and transportation linkages, and provides a source of identity and economic growth for the Ridgefield community.   The refuge facilitates year round opportunities for interpretation and education of the habitat and wildlife values of the site as well as Chinook and European influences in the area, including the Lewis and Clark Expedition in 1805-06. It highlights the relationship between nature and human development and how the continuance of one ultimately depends on the other, with water being the common binding element.