LOS BANOS – The patch Jack Sparks and his co-workers at the San Luis National Wildlife Refuge Complex wear on the left shoulder of their work uniforms is a constant source of confusion.

"Everyone thinks we work for Fish and Game, even when they look at my patch," Sparks said. "And when I tell people I work at the San Luis wildlife refuge, they say, 'Oh, you work at the reservoir.' "

No, and no.

Sparks is an employee of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the federal agency responsible for the management of migratory fish and birds and the preservation of their natural habitats. That's entirely separate from the California Department of Fish and Game, which protects the state's resident wildlife.

Part of the reason for the confusion is that the area around Los Banos is a virtual checkerboard of national wildlife refuges, state wildlife areas and private duck clubs. And being able to differentiate between them – without a detailed map – isn't easy.

It didn't help that most San Luis National Wildlife Refuge Complex employees were headquartered in a Los Banos strip mall, miles from the refuges they were entrusted to manage. But that all changed in October, following the grand opening of a new on-site visitor center and headquarters.

The 16,000-square foot facility, a $10 million project built by funds from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, houses an exhibit hall, an education room meant for school field trips, and staff offices. It is open daily from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. (except federal holidays) and admission is free. A life-sized bronze statue of a tule elk stands outside the main entrance.

The exhibit hall is a must-stop for anyone curious about the natural world, especially kids. It has more than 20 interactive displays, including beaver and otter pelts to stroke, elk antlers to lift, buttons to press and drawers to pull out. It's all very tactile-friendly.

"A lot of people wonder, 'What can you do on the refuge?' " said Sparks, a Bullard High graduate who is the San Luis National Wildlife Refuge Complex's outdoor recreation planner. "Now we have a place to tell them and show them."

Composed of the 26,800-acre San Luis National Wildlife Refuge, the 10,200-acre Merced NWR, the 7,000-acre San Joaquin River NWR outside Modesto and the Grasslands Wildlife Management Area (a collection of nearly 200 private duck clubs that operate under federal easements), the complex represents California's largest remaining collection of freshwater wetlands.

During the winter and early spring, these ponds and marshes are a major stopover for hundreds of species of waterfowl and shorebirds migrating along the Pacific Flyway, that ancient avian highway that stretches from Alaska to South America.

If birds aren't the star attraction, then that title goes to the some 85 tule elk that are contained within a 780-acre enclosure that abuts against the new visitor center. The 5-mile driving tour around the elk enclosure is the most popular activity on the refuge. Just be sure to bring binoculars.

"Sometimes the elk are close to the fence, other times they're at a distance," Sparks said. "But it's very rare that you drive the entire 5-mile route and not see one."

Besides the elk tour, there are several driving tours and hiking trails that take visitors closer to the wildlife. A couple of the trails lead to large overlook platforms with spotting scopes for close-up wildlife viewing and picnic areas.

And it's not all migratory birds such as mallards, pintail and teal. Hiking along a gravel trail through brush or tule reeds, you might encounter a black-tailed deer, kit fox, pheasant or quail.

There are six approved user activities on federal wildlife refuges: wildlife viewing, hunting, fishing, photography, interpretation and environmental education. Even though some of these uses seem disparate, all carry equal weight.

Sparks, in fact, encourages bird watchers to visit on hunting days (Saturdays, Sundays and Wednesdays during the winter months).

"No one has to worry about dodging shotgun pellets because the hunt areas are completely separate from the wildlife areas," he said. "The birds know this, too. They pick up off the hunt zone and often move over to the auto tour route. On hunting days, the wildlife viewing can be great."

On any day, a visit to the San Luis NWR is a great reminder of how the San Joaquin Valley used to be. Before humans started tinkering.

"I think a lot of people who grew up in Fresno, Merced or Los Banos don't realize that it didn't always look like that," Sparks said of a group that used to include himself. "This is what the Valley used to be like."