This guide is a companion to the U.S. Department of the Interior’s Adaptive Management Technical and Applications Guides (Williams et al. 2009; Williams et al. 2012) and provides operational guidance for implementing effective natural resource management and implementation of adaptive management (AM) within the National Wildlife Refuge System (Refuge System). The Refuge System should use AM to “assess and modify management strategies and prescriptions, as necessary, and to achieve habitat goals and objectives” (620 FW 1.7F and 1.14B). This guide fulfills Recommendation 6 (Provide each refuge with access to resources to fully implement the principles of adaptive management) in Conserving the Future: Wildlife Refuges and the Next Generation (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service 2011) by providing information to help Refuge System staff fully realize the benefits of applying the principles of AM to some of our toughest management challenges.