 The Wildlife Center at the refuge was finally completed and opened in January 2008 . A dedication ceremony was held at the Wildlife Center on March 29 , 2008 ; 500 people attended the event including Congressman David Wu and author Richard <unk> . In 2008 , the refuge had attracted 50 @,@ 000 birds in a single day , with 20 @,@ 000 birds wintering in the refuge . As of December 2008 , the federal government had spent $ 10 @.@ 4 million on the refuge and it had grown to 1 @,@ 358 acres ( 550 ha ) . The refuge submitted a proposal to start collecting user fees in February 2009 , with a planned start date of August 2009 . In December 2013 , the Wapato Lake National Wildlife Refuge was split out from <unk> . 
