Vanez T. Wilson's manuscript collection is divided into five series and documents his career with the Bear River Bird Refuge through correspondence, newspaper and magazine articles, journals, reports, and calendars. The "Personal" series chronicles his life beginning as a young student and engineer. Included are correspondence with friends and acquaintances as well as papers he delivered and articles he authored. Wilson's personal papers also include awards and certificates from his career and involvement with community groups.

The series entitled “Bear River Bird Refuge” contains papers, articles, maps, etc. that pertain to the refuge but which were not authored by Mr. Wilson personally. The series also includes various newspaper and magazine articles which often feature Mr. Wilson in his role as refuge manager and the work he did there. “Field Diaries and Travel Records” provides a valuable look at Mr. Wilson’s daily work at the Refuge in his own words, from 1929 to 1957. The “Narrative Reports” series documents the conditions, progress, and affairs of the Refuge between 1938 and 1963. Finally, the volumes held within the “Calendars” section are similar to Mr. Wilson’s field diaries and travel records in that they record Mr. Wilson’s personal and professional business, though not in as much detail.