Connect with nature During National Wildlife Refuge Week
A NATURAL ESCAPE: The National Wildlife Refuge System’s more than 2,500 miles of land and water trails appeal to visitors who come to bird watch, fish, hunt, photograph nature, hike or just to be outdoors. —U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service photo
Hearing wolves howl, tagging monarch butterflies, snapping pictures of soaring eagles, or just walking in the woods, thousands of Americans will be making a special connection with nature during National Wildlife Refuge Week, October 7 to 13, 2007.
The National Wildlife Refuge System, with 547 national wildlife refuges nationwide, protects approximately 97 million acres of fish and wildlife habitat. Scores of national wildlife refuges are offering special programs to help celebrate National Wildlife Refuge Week across the country.
The week highlights the six wildlife-dependent recreation uses offered on national wildlife refuges: hunting, fishing, wildlife photography, wildlife observation, and environmental education and interpretation. The week-long celebration is also part of a year-long commemoration of the 100th anniversary of the birth of pioneering conservationist and writer Rachel Carson.
“Sixty years ago, Rachel Carson wrote that wildlife refuges provide a release from the tensions of modern life,’” said U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service director H. Dale Hall. “They do that, and more. National wildlife refuges also promise outdoor adventure to children growing up in a digital age, whose idea of nature might be watching animals on television. Refuges offer the real thing.”
Last year, more than 39 million people visited America’s national wildlife refuges. There is at least one national wildlife refuge in every state, and residents of most metropolitan areas can find a national wildlife refuge less than an hour’s drive from their front doors.
The National Wildlife Refuge System’s more than 2,500 miles of land and water trails appeal to visitors who come to bird watch, fish, hunt, photograph nature, hike, or just to be outdoors.
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“Once people know about the great things we do, they flock to national wildlife refuges, whether as visitors or volunteers,” said National Wildlife Refuge System chief Geoffrey L. Haskett. “We welcome them during National Wildlife Refuge Week and throughout the year.”
This year also marks the 10th anniversary of the National Wildlife Refuge System Improvement act, which provides guidance to the secretary of the interior for the overall management of the refuge system. The act includes a “strong and singular” wildlife conservation mission for the refuge system and recognizes that six wildlife-dependent recreational uses, when determined to be compatible, are legitimate and appropriate public uses of the nation’s wildlife refuges.
To find a national wildlife refuge near you, go to www.refuges.fws.gov or call 1-800-344-WILD (9453).
Among events planned across the country for National Wildlife Refuge Week are:
ARIZONA, October 6: White River National Wildlife Refuge’s annual wildlife festival begins at 9 a.m. Children's activities include birdhouse building, bird feeder making, T-shirt printing, button making and temporary tattoos. Free boat tours are offered on the hour until 1 p.m. Wildlife programs and guided walks are scheduled throughout the day. Call 870-282-8200 or visit www.fws.gov/whiteriver.
TEXAS, October 13: The ninth annual Trinity River Butterfly Count will be held at Trinity River National Wildlife Refuge in southeastern Texas. Butterfly counters will meet at 8 a.m. at the Exxon gas station located on Highway 105, two miles east of Highway 321 (or one mile west of FM 2518). For more information: 936-336-9786.
