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About Us

The Mashpee National Wildlife Refuge is one of more than 550 refuges in the National Wildlife Refuge System throughout the United States. The National Wildlife Refuge System is the world's largest and most diverse collection of lands and waters specifically set aside for the conservation and management of wildlife resources. Mashpee NWR is one of eight refuges comprising the Eastern Massachusetts NWR Complex. These ecologically diverse refuges include the Assabet River, Great Meadows, Mashpee, Massasoit, Monomoy, Nantucket, Nomans Land Island, and Oxbow NWRs.

Mashpee National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) was established in 1995 to preserve and protect natural resources associated with the Waquoit Bay area for the protection of waterfowl and protection of wildlife. Located in the towns of Mashpee and Falmouth, this refuge will total 5,871 acres when complete, only a small percentage of which will be owned by the Fish and Wildlife Service. Currently, 335 acres are in FWS ownership. Managed through a unique partnership among nine Federal, State and private conservation groups, this Cape Cod refuge preserves thousands of acres of magnificent salt marshes, cranberry bogs, Atlantic white cedar swamps, freshwater marshes, rivers and vernal pools.

Environmental education and interpretive programs are offered throughout the year by our Refuge Friends group (on and off site). For a complete map please contact Friends of Mashpee NWR; there are public use areas on several of the partner's properties which are posted on the refuge map.  

Friends of Mashpee NWR PO Box 1283 Mashpee, MA 02649  508-292-3707

Getting to Mashpee National Wildlife Refuge

Coming north from the Bourne Bridge take MacArthur Blvd (Route 28) south  to Route 151 (7.0 miles) toward Mashpee (right).  Go east on 151 for 6.6 miles to you reach the Mashpee rotary.  At the rotary take Great Neck road south( second exit) and go straight for 4.1  miles to Jehu Pond Conservation area parking lot on your right