Parker River National Wildlife Refuge
Northeast Region
 
6 Plum Island Turnpike
Newburyport, Mass.
01950
(978) 465-5753

Welcome

Refuge News & Updates

Please Note: Refuge beaches are closed to all public access as of April 2nd, in order protect the federally threatened piping plover. A small patch of beach does remain open and is accessible via the boardwalk at Lot 1.

  • The refuge has just announced plans for the 2012 Photo Camp for Teens. For an application form, click here.
  • Join us on Saturday, June 9th for our annual, family-centered Let's Go Fishing event! For further details, click here.
  • Want to gain a better understanding of our piping plover management efforts and the reasons for the seasonal beach closure at Parker River NWR? Click here.
  • Click here to go to the Slow the Flow program website.
  • Explore the refuge with your GPS device! We have a new, GPS-based, self-guided interpretive tour called GeoQuest. Click here for more information.
  • Participate in our May, 2012 public programs! For more informatino, click here.
  • Here's our schedule of public programs for June, 2012! Click here.
  • Click here to access the Spring, 2012 edition of The Wrack Line, our quarterly newsletter.
  • Did you know that Rachel Carson wrote a brochure about Parker River NWR? Well, it's true, she did! Click here to view or download that historic document.
  • Parker River National Wildlife Refuge is currently undergoing the Comprehensive Conservation Planning process. To learn more about this process, and to see newsletters and a schedule of upcoming public meetings, please visit our Refuge Planning website.

Parker River National Wildlife Refuge was established in 1942 to provide feeding, resting, and nesting habitat for migratory birds. The refuge occupies 4,662 acres on the southern two-thirds of Plum Island, a barrier island on the Northeast coast of Massachusetts, and is administered by the US Fish and Wildlife Service, a federal agency. Parker River is one of over 550 Refuges in the National Wildlife Refuge System, a national network of lands dedicated to "wildlife first."

Today, Parker River provides pristine coastal habitat for over 300 species of resident and migratory birds, as well as a large variety of mammals, insects, fish, reptiles and amphibians. The Refuge also provides critical habitat for the federally threatened Piping Plover.

In addition to its mission of wildlife conservation, the Refuge provides a variety of excellent wildlife-dependent recreational activities, including surf fishing, wildlife observation and photography, guided nature programs, and seasonal waterfowl and deer hunting opportunities.

Parker River is also responsible for the management of Great Bay National Wildlife Refuge, Thacher Island National Wildlife Refuge, and Wapack National Wildlife Refuge. Great Bay National Wildlife Refuge also includes a 28-acre conservation easement in Concord, New Hampshire, which is managed primarily for the federally endangered Karner blue butterfly. Great Bay National Wildlife Refuge is in the process of completing its 15 Year Comprehensive Conservation Plan. To find out more about this plan, please click here.

To view a video about Parker River NWR, click here.

Refuge rules and regulations can be viewed by clicking here.

Information about applying for a Special Use Permit can be obtained by clicking here.

Enjoy your visit!

Last updated: May 24, 2012