Introducing The Refuge

Introducing The Refuge

Welcome

This blue goose, designed by J. N. “Ding” Darling, has become the symbol of the National Wildlife Refuge System.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service invites you to visit Parker River National Wildlife Refuge, near Newburyport, Massachusetts. The refuge occupies in part, the southern three-fourths of Plum Island, an 8 mile (12.9 kilometer) barrier island, and offers excellent wildlife-oriented recreational and educational opportunities with visitor facilities and programs provided to enhance your experience.

A Refuge for Birds

Parker River National Wildlife Refuge was established in 1942 primarily to provide feeding, resting, and nesting habitat for migratory birds. Located along the Atlantic Flyway, the refuge is of vital stopover significance to waterfowl, shorebirds, and songbirds during pre- and postbreeding migratory periods.

Diverse Habitats Support Diverse Wildlife

A black-throated green warbler rests and refuels during a migratory stopover at the refuge.

The refuge consists of 4,662 acres (1,883 hectares) of diverse upland and wetland habitats including sandy beach and dune, shrub/thicket, bog, swamp, freshwater marsh, salt marsh and associated creek, river, mud flat, and salt panne. These and other refuge habitats support varied and abundant populations of resident and migratory wildlife including more than 300 species of birds and additional species of mammals, reptiles, amphibians, insects, and plants.

Managing for Wildlife

A variety of management practices are in use at the refuge to enhance its value to wildlife. While visiting the refuge you may see evidence of some of these procedures. Examples are discussed below.

Mowing and Burning

Through mowing and other means, refuge habitats are sometimes manipulated for the benefit of wildlife.

Portions of refuge lands are mowed to maintain open habitats, providing food and cover for such migratory bird species as American woodcock and bobolink.

Freshwater marshes and other grasslands are burned to return nutrients to the soil and to promote new growth by reducing decomposing vegetation.

Applying Herbicides and Releasing Non-native Insects

Invasive pest plants diminish the wildlife food and protective cover values of refuge habitats by displacing native plant species. These weeds are controlled in part through the application of herbicides and the release of non-native insects that feed specifically on these plants.

Controlling Water Levels

Impoundment water levels are lowered to expose mud flat feeding and resting areas for migratory shorebirds and to promote the growth of certain wetland food plants favored by various species of ducks. This technique may also benefit herons, river otter, and other wildlife by concentrating fish and other prey in shallow pools.

Erecting Nest
Structures

A purple martin returns to its refuge nest house.

Nest boxes are erected and maintained for purple martin and other cavity-nesting birds and elevated nesting platforms are situated near refuge water bodies to attract osprey.

Also, the refuge, conservation organizations, and universities conduct on-site biological investigations to further human understanding of wildlife and their habitats. Examples include bird banding studies and wildlife population surveys. When applicable, information gained by this research is put to practical use at the refuge.

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