The refuge entrance is located on Port Road (Route 9) in Wells and just minutes from exit 19 on I-95. From exit 19, turn left onto Route 9/Route109. At stop light, turn left onto Post Road (Route 1 North). Just past the Maine Diner, turn right onto Port Road (Route 9) and follow for approximately ¾ mile; turn right into the refuge entrance.

321 Port Road, Wells, Maine 04090 

(207) 646-9226 

rachelcarson@fws.gov

Download the Rachel Carson National Wildlife Refuge Brochure (pdf - 793KB)

The southern Maine coast has been treasured for over 11,000 years. Learn about the history of the land now known as Rachel Carson National Wildlife Refuge.

Rachel Carson was a world-renowned marine biologist, author and environmentalist. She served as an aquatic biologist and editor-in-chief for the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. During her tenure, she composed a series of articles on Atlantic Coast wildlife refuges. Ms. Carson was born in Pennsylvania in 1907. Though the mystery of the sea and its creatures captivated her at an early age, the Maine coast particularly inspired her. Beginning in 1952, she summered on Southport Island, where she studied its beach and tide pools to research The Edge of the Sea (1955). Through tireless investigation for her greatest work, Silent Spring (1962), she linked the unrestrained use of post-World War II chemical pesticides with fearsome, biological consequences. April 2012 marked the 50th anniversary of the publication of Rachel Carson's groundbreaking book, Silent Spring. By publishing it, Carson has been credited with launching the contemporary environmental movement and awakening the concern of Americans for the environment.