Fish & Wildlife Service Logo National Refuge System Logo America's National Wildlife Refuge System

Refuge Locator link
Recreation link Special Events link Volunteers link Friends link Refuge Brochures link
Site Map link FAQs link Contact Us link Home link
Celebrating a Century of Conservation
Centennial sectionEducationGeneral Interest sectionHabitats and Conservation sectionPolicy Makers section
 
Person wearing Bald Eagle costume hugging little boy.        Volunteers at the National




Woman with two children being hugged by person wearing bald eagle costume.		 Zoo – July 4, 2003




Three children wearing eagle face masks sitting in large nest made of twigs.
Baldy, the bald eagle mascot provided by Patuxent Research Refuge (Md.), greeted visitors to the Bald Eagle Refuge exhibit at the National Zoo in Washington, DC. Located in Beaver Valley, the permanent exhibit, which opened July 4 with special events, offers visitors top-notch education about that nation's symbol, which is still considered "threatened" with extinction in the lower 48 states. Ever wonder how eaglets feel? Youngsters at the Bald Eagle Refuge exhibit could learn just that in a people-friendly nest provided July 4 by the Friends of the National Zoo, which partnered with the National Wildlife Refuge System in creating a host of events for the exhibit's opening day.
Hands being tattooed at zoo event. Crowd of people walking through zoo exhibit. People stopping to look at zoo ehxibit.
Visitors at the refuge exhibit at opening day could participate in a variety of activities, including creating washable tattoos and stickers, examining wildlife pelts and asking questions of wildlife experts. More than 5,000 people streamed into the exhibit on its opening day, July 4.
Banner of endangered species at table top exhibit. Crowd of people standing near Refuge System poster exhibit. Visitors standing near Mason Neck National Wildlife Exhibit - the first refuge established expeically for bald eagles.
The Fish and Wildlife Service's Endangered Species Program joined wildlife refuges and others in providing exhibits and information about wildlife that live in Beaver Valley and other conservation issues. Pelican Island Refuge (Fla.), established in 1903, was the first refuge in a system that now protects about 95 million acres in 542 refuges. The refuge's exhibit was just one of several from refuges across the country. Mason Neck Refuge (Va.), the first refuge established especially for bald eagles, is one of the top 10 sites in the country to see bald eagles. Eagles use the mature forests for shelter and nests sites and the marshes, bays and Potomac River for foraging and hunting. The refuge is within close driving distance of downtown Washington, DC.
Large poster exhibit of National Wildlife Refuge System. Crowds of people at Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge. The Bald Eagle Refuge exhibit, housed in a natural setting of bushes, trees and other foliage.
The National Wildlife Refuge System puts wildlife first, but provides recreational and educational opportunities at refuges that are within an hour's drive of nearly every metropolitan area. Sevilleta Refuge (NM) supports four major ecological habitats, encompasses two mountain ranges and contains stretches of the largest river in the state. The refuge is unforgettable in its magnitude and austere beauty. It is vital to migrating birds and other wildlife. The refuge provided information about wolves. The Bald Eagle Refuge exhibit is housed in a natural setting and the resident eagles can be easily seen through openings in a perimeter of bushes, trees and other foliage.

- Back -

 

For a Refuge System Visitors Guide
call 1-800-344-WILD