Do Something Wild for Earth Day
"There's no better way to connect with nature and celebrate the planet than spending the day at a national wildlife refuge," said H. Dale Hall, Director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The National Wildlife Refuge System offers great opportunities to celebrate Earth Day on April 20 and several days in advance, from watching wildlife to volunteering on teams engaged in weed control or restoring native prairie.
"In its 105 years, the National Wildlife Refuge System has grown into the world's most extensive network of lands managed for wildlife," continued Hall. "The system is a shining example of what Earth Day is about: joining together with neighbors to protect the natural environment for our health and benefit, as well as for future generations."
Here's a sample of Earth Day events around the Refuge
System:
Bombay Hook National Wildlife Refuge, Delaware
Edwin B. Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge, New Jersey
Union Slough National Wildlife Refuge, Iowa
Deer Flat National Wildlife Refuge, Idaho
Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge, Georgia
Trinity River National Wildlife Refuge, Texas
John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge at Tinicum, Pennsylvania
San Francisco National Wildlife Refuge Complex, California
Bombay
Hook National Wildlife Refuge, Delaware - April 19, 2008
The Friends of Bombay Hook National Wildlife Refuge has sponsored an Earth Day cleanup for at least 15 years, removing old bottles and cans, fast food wrappers, plastic bags and other unsightly items from the along the roads leading up to the refuge. Refreshments will be served after the cleanup.
The 15,978-acre Bombay Hook National Wildlife Refuge protects one of the largest expanses of unbroken tidal marshes in the mid-Atlantic. It is known among birders as an international hotspot and has been recognized as one of America's 100 Important Bird Areas by the American Bird Conservancy; 278 species of birds can be found on the refuge, 103 of which breed there. In addition, 34 species of mammals, including river otter, white-tailed deer, raccoon and red fox patrol the grounds.
Edwin
B. Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge, New Jersey - April 19,
2008
Hard Rock Cafe´ meet the National Wildlife Refuge System. On Saturday, April 19, goodwill ambassadors from Hard Rock Cafe´ Atlantic City will volunteer for the Wildlife Drive Cleanup at the Edwin B. Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge in Oceanville, NJ. Committed to the brand's "Save The Planet" creed, Hard Rock Cafe Atlantic City will also distribute lunches to other volunteers participating in the cleanup.
An afternoon educational program at Forsythe Refuge will highlight how the refuge protects, conserves and enhances habitat for local fish and wildlife and help visitors explore how to help the environment in their own backyards.
Edwin B. Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge protects more than 46,000 acres of southern New Jersey coastal habitats and wetlands. Extending for 50 miles along the coast, it includes two of the remaining undeveloped barrier beaches in the state. Some 322 species of birds have been observed on the refuge.
Union
Slough National Wildlife Refuge, Iowa - April 19, 2008
Union Slough National Wildlife Refuge will be hosting its 4th Annual Prairie Rescue Day on Earth Day. The event is an opportunity to help protect rare habitat by removing the woody vegetation that is encroaching on the refuge's remnant prairie. Volunteers will be treated to a meal courtesy of Friends of Union Slough. There will also be opportunities to observe migrating waterfowl and see early blooming prairie wildflowers.
Union Slough National Wildlife Refuge was established in 1938 to provide breeding ground for waterfowl and other migratory birds. The actual slough is all that remains of a pre-glacial riverbed, and its name is derived from the connection or "union" of two watersheds: the Blue Earth River of Minnesota and the East Fork of the Des Moines River. The 3,334-acre refuge is an island of tall grass prairie and wetland habitat surrounded by a sea of corn and soybean fields.
Deer
Flat National Wildlife Refuge, Idaho - April 19, 2008
"Litter's not for critters" is the rallying cry for the annual Earth Day cleanup activities at Deer Flat National Wildlife Refuge in southwestern Idaho. Teams of volunteers will be dispatched throughout the refuge to improve and maintain wildlife habitat by collecting trash and pulling noxious weeds. The refuge is a significant resting and wintering area for birds migrating along the Pacific Flyway, including spectacular concentrations of mallards and Canada geese.
Okefenokee
National Wildlife Refuge, Georgia - April 19, 2008
Earth Day on Georgia's Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge will begin with a litter pick up along the highway that runs adjacent to the refuge. That will be followed by educational programs featuring ways people can make a difference in their local communities, habitat needs of red cockaded woodpeckers and the important role wildfire plays in maintaining Okefenokee's natural habitat. A bicycle tour of staffed exhibits is also planned.
The largest National Wildlife Refuge in the eastern United States, Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge was established in 1936 to preserve the 438,000 acres of Okefenokee Swamp. The swamp remains one of the oldest and most well preserved freshwater areas in America, extending 38 miles north to south and 25 miles east to west. Okefenokee is a European rendition of Native American words meaning "land of the trembling earth," a reference to the unstable peat deposits that mark the vast bog that makes up much of the landscape.
Trinity
River National Wildlife Refuge, Texas - April 19, 2008
Earth Day 2008 activities at Trinity River National Wildlife Refuge in southeastern Texas will include canoeing, kayaking and boating tours, bird and butterfly viewing, walking the levee trail, and dip netting and fishing lessons for kids.
The refuge totals 17,500 acres, protecting a slice of bottomland hardwood forest ecosystem along the Trinity River. The refuge is a broad flat floodplain made up of numerous sloughs, oxbow lakes, artesian wells, and tributaries. Wildlife observation and photography opportunities abound at Trinity River. Annual counts have revealed more than 60 different species of butterflies and 275 bird species in the refuge.
John
Heinz National Wildlife Refuge at Tinicum, Pennsylvania -
April 12, 2008
The Earth Day cleanup at John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge is part of the annual Darby Creek Cleanup activities that have been going on for more than two decades. Co-sponsored by the Friends of John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge, the Darby Creek Valley Association and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the event regularly attracts up to 200 volunteers who scour low water points along the refuge to gather trash and other debris that have accumulated with the tides over the year. The event's advertisements promise "We supply the equipment and lunch. You supply the muscle and enthusiasm." Lunch, in the form of a cookout at the refuge's Cusano Environmental Education Center, is provided by the Friends of John Heinz.
John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge protects Pennsylvania's largest remaining freshwater tidal marsh, providing habitat to more than 300 species of birds, 85 of which nest on the refuge. Located within a short drive of a large urban area (and about a mile from Philadelphia International Airport), the refuge and its Cusano Environmental Education Center serve as living, hands-on classrooms for thousands of inner-city students and their teachers.
San Francisco National Wildlife Refuge Complex Environmental
Education Center, California
The San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge Complex's Environmental
Education Center in the San Jose will feature the Slow the
Flow program, a well-established and popular environmental
education opportunity for children in the south Bay Area. Activities
and presentations will focus on the relationship between personal
actions and their effects on the resources. The center staff expects
to host a number of 5th graders to participate for Earth Day.
Also, the Wetland Round-Up Program is a popular, hands-on
environmental education opportunity where students investigate
butterflies at the San Francisco Bay Refuge Complex's Environmental
Education Center butterfly garden, taste pickleweed in the salt
marsh and discover the wildlife that live in the slough water.
The Center is situated at the southern end of San Francisco Bay and is surrounded by uplands, salt marshes, salt ponds and freshwater tidal slough. An open pavilion, trails and a boardwalk through the salt marsh habitat make it easy to see and explore natural wonders of the South Bay.
The San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge Complex is a collection
of seven National Wildlife Refuges: Antioch
Dunes National Wildlife Refuge, Don
Edwards San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge, Ellicott
Slough National Wildlife Refuge, Farallon
National Wildlife Refuge, Marin
Islands National Wildlife Refuge, Salinas
River National Wildlife Refuge, and San
Pablo Bay National Wildlife Refuge. Together,
this network of refuges is devoted to preserving migratory birds,
endangered species and other wildlife.
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