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| The rare swallow-tailed kite is considered one of the most threatened land birds currently without federal protection |
| Credit: Howard Costa, Hilton Head Audubon see Birds with Backpacks |
September 2009 Media Tip Sheet
A Return to Dry Land More than sixty–five years ago the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers dammed the Washita River in southern Oklahoma, submerging much of the 13,000–acre Washita Farm beneath Lake Texoma. Today, rooftops of the former agricultural showplace poke through the lake — evocative features of Tishomingo National Wildlife Refuge, one of very few refuges to boast an underwater ghost town. But the land is fighting back. The lake is silting so heavily that it could disappear in 25 to 50 years. And that worries some local residents, who've come to depend on it for fishing (they use the rooftops to cast for crappie, white bass and catfish). It also poses a conservation challenge for the refuge, created to protect migratory birds . . . Read More
Web Cam on California's Galapagos. A unique new web cam (http://www.calacademy.org/webcams/farallones) is providing live images of sea bird and ocean activity from remote Farallon National Wildlife Refuge, 27 miles off the coast of San Francisco. The refuge, celebrating its centennial this year, is closed to the public in part because it hosts the largest seabird colony in the continental United States . . . Read More
Birds with Backpacks. In the blackwater swamps of South Carolina, scientists at Waccamaw National Wildlife Refuge are awaiting results from the first phase of a synchronized six–state aerial census of the rare and beautiful swallow–tailed kite. The species is considered one of the most threatened land birds currently without federal protection . . . Read More
Cause for Celebration. Many National Wildlife Refuges around the country plan special events to mark
• National Public Lands Day (NPLD), Saturday, September 26
• National Hunting and Fishing Day, Saturday, September 26
• National Wildlife Refuge Week, Sunday, October 11 – Saturday, October 17
Read More
Enjoy Fall Events on Refuges. A world of seasonal wonders awaits you this fall at a National Wildlife Refuge. The National Wildlife Refuge System, managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, is the world's premier system of public lands and waters set aside to conserve America's fish, wildlife and plants. Here is a sampling of early fall events . . . Read More
