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Bitter Lake
National Wildlife Refuge
4200 E. Pine Lodge Road
Roswell, NM   88201
E-mail: Floyd_Truetken@fws.gov
Phone Number: 575-622-6755
Visit the Refuge's Web Site:
http://www.fws.gov/refuge/Bitter_Lake/
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  Recreation and Education Opportunities

Environmental Education
Please visit our website for more details.

Hunting
Please visit our website for more details.

Interpretation
The nearly 7 mile auto tour route begins near the Joseph R. Skeen Visitor Center.

Visitors may stop at visitor center to obtain Refuge information, view interpretive exhibits, view the 20 minute Refuge video, and browse the Nature Store operated by the Friends of Bitter Lake NWR.

Wildlife Observation
Whether looking for dragonflies, birds, or entirely new species, Bitter Lake NWR offers plenty of places for discovery. Observation platforms lend expansive views. Take a 7-mile, self-guided auto tour route around lakes brimming with life. Experience the desert oasis on foot along established hiking trails.

Every season brings a wealth of wildlife discoveries along the 7 mile auto tour. April features shorebird migrations, songbirds pass through in May, nesting black-necked stilts and least terns can be observed during June and July, while the Pecos Puzzle sunflower begins to bloom in August and September, snow geese and sandhill cranes can be seen from mid-October through February.

For the prepared adventurers, you can enter the Salt Creek Wilderness in the shadow of a dramatic red bluff outlining the refuge northern boundary. The refuge does not allow over night camping.




Leave No Trace
Leave No Trace is a national educational program to inform visitors about reducing the damage caused by outdoor activities, particularly non-motorized recreation. Leave No Trace principles and practices are based on an abiding respect for the natural world and our fellow wildland visitors. We can act on behalf of the places and wildlife that inspire us by adopting the skills and ethics that enable us to Leave No Trace.

1. Plan ahead and prepare.
2. Travel on durable surfaces only when authorized.
3. Dispose of waste properly.
4. Leave what you find.
5. Respect wildlife.
6. Be considerate of other visitors.

For more information on Leave No Trace, visit the Leave No Trace Center for Outdoor Ethics Web site. (http://www.lnt.org)

Hours
The refuge is open daily during daylight hours. The Joseph R. Skeen Visitor Center is open 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Monday through Saturday and is closed during all Federal holidays.

Entrance Fees
No fees are charged at this refuge.

 		 
 
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