Cross Island National Wildlife Refuge is comprised of six islands (Cross, Scotch, Outer Double Head Shot, Inner Double Head Shot, Mink, Old Man Islands) encompassing 1,700 acres in Cutler. The six offshore islands are 10 miles southeast of Machias in Machias Bay.

Location and Contact Information

      About Us

      Old Man Island

      We Are a Complex

      Cross Island National Wildlife Refuge is part of a Complex which is comprised of five individual refuges which span the coast of Maine and support an incredible diversity of habitats including, coastal islands, forested headlands, estuaries and freshwater wetlands. The five separate refuges are: Cross Island, Petit Manan, Seal Island, Franklin Island, and Pond Island national wildlife refuges. Each has separate establishment histories and refuge purposes, but they are referred to collectively as the “Maine Coastal Islands National Wildlife Refuge”. Seal, Franklin, and Pond islands are single-island refuges. Cross Island Refuge is a six-island complex, while Petit Manan Refuge includes 64 islands and 4 mainland divisions, including: Petit Manan Point (2,178 acres), Sawyers Marsh (1,150 acres), Gouldsboro Bay (635 acres) divisions and Corea Heath (431 acres).

      Our Species

      Bald eagle up close with wing raised

      A large raptor, the bald eagle has a wingspread of about seven feet. Adults have a dark brown body and wings, white head and tail, and a yellow beak. Juveniles are mostly brown with white mottling on the body, tail, and undersides of wings. Adult plumage usually is obtained by the sixth year. In...

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