Smyrna, Delaware - Along the shores of the Delaware Bay, hunters with disabilities, many of them veterans, welcomed the New Year with what is for them a unique and rare waterfowl hunting trip.
On the Bombay Hook National Wildlife Refuge, refuge personnel, professional waterfowl guides, and volunteers from the National Wild Turkey Federation helped more than one dozen hunters with disabilities enjoy a morning filled with camaraderie; duck and geese calling from world champion waterfowl callers; and thousands of ducks and geese that winter on the refuge.
Thanks to The National Wild Turkey Federations Wheelin Sportsmen Program and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services National Wildlife Refuge System, these hunters saw the beauty and bounty within the Bombay Hook National Wildlife Refuge.
"Hunters across America have enjoyed national wildlife refuges for more than one hundred years and we are proud to extend this opportunity to hunters with disabilities," said U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Director, Steve Williams.
The day began with a pre-dawn breakfast and welcome, providing an opportunity for professional guides and volunteers to meet the hunters. After a short drive, the hunters settled into seven temporary blinds amid the decoys and winter wheat fields, watching as many as 100,000 snow geese, Canada geese, and ducks that visit the refuge during the winter months.
Thris Karinja, Regional Director for the National Wild Turkey Federation showed his pleasure saying, "The Wheelin Sportsmen program is all about bringing people to the outdoors and when you can do that in a pristine setting like the Bombay Hook refuge, you create memories that last a lifetime."
Todays event is the result of a groundbreaking partnership between the National Wildlife Refuge System and The National Wild Turkey Federations Wheelin Sportsmen Program. The partnership was created to develop new opportunities for people with disabilities to enjoy the outdoors. The event is also sponsored by Bass Pro Shops, Delta Waterfowl, the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control, and Larry McAllisters Metal Masters.
President Theodore Roosevelt created the first national wildlife refuge national wildlife refuge
A national wildlife refuge is typically a contiguous area of land and water managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for the conservation and, where appropriate, restoration of fish, wildlife and plant resources and their habitats for the benefit of present and future generations of Americans.
Learn more about national wildlife refuge in1903. Today, the National Wildlife Refuge System includes 545 wildlife refuges and thousands of waterfowl production areas covering approximately 100 million acres. A wildlife refuge can be found in every State and several U.S. Territories often within an hours drive of major cities. Refuges have played a vital role in protecting wildlife habitat and offer Americans the opportunity to pursue such outdoor activities as hunting, fishing, photographing and viewing wildlife, and studying the natural world.
The National Wild Turkey Federation is a 525,000 member grassroots, nonprofit organization with members in 50 States, Canada and 11 foreign countries. It supports scientific wildlife management on public, private and corporate lands as well as wild turkey hunting as a traditional North American sport. For more information on the National Wild Turkey Federation, visit their web site at www.nwtf.org.
