Employees from FWS and Federal Highways cut a ribbon to mark the completion of the bridge to the Refuge Visitor Center.

On Tuesday August 19^th, Parker River National Wildlife Refuge celebrated two important events with a "Day of Dedications."  These events were the completion of a bridge leading to the visitor center, and the designation of the Great Marsh as a Western Hemispheric Shorebird Reserve Network (WHSRN) site of regional importance.  

First, a ribbon cutting ceremony and celebration was held for the completion of the visitor center entrance bridge.  The bridge is an innovative design, completed through a partnership with the Federal Highways Administration.  Most importantly, it represented the final step in opening the refuge visitor center and headquarters to the public.  Speakers from Federal Highways as well as the Service and City of Newburyport Mayor, John Moak detailed the steps of the project and their great excitement in seeing it come to its fruition. 

 The refuge also celebrated the inclusion of the Great Marsh, the largest contiguous salt marsh north of Long Island Sound (of which the refuge protects ~3,000 acres), as a WHSRN site of regional importance.  The Great Marsh is utilized by over 67,000 shorebirds of varying species and other wildlife, and is vital as migratory habitat.  The refuge, along with partners Mass Audubon, the Trustees of Reservations, Essex County Greenbelt Association, and the Parker River Clean Water Association, participated in an unveiling of the designation site sign.  A presentation entitled "Shorebird Conservation on a Hemispheric Scale" was then given by Charles Duncan, Director of the Shorebird Recovery Project and WHSRN. 

Over 50 people attended the "Day of Dedications," paying a fitting tribute to the refuge and the surrounding area as a tremendous resource for wildlife and people.