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You've
heard about Theodore Roosevelt and Paul Kroegel
and their roles in establishing and protecting our first refuge, Pelican
Island. Now learn
the rest of the story
(798KB PDF). Bill Reffalt, a Service retiree and current volunteer,
has written an article providing details on the various people and events
involved in the establishment of Pelican Island and the other 52 Roosevelt
refuges.
Seven new fact sheets about the refuge system. Silver NWRS Centennial Medals Available By Subscription from the United States Mint The first silver commemorative medal series ever offered by the United States Mint, celebrating the 100th anniversary of the National Wildlife Refuge System, is available through the United States Mint's Subscription Program. Learn More >> For Journalists and Filmmakers An online almanac of ideas A Literary Celebration of Refuges . . . America's Wildlife Refuges: Lands of Promise, a commemorative book that describes and illustrates two dozen wildlife success stories over the Refuge System's 100-year history, is expected to be released around October 1, in time for National Wildlife Refuge Week, October 12-18. Authored by Jeanne Clark, editor of Out & About, the Pacific Region newsletter, and outreach coordinator at Stone Lakes Refuge (CA), and photographed by Tom and Pat Leeson, the book features 140 stirring images of the diversity of life protected on refuges, including brown pelicans, green sea turtles, Aleutian Canada goose, trumpeter swans, bighorn sheep, desert pupfish, caribou and more. The 144-page book can be purchased in hardcover ($39.95 retail) or paperback ($24.95 retail) from book chains and Web retailers, including Amazon, which offers discounts. Some proceeds from the book's sales will go to the National Wildlife Refuge Association to benefit refuges. |
At the refuges . . . A Winning "Green" Design The Cusano Environmental Education Center at the John Heinz at Tinicum Refuge (PA) is among the Top Ten Green Projects cited by the American Institute of Architects and its Committee on the Environment for their architectural and "green" design. All winning projects address significant environmental challenges with designs that integrate architecture, technology and natural systems, improve comfort for the occupants, and reduce environmental impacts. The Cusano center, cited for its energy efficiency, is designed to maximize the use of daylight, natural ventilation and passive solar heating. The building also used such recycled building materials as salvaged timbers and certified wood. The Top Ten Green Projects initiative was developed in partnership with the Department of Energy and Environmental Building News. Nearly three dozen volunteers completed the center's Wild parking lot, helped to plant more than 500 native wetland plants, secure three benches and install two signs in order to improve school bus and handicapped access areas as well as habitat. For more information, go to www.aia.org. State of the Art Center Chincoteague Refuge (VA) will open its state-of-the-art, 5,000-square-foot Herbert H. Bateman Educational and Administrative Center with a ribbon cutting ceremony October 25 at 9:30 a.m. Boasting a 125-seat auditorium wired to permit distance learning, the center features an array of interactive exhibits that allow visitors to learn about the refuge’s four distinct habitats and their management, including endangered species conservation. Built with a host of sustainable design features some of which could be reproduced by visitors in their own homes the center will serve the 1.5 million people who annually visit the refuge from across the country and more than 43 countries. Among the center's other features is a classroom/wet lab connected to a teacher resource room, enabling educations to develop lesson plans that expand on information being taught at that very moment to students in the classroom. The Bateman center gets some of its energy from solar power. A geothermal well system was built to heat and cool the building, which was constructed with recycled materials both inside and outside. Children's environmental entertainer Billy B will perform on opening day as will a Theodore Roosevelt re-enactor. Silver Inkwell Garnered A Place for Wildlife and People, the 12-minute video that gives an overview of the Refuge System, won an Award of Merit in the Silver Inkwell Awards presented October 1 by the International Association of Business Communications, Washington chapter. The video will be distributed in coming months to refuges for use in their visitor centers and as informational material. The video, produced by the Division of Visitor Services and Communications, was shot on location, including the National Bison Range Refuge (MT), Pelican Island Refuge (FL), and Aransas Refuge (TX). Fire Can't Destroy Spirit . . . To celebrate the Refuge System Centennial, the folks in the Mountain-Prairie Region drew on an age-old tradition quilting to create a magnificent design of squares from 50 of the Region's stations. The squares are arranged around a large center square with the blue goose. Each station's square illustrated a conservation theme such as migratory birds, endangered species, habitats, and wildlife-dependent recreation. Last fall, the individual squares were completed and the quilt was nearing completion when a fire in February 2003 destroyed the quilt shop in Idaho Springs, CO. People quickly regrouped and began anew. A second Centennial quilt again a beautiful mixture of styles was completed in September. The quilt illustrates the value of each refuge and its place within the Refuge System. The quilt will begin traveling through the eight-state Mountain-Prairie Region in October. Check the Special Events Database for more events! |
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For
a Refuge System Visitors Guide |