National Police Week, May 10-16
Join Interior Department officials on May 14, 1 p.m., for a wreath laying ceremony at the Department of the Interior Auditorium in Washington, DC, as National Police Week is observed nationwide May 10-16. Interior Secretary Ken Salazar will be the keynote speaker.
International Migratory Bird Day
Many national wildlife refuges have special birding events on or near International Migratory Bird Day (May 9). Six refuges have hosted special events for at least 10 years, including Alaska Maritime, J.N. "Ding" Darling (FL), Missisquoi (VT), Okefenokee (GA), Stone Lakes (CA) and Upper Mississippi (MN) Refuges. For a list of events on national wildlife refuges, visit our Special Events calender.
IMBD was created in the early 1990s by the Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center; the first celebration was hosted at the National Zoo in Washington D.C. in 1993. IMBD is now celebrated in the United States, Canada, Mexico, Central and South America and the Caribbean. For more information about International Migratory Bird Day, go to http://www.fws.gov/birds/IMBD/.
New Hunting Rules at Upper Miss
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| Credit: Mike Hemming/USWFW |
New hunting rules have been proposed for Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife and Fish Refuge (IL, IA, WI, MN). The proposed changes, open to public comment through May 28, are available in the Federal Register
.Sixty Years of Service
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| Drum Drummond and Lynn Greenwalt |
| Credit: USFWS |
Edwin "Drum" Drummond is retiring after a record 60 years with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Drummond has lived and worked at Wichita Mountains National Wildlife Refuge in Oklahoma for nearly all of his 81 years.
Soaked
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Steadily rising temperatures in March melted snowpack and triggered flooding on multiple river systems in the Prairie Pothole Region of North and South Dakota. There are 54 national wildlife refuges, nine wetland management districts and one national fish hatchery within the 38 counties of North Dakota that have been declared a Federal Disaster Area due to flooding.
Get Your Shovel
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| Credit: USFWS |
The selenite crystal digging field on the Salt Plains National Wildlife Refuge in Oklahoma is re-opening on April 25 after being closed for two years. The re-opening coincides with the annual Birding and Heritage Festival in Alfalfa County.
Wildflower Season on Refuges
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| Spider Lily |
| Credit: USFWS |
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Coastal Living magazine is recommending 10 spots from British Columbia, Canada, to Hilton Head, South Carolina, for ideal wildflower viewing – and right in the middle is the Aransas National Wildlife Refuge in Texas. The magazine particularly recommends driving the refuge's 16-mile auto tour loop through marshes and fields.
Winning Photo
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| Credit: Rick Hartmann |
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A sharp and patient observer won a photography contest by capturing a heron as predator at Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge. Rick Hartmann won the bird photo contest sponsored by The Olympian newspaper in Washington.
Picture Perfect
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| Credit: Mark Cromwell. Enid, OK |
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An award-winning photo of cranes at daybreak on the Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge in New Mexico will grace the 2010 America the Beautiful – National Parks and Federal Recreation Lands Pass, which allows admittance to any national wildlife refuge that charges an entry fee, as well as national park, national forest and other federal recreational lands.
Got the Travel Bug?
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| Credit: Pam Steinhaus/USFWS |
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Upper Mississippi National Wildlife and Fish Refuge (IL, IA, WI, MN) and Sacramento National Wildlife Refuge (CA) are taking geocaching to a new level with stuffed birds equipped with travel bugs and a mission. Travel bugs are small metal tags that can be tracked at http://www.geocaching.com.
Spectacular Birds
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| Tri-colored herons |
| Credit: Jim Williams |
To the uninitiated, birding may seem just too difficult – all that squinting through binoculars, trying to distinguish subtle marks on tiny creatures. There's an easy solution: Begin with the big birds – hard to miss for their size and often dramatic plumage. National wildlife refuges across the country offer great places to find them.
During Hawaii's Golden Anniversary, See its Birds of Paradise
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| Hawaiian i'iwi bird |
| Credit: jackjeffreyphoto.com |
During 2009, when Hawaii celebrates its 50th year of statehood, see one natural resource that has made the state famous – the Hawaiian i'iwi. You will recognize its bright red plumage and long, curved beak – perfect for extracting nectar from the tubular ‘ōhi ‘a lehua blossoms found in the native rainforest canopy.
Top Wildlife Spots
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| Key Deer |
| Credit: Paul Frank/USFWS |
Two National Wildlife Refuges are among the ten top wildlife hot spots featured in Coastal Living magazine – Chincoteague Refuge in Virginia and National Key Deer Refuge in Florida.
The magazine recommends hiking or biking Chincoteague Refuge's 1-1/2 mile Woodland Trail to an observation platform overlooking the wild horses. In Florida, Big Pine Key is the only place in the world to see the Key deer, a subspecies of Virginia white-tailed deer. Key deer stand just 30-inches tall at the shoulder. Coastal Living recommends going to National Key Deer Refuge in the early morning or dusk – newborns likely during April to May fawning season.
More on other Coastal Living wildlife hot spots.
Live Passionately – for Free
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| The dunes at Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge in Virginia |
| Credit: USFWS |
Three national wildlife refuges are featured on a list of "40 Ways to Live Passionately – for Free" in Virginia. The Virginia Tourism Corporation is celebrating the 40th anniversary of "Virginia is for Lovers" by sharing a list of 40 free things to do on vacation – and elected to include the National Wildlife Refuge System.
Art for IMBD
Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge in Virginia is inviting students to enter their artwork in a contest to celebrate International Migratory Bird Day on May 9. All entries must be an original drawing of a migratory bird that can be seen at the refuge.
The entries will be displayed at various Historic Main Street Merchants in the town of Chincoteague prior to the celebration. Entries must be mailed or delivered to Comfort Suites, 4295 Main Street, Chincoteague, VA 23336 before April 15. For more information, contact Sally Bowden at Chincoteague Refuge, 757-336-6122 or Sally_Bowden@fws.gov.
Experience Wildlife
Barbara's Bakery, long-time supporter of the National Wildlife Refuge Association, is encouraging families to enter its Families Gone Wild Alaskan Refuge Sweepstakes. Grand prize is a trip for four to Kenai National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska.
Contestants must send a photo or a 30-second video to Barbara's Bakery. The photo or video must have been taken at a national wildlife refuge anywhere in the United States and must be accompanied by a description of no more than 50 words. Winners will be announced in September 2009. For contest details, visit www.barbarasbakery.us/alaska.