Tree Planting and Litter Pick-Up: In celebration of Earth Day 2008, Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge invites the public to become an environmental steward by participating in litter cleanup and tree planting activities at the refuge in April. Come out to the refuge and work with staff, Friends of Blackwater members and other volunteers as we clean up refuge roads and restore forest habitat. Help us continue a tradition that was begun in 1970, when over 20 million people pledged to help the environment during the first Earth Day.

Blackwater NWR’s Annual Earth Day Litter Pick-Up will be held on Saturday, April 12, from 9:00 a.m. until 3:00 p.m. Trash will be collected from the roads around Blackwater NWR, beginning at the Blackwater Visitor Center at 2145 Key Wallace Drive. Snacks and drinks will be supplied by the Friends of Blackwater for everyone who comes. Individuals and groups of all ages are invited, and low-traffic litter areas will be set aside for those with young children. Participants are encouraged to bring gloves and wear brightly colored clothes for working along the roads. If you, your family, or your organization is interested in joining in the Litter Pick-up, or if you need more information, please contact Refuge Ranger Tom Miller at 410-228-2677.

Blackwater NWR will also celebrate Earth Day by planting 11,000 trees on Sunday, April 27, and Saturday May 3rd. There will be two planting times on each day: 9 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. and 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. Volunteers will meet at the Refuge Environmental Education Building located on Blackwater’s Wildlife Drive at 8:45 a.m. or 12:45 p.m. on both days. Please wear clothes that can get dirty, boots or old shoes, and gloves. Drinks and snacks will be provided for all the tree planters. Groups or individuals who would like to participate in this event are encouraged to sign up by calling Refuge Forester Dawn Washington at 410-228-2692, x108.

Recognition for Blackwater Refuge: The staff and volunteers at Blackwater Refuge are very proud to announce two recent honors that have been bestowed upon the Refuge. First, the three Blackwater Refuge paddling trails, which were created by the Friends of Blackwater, have been selected as "Recommended Water Trails for 2006" by the American Canoe Association. Each year the ACA highlights trails that meet certain threshold criteria and that they think stand out as particularly good destinations for paddlers. We are thrilled that the ACA has chosen to honor our trails.

In addition, Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge has been selected as a 2007 Rand McNally "Best of the Road Editor's Pick" award winner. Since 2002, the editors from Rand McNally, the publishers of the best-selling road atlas in America, have annually chosen five trips in the U.S. and Canada that offer a variety of interesting roadside stops, which they refer to as "Rand McNally Best of the Road". Five to six featured eating establishments, shops, or attractions along each route are then chosen to receive the annual award. Blackwater NWR has been honored as a featured stop along the Ocean City to Baltimore, Maryland route, which will be highlighted in the 2007 edition of the Rand McNally Road Atlas, as well as on their web site. Other award-winning sites for 2007 include The Ward Museum of Wildfowl Art in Salisbury and the National Aquarium in Baltimore, one of Blackwater NWR's major partners in wetland and woodland restoration efforts.

And we are pleased that both of these honors further illustrate that Blackwater Refuge is a major ecotourism destination on the Eastern Shore and worthy of our best efforts to protect its health and biological diversity.