Celebrating the birth of the
National Wildlife Refuge System

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service invites the public to be a part of history by attending the ceremony to: "Seal The Time Capsule Celebrating A Century of Conservation" on March 14 at 6:30 p.m. at the Iroquois National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) Headquarters, 1101 Casey Road, Alabama, NY.

Artifacts from the 20th century and today, as well as messages from local school children who had entered the Centennial writing and art contests, will be interred for 100 years. A guest speaker from the Theodore Roosevelt Inaugural NHS will present "Theodore Roosevelt: An Icon of the American Century" - a brief biography of the man who established the first National Wildlife Refuge and his impact on the course of American and world history. There is no charge to attend.

A special exhibit comprised of photographs, books, artifacts and resource materials on the life and presidency of Theodore Roosevelt, on loan from the Theodore Roosevelt Inaugural National Historic Site, will be on display at the refuge headquarters building from March 11 to 18, Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Since President Theodore Roosevelt established the first National Wildlife Refuge on Pelican Island, in Florida as a bird sanctuary on March 14, 1903, the refuge system has grown to more than 93 million acres and 531 units. Throughout the nation, hundreds of refuges will be filling and interring their time capsules for the Centennial.