National Wildlife Refuge week begins connection to nature for families

National Wildlife Refuge week
begins connection to nature for families

The National Wildlife Refuge System protects approximately 97 million acres of fish and wildlife habitat. Scores of national wildlife refuges, including Iroquois National Wildlife Refuge, are offering special programs to celebrate National Wildlife Refuge Week, October 7-13.

The week highlights the six wildlife-dependent recreation uses offered on national wildlife refuges: hunting, fishing, wildlife photography, wildlife observation and environmental education and interpretation. The week-long celebration is also part of a year-long commemoration of the 100th birthday of pioneering conservationist and writer Rachel Carson. "Sixty years ago, Rachel Carson wrote that wildlife refuges provide a 'release from the tensions of modern life,' " said U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service Director H. Dale Hall. "They do that and more. National wildlife refuges also promise outdoor adventure to children growing up in a digital age, whose idea of nature might be watching animals on television. Refuges offer the real thing."

On Sunday, October 7, the Buffalo Audubon Society, in partnership with the refuge, will lead a canoe trip on Oak Orchard Creek from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Bring your own canoe and life jacket and meet at the bridge on Knowlesville Road. The cost is free and presented as part of the Buffalo Audubon Society's (BAS) fall schedule of Iroquois Observations. On Saturday, October 13, the BAS and Iroquois NWR will dedicate a refurbished observation platform at Cayuga Overlook on Route 77 at 9 a.m. The ceremony is open to the public.

Later, scope out birds on the marsh at the Scope Watch from 1-4 p.m. Audubon Society volunteers will be on hand to help spot and identify migratory and resident birds in the area. Also on October 13, the refuge, in partnership with the Lake Plains Waterfowl Association, will host its 34th Annual Young Waterfowlers Training Program from 8 a.m.-4 p.m. Pre-registered junior hunters between 12-17 years of age will learn about waterfowl identification; equipment; hunter safety and ethics; and the use of decoys and calls. A demonstration of retriever dogs and a trap shoot conclude the day's instruction in preparation for the refuge's youth only hunt day on October 28.

For those preferring to go-it-alone, the refuge's three nature trails and four overlooks are open sunrise to sunset seven days a week for self-guided exploration and wildlife observation. There are also opportunities for fishing and hunting within state seasons. Drop by the visitor contact station on Casey Road for information, to view exhibits or shop in the Flyway Nature Store. Office hours are Monday-Friday, 7:30 a.m.-4 p.m. year-round and on Saturday and Sunday 9 a.m.-5 p.m. from October 13-21.

For more information about the U.S Fish and Wildlife Service, visit their homepage at http://www.fws.gov.