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Calendar of Events
& Festivals
at Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge
321-861-0667
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National Wildlife Refuge Week — October 12-18, 2008
Oyster Reef Restoration Mat Making Workshop
Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge is hosting an "Oyster Mat Making Workshop" with Michele Peters-Synder of the Nature Conservancy. There will be a presentation on the oyster restoration project and the important role oysters play in our estuaries. Directly following, you can make your own oyster mat by attaching oysters individually to small mesh mats. A mat typically takes 30-45 minutes to complete. These mats will be placed in the Mosquito Lagoon within the Canaveral National Seashore to provide a stable platform for young oysters to settle and grown upon. Children ages 8 years old and above, accompanied by an adult, are invited to participate.
The program will take place at the Merritt Island NWR Visitor Center on the following two dates:
Thursday, July 31 from 10 am to 12 pm
Please contact Refuge Ranger Nancy Corona at 321-861-5601 to make reservations.
Refuge Nature Driving Tour
Join a Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge Volunteer for a driving tour in the Refuge van. Explore the Refuge habitats and discover the diversity of wildlife that makes the Refuge special. This program is scheduled Saturday, July 26, 2008 at 10 am.
Please contact ranger Nancy Corona to make reservations at 321-861-5601. Bring binoculars, field guides, and insect repellant. Loaner binoculars and field guides are available.
Refuge Trash Bash
Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge volunteers are hosting a clean up at Haul Over Canal on Thursday, July 31 from 8 am to 10:30 am. The Refuge will supply snacks, water, supplies and latex gloves. Please contact Ranger Nancy Corona at 321-861-5601 to make a reservation. Please join us and help out your Refuge!
Nature Through The Lens Exhibit, Reception & Workshop
Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge is proud to present a three man nature photography exhibit that depicts the natural landscapes and wildlife of Brevard County. Nature photographers, Thomas Dunkerton, Joel Reynolds and Bob Paty will exhibit their photographs at the Merritt Island NWR Visitor Center through August 2008.
"Wildlife, Show and Tell"
Nature Photography Presentation by Bob Paty
Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge is hosting a presentation by nature photographer Bob Paty on Saturday, August 16 at 1 pm. Bob will present some of his most memorable wildlife photographs using a digital projector. Bob titles his program "Wildlife Show & Tell" because he will relate his wildlife "stories" he had during his photography excursions.
Bob Paty, a photographer, writer, lives in Titusville, Florida and has been taking photographers since 1983. Bob's unique style of photography has earned over thirty awards at juried art shows and exhibitions in the Southeastern United States. Please join us for an entertaining presentation highlighting the beauty and intrigue of Florida's natural world.
Manatee Watch
Join a Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge volunteer for a presentation on manatees and learn some fastinating facts about this endangered animal. The presentation will be followed by a field trip to the view wild manatees at the Manatee Observation Deck. Two programs are scheduled for Saturday, August 2 at 10 am and Saturday, August 23 at 10 am. Please contact Ranger Nancy Corona at 321-861-5601 to make reservations.
Reptiles & Amphibians of Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge
Professor Richard A. Seigel, Department Chair at Towson University in Maryland, will provide an overview of the reptiles and amphibians and their conservation issues through live animal exhibits and a power point presentation. A short field walk along the visitor center boardwalk will follow to look and listen for these animals. Professor Seigel has been working with the reptiles and amphibians of the Kennedy Space Center and the Refuge since 1977. He and his students have done research on diamondback terrapins, gopher tortoises, snakes, and a variety of amphibians, with particular emphasis on conservation and management.
The program is scheduled for Wednesday, August 6 at 6:30 pm at the Refuge Visitor Center. Please contact Ranger Nancy Corona at 321-861- 5601 to make reservations and for additional information.
Free Beginning Bird Watching Tours
Take a driving tour of Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge with a trained U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service volunteer to learn how to identify the many birds that frequent the refuge. Take the tour in the Refuge van for approximately three to four hours. Suggested items to bring include binoculars, camera, field guides, bug repellant, water and a snack. Loaner binoculars are available.
This program is scheduled on Saturday, August 30 at 9 am.
Space is limited. Please call 321-861-5601 to make reservations.
For more information, please contact us at:
Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge
Refuge Ranger, Nancy Corona
P.O. Box 2683
Titusville, Florida 32781
321-861-0668
Email: Nancy_Corona@fws.gov
U.S. Department of the Interior
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
On March 14, 1903, President Theodore Roosevelt signed an Executive Order creating Pelican Island as the country's first national wildlife refuge. Roosevelt went on to establish an additional 54 national wildlife refuges during his two terms and set historic conservation values for America. These values have grown into a system, which today, consists of 546 National Wildlife Refuges on more than 95 million acres of America's most important wildlife habitat.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is the principal federal agency responsible for conserving, protecting and enhancing fish, wildlife and plants and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the American people. The Service manages the 95-million-acre National Wildlife Refuge System, which encompasses 546 national wildlife refuges and over 3000 "mini-refuges" called Waterfowl Production Areas. It also operates 69 national fish hatcheries, 64 fishery resource offices and 78 ecological Services field stations. The agency enforces federal wildlife laws, administers the Endangered Species Act, manages migratory bird populations, restores nationally significant fisheries, conserves and restores wildlife habitat such as wetlands, and helps foreign governments with their conservation efforts. It also oversees the Federal Aid program that distributes hundreds of millions of dollars in excise taxes on fishing and hunting equipment to state fish and wildlife agencies.
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Please contact Refuge Ranger Nancy Corona by phone at 321-861-0668
