MINWR 50th Anniversary Activities:
Wild about Raptors
Saturday, June 29 at 1 pm
Get up close and personal with an American Kestrel, Red-shouldered hawk and Eastern Screech Owl. Presented by Wild About Birds, Inc.
Meet Your Native Florida Wildlife Neighbors
Saturday, July 6 at 1 pm
Learn about the habitats and behaviors of wildlife you may see in your own back yard and learn how the hospital staff treats the variety of wildlife patients at the Florida Wildlife Hospital.
Reptiles Alive
Saturday, July13 at 1 pm
Meet snakes, turtles and an alligator in person, make a reptile craft and learn why reptiles are important to our environment.
Live Owls & Owl Pellets Dissection
Saturday. August 3 at 1 pm
Florida Wildlife Hospital will display several live owls, talk about their natural history and discuss threats to their survival. Children Will discover what owls eat by dissecting an owl pellet.
Children ages four and older accompanied by an adult are welcome to join.
Call 521-S61-5601 to make reservations and for Information.
History of the Refuge
Video Premiere and Presentations
Titusville Playhouse, November 2. Watch a video of pre-NASA history of the land that is now Merritt Island NWR. Stay for presentations on the history of the refuge and Laurilee Thompson will share her adventures of growing up on Merritt Island as the keynote speaker for the evening.
50th Anniversary Festival
Merritt Island Refuge Visitor Center, November 9. This is the big finale to our anniversary celebration! We will have wildlife exhibitors, games, tours, food, demonstrations, Florida history programs, historic photo and art show, and more!
Please visit our facebook page or website for details. If you would like more information contact: Candice Stevenson at (321) 861-2352 or candice_stevenson@fws.gov
Please call 321-861-5601 to make reservations and for more information.
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June, 2013 Refuge Events
Call 321-861-5601 to make reservations.
Nature Driving Tour
Caravan in your own vehicle along Black Point Drive with a refuge volunteer in the lead and learn about the wildlife and management of the refuge. The guide will communicate with participants by two-way radio. Space is limited. Please call 321-861-5601 for reservations. Loaner binoculars and field guides are available. This program is schedule at 9 am on Saturday, June 15.
Volunteers Needed for Butterfly Survey at Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge
Participants will view a photo presentation on butterflies and then assist refuge staff and volunteers to survey butterflies in a variety of habitats. The data is collected for the Florida Butterfly Monitoring Network project of the University of Florida. No butterfly identification experience is necessary. Please meet at the Refuge Visitor Center on Saturday, June 15 at 9 am. It is recommended to bring insect/sun protection, drinking water and to wear long sleeves, closed hiking boots or shoes and long pants. Please call at 321-861-5601 to make reservations.
All About Manatees
Join a Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge Volunteer for a presentation on the endangered manatee. Learn fascinating manatee facts through a power point presentation and hands on manatee bio facts. The program is scheduled for Wednesday, June 19 at 1 pm. Please call 321-861- 5601 to make reservations.
Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge Celebrates 50th Anniversary
Free Summer Family Wildlife Programs
National Pollination Week Family Event
Saturday, June 22:
- Free Kids Butterfly and Pollinator Activities 10 am - 2 pm
- Free Native Plant Giveaways while they last.
- Wildflowers Presentation and Tour at 10 am
- Meet Live Florida Bats at 1 pm
- Butterfly Presentation at 2:30 pm
- Discovering Florida Moths at 8 pm
- Florida Native Plant Society Plant Sale, 10 am to 3 pm
Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge NaturePhotography Club Meeting
Join Nikon Pro staff photographer Thomas Dunkerton to learn about photographing wildlife on the refuge. Call 321-861-5601 to make reservations and for information. The program is scheduled at the refuge visitor center on Thursday, June 27 at 2 pm. To make reservations call at 321-861-5601.
Beginning Bird Presentation and Driving Tour
View a photo presentation to learn bird identification and then caravan in your own vehicle along Black Point Drive with a refuge volunteer in the lead to observe birds in the wild. The guide will communicate with participants by two-way radio. The program is scheduled for Saturday, June 29 at 9 am. Space is limited. Please call 321-861-5601 for reservations. Loaner binoculars and field guides are available.
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Adopt a Trail...Shore...Spot...Road Program
Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge is proud to announce a new program to help reduce and control litter. Individuals, families, civic groups, clubs, school groups and businesses are invited to participate. The program is patterned after the National Adopt a Road program. Areas open for adoption include interior roads, shorelines, trails and spots such as boat launches and Refuge entrances. Participating members of the program will commit to three litter clean ups per year in their adopted area. Adopting organizations will get a recognition sign posted at their site. Please join us in keeping your refuge clean. Please call Ranger Nancy Corona at 321-861-0668 for more information.
Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge's Litter Campaign
Adopt a Trail...Shore...Spot...Road Program
Volunteers
An exciting program has just been rolled out to the general public. Adopt an Area is underway. Adopt an Area is patterned after the national Adopt a Road program. The objectives of the program are to reduce and control litter on the Refuge through public involvement, improve Refuge habitats, improve the overall appearance of the Refuge to enhance visitor experiences, and increase stewardship from the local community.
Organizations including families, businesses, professional associations, clubs, civic clubs, and school groups will be encouraged to participate. Each organization will agree to a one or two year commitment and will conduct clean ups in their Adopted Area at least three times per year for at least three hours each time.
Interior roadways such as Biolab Road and Blackpoint Wildlife Drive, shorelines inside the Refuge and along roadways and dikes, trails, and spots such as the Refuge entrance and the Manatee Deck are available for adoption. Designations will be Adopt a Shore, Adopt a Road, Adopt a Trail, and Adopt a Spot.
Recognition for actively participating organizations will include a Certificate of Adoption suitable for framing and display, a permanent sign at the adopted area, listing in the Habichat, and an annual event such as a hot dog roast.
One press release has resulted in 3 agreements with 3 more pending.
During the summer we will evaluate the program and make changes as needed. Next fall, a campaign will be launched to recruit organizations and develop the program. If you know anyone who might be interested, please recruit them. Nancy is the first point of contact for interested organizations.
Optimism is high for success of Adopt an Area. The more aware and involved we all are in the program the greater our chances to succeed and make a real difference for the Refuge.
Kathy Eichinger
Refuge Volunteer
Please call Ranger Nancy Corona at 321-861-0668 for more information.
Please call 321-861-5601 for information. The Visitor Center is located on SR 402, 5 miles east of U.S. 1 in Titusville.
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.
Merritt Island NWR OFFICIAL WEBSITE
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