Join the
Friends of Blackwater
and protect wildlife, receive special benefits, and enjoy local discounts

If you're looking for unique nature gifts for your family and friends this holiday season, be sure to visit the Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge Eagle's Nest Gift Store on the weekends of December 15-16 and 22-23 when customers will receive a 10% discount on all purchases. Our gift store offers adult and children's books, clothing, music, professional-quality nature photography, nature jewelry by local artisans, Christmas tree ornaments, and many other beautiful items. As a reminder, the gift store is in the temporary Visitor Center near the entrance to the Wildlife Drive. All proceeds from the gift store go to benefit Blackwater NWR.

The annual Blackwater NWR Mid-Winter Eagle Survey is scheduled for Thursday, January 10, 2013. Rain date is Friday, January 11. Volunteers are welcome. Find out how to participate by visiting the Friends' eagle survey page.

The Friends of Blackwater have ordered a new pan/zoom camera for our Blackwater NWR Eagle Cam, and we're now working on getting it installed for the start of a new breeding season. Stay tuned to our Eagle Cam page for news on when it will go live. This will be our ninth year of following the Blackwater couple at this tree, which has seen chicks hatched each year the cam has been active.

Many folks have asked for an update on the Blackwater NWR Visitor Center renovations. The contractors have turned the building back over to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and staff are now working on completing the new exhibits for the inside of the expanded building. The next main task is completing the expansion of the parking lot. Due to winter weather, this work will not be finished until the spring. At that point, we'll have a better idea on a date for the official reopening. The work done so far has been impressive and we're sure that visitors will be thrilled with new features such as the glass entryway and skylights, which give wonderful views of the surrounding marsh from inside the building.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service staff at Blackwater NWR have once again begun publishing their waterfowl survey results on the Blackwater NWR website. Now you can find out what types of birds are currently visiting the Refuge and plan your visits accordingly.

If you're planning your end-of-year giving, don't forget the Friends of Blackwater NWR. You can donate to the Friends or become a member. The Friends do many wonderful things at the Refuge such as run the Eagle and Osprey Cams, help maintain all the land and paddling trails, assist with the student environmental education programs, run the Eagle's Nest Gift Store, maintain the Butterfly Garden and the Natural History Library, and many other activities. So be sure to think of us when donating to your favorite charities.