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| Did You Know? |
The Friends of Blackwater are now on Instagram. Be sure to follow us! |
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Learn About Exciting Volunteer Opportunities!
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 Discover the Best Jobs at the Refuge
Do you love wildlife and wild places? Are you looking to make a difference in your community? Do you like learning new skills and sharing your talents? If so, then Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge can use your help. Volunteers are needed to assist with a variety of programs, including staffing the Visitor Center, assisting with special events, maintaining the beneficial insect and butterfly garden, leading interpretive and educational programs, and much more.
A volunteer information session will be held in the Blackwater NWR headquarters building on Saturday, August 3 from 9:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m. You can stay for the day (there will be a free lunch provided) or for as long as your schedule allows. There's no pressure to sign up -- this is just a chance for you to hear about volunteer opportunities from staff who will talk about what's been happening on the Refuge, with updates on the nutria eradication program, the status of the endangered Delmarva fox squirrel, the Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad National Monument, the Blackwater NWR Visitor Center renovation, and more.
If you're interested in attending, please email Michele_Whitbeck@fws.gov. We'd love to have you visit.
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Spring Environmental Education Programs a Success
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 Local Students Discover Blackwater This April and May, 360 sixth-grade students from Dorchester County used Blackwater NWR as an outdoor classroom to explore the habitats and wildlife found at the Refuge. Students toured the Wildlife Drive, learned how to identify trees along the Woods Trail, and used Global Positioning System (GPS) technology to find evidence of wildlife in the field. Second-grade students from Warwick Elementary and first-grade students from Choptank Elementary also experienced the sights and sounds of the Refuge. Thanks to the following volunteers for helping to make it all happen: Shirley Bailey, Maggie Briggs, Cathy Cooper, Dennis Ewell, Sue Fischer, Mary-Beth Goll, Stan Haddox, Tom Johnson, Cindy Lauster, and Bill Reybold. A big thanks to the staff of Pickering Creek Audubon Center who also led the students in activities highlighting the values of the salt marsh.
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Osprey Cam Season Ends Early
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New Parents Lose Only Chick
 After watching our Blackwater Osprey Cam this spring, we sensed we had new parents on the nest. They laid their eggs very late, seemed confused about what to do when the first egg arrived, had two of their three eggs suddenly disappear during a rain storm (!), and then when their one chick finally hatched, it passed away a few days later. Our hope is that next season our birds will return much wiser and give us some chicks to watch on our live cam at Blackwater Refuge. Thanks to our cam watchers who stuck with us during this odd year and who sent in their photos for our Osprey Cam Gallery. The Friends of Blackwater are always appreciative of the support we receive for our live Osprey and Eagle Cams. |
Support the Friends of Blackwater
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New Members Needed
 Since 1987, the Friends of Blackwater have been supporting the staff of Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge as they carry out the educational, interpretive, and public use missions of the Refuge. The Friends work on numerous projects such as running the Visitor Center gift store (all proceeds go to the Refuge), running the Osprey and Eagle Cams, assisting with land and water trail maintenance, maintaining the butterfly garden, helping with environmental education programs, conducting biological surveys, working on wetland restoration, leading visitor tours, and more. If you haven't joined the Friends of Blackwater, we ask you to consider becoming a member today. Your donation will help us support one of the most beautiful and unique wildlife refuges in the National Wildlife Refuge System. With federal budgets getting smaller every year, Friends groups are needed to ensure that places like Blackwater continue to thrive and prosper. We need your support! |
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