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Friends of Blackwater
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The Marsh Edge Trail at Blackwater NWR has reopened and will be accessible until the start of eagle nesting season in January.

Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell visited Blackwater NWR on September 19 to announce that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is proposing to remove the Delmarva fox squirrel from the Endangered Species List. Participating in the announcement was U.S. Senator Ben Cardin, Governor Martin O'Malley, Director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Dan Ashe, local landowner and Friends of Blackwater President Rick Abend, and Blackwater NWR Manager Suzanne Baird.
 
Since its listing, the squirrel's range has increased from 4 to 10 counties, with a current population of up to 20,000 squirrels covering 28 percent of the Delmarva Peninsula. Efforts contributing to recovery include translocation of animals to establish new populations, closing of the targeted hunting season, growth and dispersal of the population, and protection of large forested areas for habitat.  

The proposed rule to remove the squirrel from the ESA list will be available for public comment from September 23, 2014, to November 24, 2014 at www.regulations.gov, under docket no. FWS-R5-ES-2014-0021.

The Friends of Blackwater will hold their annual meeting at 7:00pm on October 20 at the Blackwater NWR Visitor Center multipurpose room. Attendees will hear about highlights of the past year from the Friends of Blackwater, Suzanne Baird, and Ray Paterra, and Amanda Bessler will be talking about the Delmarva fox squirrel and it's proposed delisting from the Endangered Species List. We'll also hold our election of officers and a vote on proposed by-law changes. The meeting will be followed with light refreshments, and one of the attendees will be taking home a Delmarva fox squirrel print as a door prize. All interested citizens are invited to attend the annual meeting.

Installation of the new interpretive exhibits in the Blackwater NWR Visitor Center was recently completed. Once inside the main hall, a diorama to the left portrays the three major habitat types found on Blackwater - forest, marsh and shallow water. Walking down the hallway, the north side reflects a historical timeline of the Blackwater area, from the earliest people inhabiting the area to present day. The south side of the wall orients visitors to the four major flyways and how the National Wildlife Refuge System includes many refuges along these migration corridors. Lastly, the exhibit hall (formerly the conference room) depicts what the refuge is currently doing to manage habitats for wildlife. Here visitors can learn about marsh loss and sea level rise, invasive species management, moist soil management, agriculture on the Refuge, forestry, and fire management. Be sure to stop at the Visitor Center on your next visit to see our beautiful new exhibits.