News

February 21, 2010: Member's Display at the Tower Hill Botanic Garden

(Boylston MA) Patricia Seline, a FARNWR member from Stow, submitted a display to the Tower Hill Botanic Garden's 8th annual “Flora in Winter” extravaganza in February at the Worcester Art Museum with the 2010 theme: "Earth’s Gifts". Pat's miniature nature-scape was one of many stunning floral interpretations of natural wonders of the earth created by more than 20 talented floral designers. The display was accompanied by the following explanation:

While recently viewing an excellent presentation entitled “The Meaning of Wilderness” given by local conservationist, Doug Seale, I was immediately inspired by a beautiful quote of Liberty Hyde Bailey’s that Doug shared with his audience. (Editor's note: Doug's talk at the Friends October meeting can be found here.)Thus, for my Flora in Winter exhibit, I chose to display Bailey’s inspiring words along with a replica of John Blaeu’;s Atlas Maior, c 1665 and I have created a small woodland vignette as a reminder of one of our natural “backgrounds”, one of Earth’s gifts!

The Libery H. Bailey quote which inspired her reads as follows:

The backgrounds are the great unoccupied spaces. They are the large environments in which we live but which we do not make. The backgrounds are

The sky with its limitless reaches;
the silence of the sea;
the Tundra in pallid arctic nights;
the desert with their prismatic colors;
the shores that gird the planet;
the vast mountains that are beyond reach;
the winds which are the universal voice of nature;
the sacredness of the night;
the elemental simplicity of the open fields
and the solitude of the forest

These are the facts and situations that stand at our backs to which we adjust our civilization and by which we measure ourselves.

Pat said “It was fun to do, a lot of work, but a joy none-the-less and it's always wonderful to ponder and enjoy the backgrounds of our planet!”

February 12, 2010: Citizen Science: Local Students raising Blanding’s turtle hatchlings for relocation to ARNWR

(Sudbury MA) Students from Bristol County Agricultural School who are engaged in conservation science, are raising Blanding’s turtle hatchlings for relocation to Assabet River National Wildlife Refuge in Massachusetts. One student said, “This is worthwhile not just because of a grade. We’re actually helping this species.”

For the full story see the January/February 2010 issue of Refuge Update (story starts on page 10).

February 10, 2010: Barbara Volkle steps down as FARNWR's president, Friends
Have a New President

(Sudbury MA) After a decade of dedicated service, Barbara Volkle has stepped down from the presidency and the board of FARNWR.

Barbara is a charter member and was President since the inception of Friends in 2000. She was one of a group who attended the public hearings in advance of the Army turning the property over to U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service who decided to start the Friends in 1999. Over the last decade she has indefatigably built the Friends in to a locally well-known organization and one of the most successful Friends groups in the country. She has also made a major contribution to the advocacy efforts for the National Wildlife Refuge system because of her appreciation of the importance of conserving wilderness areas at the national level.

The Friends owe her a great debt for her service and will build on the solid foundation she leaves behind. We wish her well in her future endeavors.

The incoming president is Betsy Griffin. Betsy will continue to work with the Board and the Fish and Wildlife Service to seek opportunities for greater public involvement and collaboration among all groups interested in the Assabet River National Wildlife Refuge.

February 10, 2010: Update: Friends Awarded Grant by National Fish and Wildlife Foundation to Begin Nature Store at the New Visitor Center at Assabet River NWR

(Sudbury MA) In August 2009, the Friends were awarded a $ 5000 grant by the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation in Washington D.C. to set up and operate a Nature Store at the new Visitor Center at the Assabet River National Wildlife Refuge. The Visitor Center is due to open in the spring of 2010 and will represent the US Fish and Wildlife Service's Eastern Massachusetts National Wildlife Refuge Complex refuges. Revenue from the store will help support the Friend's successful outreach programs as well as the Fish and Wildlife Service's projects at Assabet River and the other refuges.

The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) is a non-profit organization that preserves and restores our nation's native wildlife species and habitats. Created by Congress in 1984, NFWF directs public conservation dollars to the most pressing environmental needs and matches those investments with private funds. The funds awarded will need to be matched by additional funds from the Friends. You can get involved with this opportunity in two ways: first, by becoming a member or donating to the Friends and second, by becoming a volunteer at the Nature Store or the Visitor Center. Please contact Betsy Griffin (davebets@mac.com) if you are interested in joining our volunteer team.

The Visitor Center and the Nature Store will be a big step forward in bringing the refuges of the Eastern Massachusetts National Wildlife Refuge Complex to the public's attention. There are eight refuges that make up the Complex. They stretch from Great Meadows, Assabet River and Oxbow outside of Boston to Monomoy, Massasoit, Mashpee, Nantucket and Nomans Land Island on Cape Cod. In particular, it will give much needed publicity to Assabet River NWR, the newest of the eight refuges. This was a former US Army property acquired by the Fish and Wildlife Service in 2000 and opened to the public in 2005, with the help of volunteers from the Friends. This area has been out-of-bounds for over 60 years and the Visitor Center and the Nature Store will mark a new phase in welcoming the public back to the area.

The Nature Store will complement and support the mission of the Visitor Center; to serve as an environmental education resource, house permanent exhibits, and provide needed classroom and meeting space. The educational material available in the store, such as field guides of plants and animals and other items pertinent to the local area, will increase the visitor's appreciation of the refuge. Trained volunteers operating the Nature Store, in addition to refuge staff, will provide an important personal interaction for visitors. Materials available for purchase will complement and support the exhibits and educational programs at the Visitor Center.

The Nature Store will provide an opportunity for our members to become more aware of and informed about our refuges. The Store and the Visitor Center will provide opportunities to educate the public, especially young people, about the need for preserving habitat areas for wildlife. The Friends hope that this new endeavor will encourage more volunteers to become involved with the important work of the National Wildlife Refuge System and attract new members to our organization.

January 15, 2010: American Recovery and Reinvestment Act Funding for Assabet River NWR

(Sudbury MA) In 2010, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will open the doors to a new energy-efficient visitor center at Assabet River National Wildlife Refuge in Sudbury, Massachusetts. American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funding will support the fabrication and installation of exhibits and the installation of solar panels to provide electricity to the new center. Visit the Recovery Act website for more information and a video tour of the new visitor center at Assabet River National Wildlife Refuge.

December 11, 2009: Parking is restored at Assabet River National Wildlife Refuge

(Sudbury MA) After weeks of road construction at the Assabet River National Wildlife Refuge, visitors can once again access the Refuge from Hudson Road in Sudbury. Significant progress on new parking lots, a walkway, and a new entrance road to the visitor center was made this fall. Road construction has ceased for the winter, and the project will be completed next year. For now, though, starting Saturday, December 12th, visitors will be able to park on Patrol Road at the refuge. Once you pull off of Hudson Road and enter the refuge, please turn left. A small, grassy parking area on your left has been established to accommodate approximately 6-8 vehicles. This will be the temporary parking area until the new parking area by the kiosk is completed next year. Visitors may also continue to park at the North Gate parking area, off White Pond Road in Stow.

Once this road construction project is completed, visitors will be able to park in three different locations: by the kiosk on Patrol Road at the main entrance on Hudson Road, at the visitor center, and near Puffer Pond. Future plans for further improving visitor access include permanent improvements to the North Gate parking area and the construction of a small parking area in Maynard on Old Marlborough Road at the Refuge's east gate.

We realize this has been an inconvenience to visitors - we are balancing visitor safety and construction efficiency as best as possible. The anticipated spring 2010 opening of the new visitor center is on schedule. We are so excited and look forward to offering a new facility to the public along with programming and environmental education opportunities in 2010! Please email Susan_J_Russo@fws.gov or call 978-443-4661 x34 if you have further questions and/or concerns.

November 23, 2009: Friends cosponsor art exhibit and reception with the SVT

(Sudbury MA) The Sudbury Valley Trustees and the Friends of the Assabet River National Wildlife Refuge cosponsored an art exhibit at SVT’s Wolbach Farm from November 8th – 13th. The exhibit was entitled Discovering Echoes of a Place: Studies in Landscape and Still Life Painting and featured nearly 60 paintings by 26 artists from the Metrowest area. The nature inspired watercolor paintings were on display at the barn at Wolbach Farm. About 18 of the artists participated in the FARNWR sponsored art workshops at Weir Hill, Great Meadows NWR under the instruction of Cecilia Sharma of Sudbury. Others had taken similar classes with Cecelia at SVT, Wayland Arts Center and in Wellesley.

The artists reception on Sunday November 8th, attracted over a 100 guests. With the beautiful fall weather, the picturesque Wolbach property and the barn and good food provided by the artists, the reception was a very enjoyable event.

Images courtesy of Michael Sanders, Sudbury Valley Trustees.

November 19, 2009: Interior Secretary Ken Salazar Urges Americans to Connect with Nature and Visit a National Wildlife Refuge

(Washington DC) Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar has announced the launch of an extensive public service radio campaign urging Americans to connect with nature and visit a National Wildlife Refuge. “Americans can take pride in the tremendous beauty and diversity of refuge lands dedicated to the protection of wildlife habitat,” Salazar said. “By visiting these places and encouraging their children to forge a connection with nature, they can help ensure vital wildlife conservation efforts will continue for generations to come.”

The public service radio campaign consists of eight professionally recorded 60-second spots extolling the sights and sounds of refuges and their efforts to preserve some of these species. Over 3,500 radio stations will receive the first four of these educational messages in November; the second set of four will be distributed in April.

“This is another National Wildlife Refuge minute,” begins each segment, which encourages visitors to see a national wildlife refuge that undertakes much the same kind of resource management that are given as examples in the four recorded spots. The four spots to be distributed in the spring convey how four of the senses – sight, hearing, touch and smell – are ignited when visiting refuges “where nature still exists as it was meant to be experienced.”

Listen to the radio campaign here: RefugesOnTheRadio.

October 13, 2009: Temporary closure of Winterberry Way on Assabet River NWR

Beginning the week of October 19th, road construction work will begin on Winterberry Way in order to improve future access to the new Visitor Center. The section of Winterberry Way from the Hudson Road parking lot to the new Visitor Center will soon be fully closed to all pedestrian access in order to assure public safety. At some point during the construction, we will also need to close the Hudson Road parking lot for several days. Visitors will then have to park at the White Pond Road or Old Marlborough Road entrances. We know this is an inconvenience and do appreciate your continued support of the project. We look forward to an opening in spring 2010 and seeing you soon!

If you have any questions or comments, you may contact the refuge manager at 978-443-4661 or check for updates at www.fws.gov/northeast/assabetriver.

July 27, 2009: Great Meadows NWR Concord Impoundment Management 2009

(Sudbury, MA) Over the past several years, the refuge has been actively managing water levels within the Concord Impoundments for the benefit of migratory birds. Water levels have been raised and lowered in order to provide stop-over habitat for shorebirds and waterfowl in the spring and fall. Though management for spring migration has often been thwarted by heavy rains and flooding, water level management has still created habitat for a variety of bird species throughout much of the year, including habitat for marshbirds and waterfowl in the spring and early summer, wading birds and shorebirds in late summer, and waterfowl in the fall. Drawdowns also stimulate vegetative growth and invertebrate populations which benefits waterbirds, fish and turtles. Over time, concerns have been raised regarding potential negative effects of drawdowns, especially on Blanding’s turtles. In 2009, we are altering our water level management to maintain habitat for Blanding’s turtles and nesting marshbirds and waterfowl, while still providing habitat for fall migrating shorebirds and waterfowl. This summer, the refuge is also planning to clear ditches of accumulated sediment, create refugia (small shallow depression that will hold water during drawdowns) and increase topographical relief of the impoundments. More...

June 1, 2009: Bicycling now allowed on the Refuge

(Sudbury, MA) As of June 1, 2009, bicycles are allowed on the Assabet River National Wildlife Refuge on a very limited number of trails. While cyclists and all visitors are encouraged to enjoy the Refuge, they should keep in mind that the primary purpose of the Refuge is the protection of wildlife habitat. All cyclists entering the Refuge should check in at the kiosks at the entrances in order to obtain information about which trails are open to bikes, speed limits, and other restrictions. Violators of these restrictions will be subject to legal penalties.

May 1, 2009: Refuge Association Launches 4th Annual Refuge Photo Contest

(Washington, DC) The National Wildlife Refuge Association (NWRA) announces its 4th annual digital photo contest showcasing America's national wildlife refuges. Entries for the 2009 Refuge Photo Contest can be submitted until July 15, 2009 with results to be announced in October 2009 in connection with Refuge Week.

"Images are critical to telling the Refuge System story," said Evan Hirsche, president of NWRA. "We know that there are terrific amateur and professional photographers capturing images throughout the System. This is an opportunity for avid photographers to show their work to a broader audience and to help capture the essence of our remarkable wildlife refuges."

The National Wildlife Refuge System, comprised of 549 refuges throughout the nation, protects both rare and common types of habitat - everything from southwest desert to arctic tundra. Images submitted for the photo contest can be of birds, mammals, insects, fish, other animals, plants, people, or simply shots of refuge scenery.

This year, ATP Oil and Gas, Inc. has generously donated the $5,000 first place cash prize. Other prizes include two round trip tickets courtesy of Southwest Airlines, and offerings from Barbara's Bakery, Wild Bird Centers of America and Houghton Mifflin.

In addition, the winners' images will be highlighted on NWRA's website and future publications. At least 200 images will be selected for inclusion in the NWRA Refuge Image Library and every photographer submitting an entry will receive a complimentary one-year membership in the National Wildlife Refuge Association.

For photo contest details, requirements, and procedures, please visit: www.refugeassociation.org/contest/ContestHome.

April 29, 2009: The Friends of Assabet River National Wildlife Refuge mark a new milestone with signing of a Partnership Agreement with U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

(Sudbury, MA) The Friends of Assabet River NWR signed a formal Partnership Agreement with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) on April 29, 2009 at Weir Hill Road, Sudbury at the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Headquarters. The event marked an important milestone by formalizing the nearly decade long relationship between the two groups. The agreement was signed by Libby Herland, Eastern Massachusetts National Wildlife Refuge Project Leader, and Barbara Volkle, President of the Friends of Assabet River NWR. The agreement will afford the Friends additional opportunities such as occupying office space and operating a book/gift shop. The Visitor Center (due to open in Spring 2010) will provide information on all eight refuges of the Eastern Massachusetts Refuge Complex (Great Meadows, Assabet River, Oxbow, Monomoy, Massasoit, Mashpee, Nantucket and Nomans Land Island). It will serve as an Environment Education Center which will house exhibits and classroom space. The signing of the Partnership Agreement along with the new Visitor Center ushers in a new phase of public use and outreach for both the Service and the Friends. Please consider joining our membership as we embark on this exciting course. Photos courtesy of Dave Griffin.

February 26, 2009: Friends Trail Naming Contest a Success — Refuge Trails now have names!

(Sudbury MA) The Friends of the Assabet River National Wildlife Refuge congratulate the winners of our recent Trail Naming Contest. We thank all of the people who entered the contest and we are very grateful to all of the companies and individuals who donated prizes for our contest.

The Friends of the Assabet NWR sponsored the Trail Naming Contest for the Assabet River NWR between June 1st and November 1st. Many of the trails in the refuge, which have their origin in the recent Military ownership of the property, were simply named X, Y Z etc. The land was transferred to the Fish and Wildlife Service in 2000, and the refuge was opened to the public a few years later. As an ongoing improvement of the refuge, the trails needed more “user friendly” names.  More of this story ...

We hope that everyone enjoyed visiting the refuge and walking the trails. We received 128 names and had a very hard time making the top choices. We believe visitor to the refuge will be pleased with the new names and will take the opportunity to spend some time on the refuge, exploring all of them.

Janet Dunbar was our grand prize winner for naming the longest of our trails: “Tri-Town Trail”. She received a pair of snowshoes donated by the Maynard Outdoor Store and a photo from local photographer Marijke Holtrop.

Arthur Skura received a set of binoculars from Wild Birds Unlimited of Sudbury and a $25 gift certificate from Erikson Grain Mill of Acton for his suggestion of “Winterberry Way”.

Cecilia Mikalac received a three day kayak rental from Eastern Mountain Sports and the Concord, Sudbury, and Assabet Rivers guide book by Ron McAdow. She named three different trails: “Mink Link”, “Otter Alley” and “Fisher Loop Trail”.

Jane Lothian suggested “Kingfisher Trail” and received a pair of binoculars from Wild Birds Unlimited of Sudbury.

Eric Lind received a pair of binoculars from Wild Birds Unlimited of Sudbury for his choice of “Puffer Pond Trail”.

Mark Mayall suggested “Petapawag Trail”, a Native American term for swampy land. He received a $50 gift certificate from Russell Garden Center of Wayland.

Trey Fuccillo, our youngest winner at six years old, received a $15 gift certificate from Brines Sporting Goods in Sudbury. We really liked his choice of “Tebassa Trail” which is Assabet spelled backwards!

Arthur Carbary receives a photo of Puffer Pond from photographer David Griffin and the Maynard Post Card book from Paul Boothroyd for his suggestions of the “Sandbank Trail” and “Carbary Trail”. Arthur is a member of one of the many families who use to live on the Refuge lands.

Maynard Girl Scout Troop 2588 came up with the “Pine Garden Trail” and received an Audubon Field Guide donated by Peter Alden. They will also join the Friends Tracking Team on a trip around the refuge.

We were pleased to have several applications from contestants less than 12 years. These children were recognized and awarded prizes for participating by Friends members Paul Boothroyd and Marijke Holtrop at the Monthly Meeting on November 17th at the US Fish and Wildlife Regional Office at Weir Hill.

Each child received a TR Bear, dressed as Teddy Roosevelt provided by the Fish and Wildlife Service. They also received signed copies of Peter Alden’s Audubon Field Guide to New England and other Audubon guides. The Girl Scout troop from Maynard who participated was presented with a wildlife tracking experience. The Assabet Keeping Track team will take them on their next tracking expedition.

Photos courtesy of Dave Griffin.

September 23, 2008: 91 Acres Added to Assabet River National Wildlife Refuge

(Sudbury, MA) The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has purchased more than 91 acres of land along the Assabet River in Stow, Massachusetts, according to Libby Herland, manager of the Eastern Massachusetts National Wildlife Refuge Complex. The land, purchased from the Sudbury Valley Trustees, will be managed as part of the Assabet River National Wildlife Refuge.

The lands acquired border the Assabet River and include 13 marsh and swamp parcels from White Pond Road to Gleasondale. Some of the parcels front Track Road (which is part of the Assabet River Rail Trail) in Stow; others are accessible only from the river, according to Herland.

For the full press release including information on the involvement of the Sudbury Valley Trustees and the use of Federal Duck Stamp Dollars, see here.