A Maine refuge will celebrate the centennial of the National Wildlife Refuge System.
MAGALLOWAY PLANTATION – Lake Umbagog National Wildlife Refuge will host federal, state and local officials plus community members next week to celebrate a birthday party. It’s not the birthday of the refuge; it’s the birthday of the National Wildlife Refuge System.
The invitation-only U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Centennial Celebration of the National Wildlife Refuge System will be held Tuesday, Aug. 12. Festivities begin at 11 a.m.
“Our national wildlife refuges provide great opportunities for fishing, hunting, photography, environmental education and wildlife observation,” said Refuge Manager Paul Casey. “This event will promote and celebrate these activities and will hopefully encourage all to visit and enjoy their National Wildlife Refuges.”
On March 14, 1903, President Theodore Roosevelt set aside Pelican Island, a tiny isle off the east coast of Florida to protect pelicans and other species of birds from market hunters. And so began America’s National Wildlife Refuge System and 100 years of wildlife conservation.
This system of lands now encompasses more that 93 million acres and more than 570 national wildlife refuges and wetland management districts. There’s at least one in every state and U.S. territory.
The Lake Umbagog refuge was established on Nov. 17, 1992, when the Fish and Wildlife Service purchased the first refuge land parcel. In addition to Lake Umbagog (pronounced Um-BAY-gog), the reserve preserves the largest freshwater marsh complex remaining in New Hampshire. The refuge protects more than 16,300 acres.
The lake itself, which is more than 10 miles long and covers more than 8,500 acres, is one of the largest lakes along the New Hampshire/Maine border.
For more information about the refuge or celebration, phone (603) 482-3415.
tkarkos@sunjournal.com
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