Celebrate National Wildlife Refuge Week on October 10-16 at the nation’s most historic wildlife refuge.
Staff and volunteers at Pelican Island National Wildlife Refuge, founded by President Theodore Roosevelt on March 14, 1903 as the first national wildlife refuge, will welcome visitors on Centennial Trail to share information about the birds and other wildlife found at the refuge and answer any questions. The Meet & Greets will be October 12-15 from 10:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
On October 11 and October 16, Meet & Greets will be at Golden Sands Park, 10350 State Road A1A, from 10:30 a.m. to1:30 p.m., where visitors can learn about sea turtle nesting on local beaches.
Golden Sands Park is part of the Archie Carr National Wildlife Refuge, which spans 20.5 miles along the Atlantic coast between Melbourne Beach in Brevard County and Wabasso Beach in Indian River County. Archie Carr NWR hosts the largest nesting population of loggerhead and green sea turtles in the United States.
The National Wildlife Refuge System, managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, provides vital habitat for thousands of native species. Refuge Week provides and opportunity to see why millions of people visits refuges each year to go hiking, bird watching, fishing and other permitted activities.
Another way to observe National Wildlife Refuge Week is to sign up for the Walk for the Wild 5K Challenge.
Participants commit to walk or run 5K, or 3.1 miles, at their favorite wildlife refuge beginning the week of October 9, which is Urban Wildlife Conservation Day. The goal is to connect people and nature on behalf of as many National Wildlife Refuges as possible.
For more information on the Challenge and to sign up, go to www.virtualrunningclub.com/events/walk-for-the-wild.
