2025 Free Guided Birding Tours Offered at Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge
Get outside this winter and spring by participating in a free guided birding tour at Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge (NWR). You don’t need to be an expert to enjoy learning about and identifying the many species of birds that inhabit the refuge. Throughout the winter, waterfowl and raptors, including bald eagles, are plentiful, while spring brings in migratory warblers and shorebirds. Guided birding tours are scheduled for Sundays, January 19, January 26, February 9, February 16, March 9, March 23, and
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Plans to Conduct Prescribed Burns this Winter
This winter, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service firefighters plan to burn several timber, brush, and grass filled units on Blackwater and Eastern Neck National Wildlife Refuges (NWR). On Blackwater NWR, a 7-acre cutover unit on Harrisville Road as well as various marsh grass units will be burned, as well as an 80-acre timber unit on Taylors Trail Road in Wicomico County. On Eastern Neck NWR, several grassland areas will be the focus of prescribed burns. Weather conditions will be key in implementing these
2025 Trapping Areas Open for Bids at Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge
Bids must be received at the refuge office by 5:00 pm on December 13, 2024. Successful bidders will be notified by mail. The Refuge must receive full payment on or before December 23, 2024 for successful bidders to receive their permit. Trapping for muskrat, raccoon, fox, skunk, and opossum will begin on January 1, 2025, and end on March 15, 2025, unless extensions have been made by both the state and the refuge. Trapping on Blackwater NWR is a management activity designed to control the population levels
Blackwater NWR to Host Workshop about Lead-free Hunting Ammunition
Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge is hosting a workshop and demonstration about lead-free hunting ammunition for hunters on Saturday, September 28, from 11 a.m.-2 p.m. with the North American Non-lead Partnership. Share your experiences with hunting, conservation, and hunting ammunition and learn about what's happening on a landscape scale to address lead impacts on wildlife across the nation. This workshop will include a classroom discussion as well as a range demonstration to compare different
Volunteer at Blackwater NWR on National Public Lands Day 2024
Looking for a rewarding way to give back? Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) is celebrating National Public Lands Day on Saturday, September 28, by hosting its annual litter cleanup. Help protect wildlife by volunteering to remove litter from refuge roadsides. In addition, the entrance fee for Wildlife Drive will be waived so that everyone has an opportunity to enjoy their public lands! Blackwater NWR’s annual litter cleanup will take place on Saturday, September 28 from 9:00 a.m. until 12:00
Enjoy the Sights and Sounds of Fall 2024 at Blackwater NWR
Come experience the changing of the seasons at Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) by participating in one of our Guided Birding tours in the fall of 2024. Fall birding tours at the refuge highlight the returning migratory waterfowl. Don’t miss the opportunity to observe our diverse array of feathered friends, from woodpeckers and wading birds to numerous species of waterfowl and raptors, including the bald eagle. Prior bird knowledge is not required! Expert birders Terry Allen and Ron Ketter will
