Sidebar: For Wildlife and People
The nation’s wildlife refuges
and zoos:
partners for conservation.
It has been more than 100 years since the Smithsonian’s National Zoo first opened its doors, bringing a world of wildlife to our nation’s capital. Since its inception, the National Zoo has played a pivotal role in the conservation of some of the world’s most spectacular—and endangered—wildlife. Just as zoos around the country work in tandem to conserve and protect wildlife, the National Wildlife Refuge System’s (NWRS) network of federally protected refuges provides vital breeding and wintering habitat for many wild animals throughout North America. Part of the United States Fish & Wildlife Service, the NWRS is dedicated to the conservation of our nation’s wildlife, from the fish in our streams to the elk in our mountains and everything in between.
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The NWRS encompasses 540 refuges and more than 3,000 waterfowl-production areas, all of which provide habitat for 700 species of birds, more than 200 species of fish, and nearly 500 other animal species. Within the National Wildlife Refuge System are 260 threatened or endangered plants and animals, including our national symbol, the American bald eagle. And with support from more than 40 zoos, these refuges act as rescue and recovery zones for many species facing extinction, where biologists and wildlife managers work to restore once-depleted populations of white-tailed deer, whooping cranes, elk, wild turkeys, crocodiles, wood ducks, pronghorn antelope, and a host of other species.
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| Chincoteague
NWR, Virginia. (Greg Knadle) |
The wildlife refuges comprise a stunning array of critical habitat such as tundra, desert, forest, marsh, prairies, and coral reefs. On Delaware’s tidal shores at the Bombay Hook National Wildlife Refuge, millions of horseshoe crabs mate on protected beaches, and are followed by tens of thousands of migrating shorebirds that stop to refuel on billions of crab eggs. The Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge on the eastern shore of Virginia is one of the top staging areas for migrating shorebirds in the United States. In early spring, visitors flock to the 14,000-acre refuge by the hundreds of thousands to add unusual shorebirds to their life list, or simply to observe as many as 15,000 birds in any one day!
At the 15,000-acre Canaan Valley National Wildlife Refuge,
with an altitude of 3,200 feet, there are views of the highest
valley of its size east of the Rocky Mountains, featuring
a climate typical of areas much farther north. Drained by
the Blackwater River, the valley contains the largest freshwater
wetland area in West Virginia, and miles of hiking trails
offer unique views of the boreal forest and its wildlife.
The refuge’s fall foliage attracts—and inspires—hundreds
of photographers each year.
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The wonders of our refuges take on a special significance during the 100th anniversary of the National Wildlife Refuge System, celebrated this March. Yet, were it not for the cooperation of our partners, including the National Zoo, the National Wildlife Refuge System might not have the wealth of wildlife it supports today. From coast to coast, zoos provide vital information enabling refuge managers to provide care not only for animals, but also for the habitats basic to the animals’ survival.
With the cooperation of U.S. and Canadian groups, the San Antonio Zoo provided valuable research aiding in the reintroduction of the whooping crane to its historic range. The Brevard Zoo, located in Melbourne, Florida, has a close relationship with the Merritt Island Wildlife Refuge. The resources of both entities enhance the educational opportunities for students in the community. One involves a four-hour, ecological tour by kayak of a lagoon in the refuge.
National Zoo scientists are currently working with the Charles M. Russell and UL Bend National Wildlife Refuges in Montana to conserve the black-footed ferret, a highly threatened species once considered the most endangered mammal in North America. Since 1988, the Zoo has collaborated with the USFWS and other agencies to breed black-footed ferrets and reintroduce them to their native habitat in the American prairie. The ferret has made a dramatic recovery since the population reached its lowest point in the 1980s, but it is not out of the woods yet. Zoo scientists are now working with these two refuges to conduct a biomedical survey of a failing black-footed ferret population in Montana.
Today, more than 30 million people visit our National Wildlife Refuges every year, yet the vast majority of Americans have yet to set foot on a wildlife refuge. So as the refuge system celebrates its 100th anniversary, log on to http://refuges.fws.gov, I encourage you find a refuge near you and enjoy the simple pleasures of slowing down and getting out into nature. There are at least six wildlife refuges within an easy drive of Washington, D.C., offering a chance to take a drive and reconnect with nature and our natural heritage. You’ll be surprised by what you find.
—William Hartwig, Chief National Wildlife Refuge System
ZooGoer 32(3) 2003. Copyright 2003 Friends of the National Zoo. All rights reserved.
