Chop your own fir tree. Take a sleigh ride past wintering elk. Participate in the annual Christmas Bird Count. Enjoy the holiday season at a national wildlife refuge near you. Check out some of the free, family-friendly holiday-season activities that refuges will host through the New Year. Visit our special events calendar here for added listings as the holidays draw closer.
National wildlife refuges, managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, are part of America’s rich natural heritage. They have been so since 1903, when President Theodore Roosevelt established the first national wildlife refuge on Pelican Island in Florida.
Refuges offer chances to see an almost unparalleled array of wildlife, including many of the nation’s most beloved and spectacular species. Find one by you: http://www.fws.gov/refuges/.
Winter Tram Tour
Back Bay National Wildlife Refuge, VA
Take a ride on a large-windowed, enclosed tram and see the ducks, geese and swans that make the refuge their winter home. Continue into False Cape State Park for a one-mile hike to the Wash Woods cemetery and church site. $8 per person. Reservations are required, call: 757-426-7128. Dates are:
December 6, 1 to 4:30 p.m.
December 20, 1 to 4:30 p.m.
Holiday Bazaar
November 14, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. – Patuxent Research Refuge, MD
Shop for wild and not-so-wild, new and gently used treasures. Find unique gifts that support the Patuxent Research Refuge and the Patuxent Wildlife Research Center, located in the Greater Washington metropolitan area.
Assateague Island Waterfowl Weekend
November 26-29 –Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge, VA
The refuge will host an open house and offer special events in conjunction with the festival, which marks the fall migration of waterfowl to the refuge. Enjoy a fee-free drive along the service road – a holiday tradition to be reinstated for the first time since Hurricane Sandy in 2012.
Cut Your Own Christmas Tree
Work off those holiday-season calories by cutting your own tree at Moosehorn National Wildlife Refuge in Downeast Maine, near Baring, or Kenai National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska.
Moosehorn Refuge allows each person to cut two balsam fir or pine trees, starting at the end of November. The trees must be cut to maintain road safety. Pick up a free permit from the refuge office before you cut. Call: 207-454-7161
Kenai Refuge allows visitors to hand-cut one tree per family between Thanksgiving and Christmas. No fees or permits are required. Cutting is restricted to certain areas. Call: 907-262-7021 or toll-free: 1-877-285-5628
Walk Off That Turkey
November 28, 9 a.m. –John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge at Tinicum, PA
Shake off that turkey coma and join an easy, volunteer-led walk through the refuge in Philadelphia. See which birds are still here and which late migrants have arrived. Meet in the visitor center. Binoculars can be borrowed from the front desk. The walk can last up to three hours and is weather-dependent.
Birding Practice
November 28, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. –Bombay Hook National Wildlife Refuge, DE
Bone up on your bird ID skills. Get a close look at the different bird species in the impoundments. Volunteers will be at stations along Wildlife Drive with scopes and binoculars to help you identify waterfowl, passing raptors and whatever else flies by. Look for the blue ID Station sign along the auto tour route.
Christmas at Marsh Haven and Holiday Nature Craft Show
December 5 and 6, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. – Horicon National Wildlife Refuge, WI
Hike, explore and discover the beauty of winter at the marsh. Inside the nature center in Mayville, do a bit of holiday shopping and support local artisans.
Open House
December 6, noon to 4 p.m. – Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge, OH
Enjoy a warm fire, festive music, kids’ crafts, good company and holiday gifts at the bookstore of the northern Ohio refuge. Two neighboring conservation organizations, Black Swamp Bird Observatory and the state-managed Magee Marsh Wildlife Area, will also hold open houses the same day.
Wreath-Making Workshops
Combine materials from native trees (cedar, hemlock, fir) and shrubs (huckleberry and manzanita) into a beautiful wreath you can take home. Bring your family. All materials are provided. If you have a pair of pruning shears or gardening gloves, please bring them. Pre-registration is required: 503-812-6392.December 6, noon to 2:30 p.m. – The Connie Hansen Garden Conservancy, Lincoln City, OR
- December 12, 10:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. – Nestucca Bay National Wildlife Refuge, OR
- December 13, 10:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. – Nestucca Bay National Wildlife Refuge, OR
- Open House
- December 12, 1 to 4 p.m. – Valle de Oro National Wildlife Refuge, NM
Celebrate the holiday season by making healthy treats for wintering birds in the area.
Snowshoe Fun
All winter, 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. – Necedah National Wildlife Refuge, WI
Borrow a pair of snowshoes, free, from the visitor center and explore this central Wisconsin refuge like a proper big foot. Call ahead for availability if there are more than six in your group. Snowshoeing is a great activity for all ages. If there’s not enough snow for snowshoes, enjoy a winter hike instead.
Cajun Christmas with Santa
December 12, 2 to 4 p.m. – Southeast Louisiana Refuges Complex, Lacombe, LA
Don’t miss the annual visit of Santa and Mrs. Claus to the Southeast Louisiana National Wildlife Refuges Visitor Center. Kids of all ages are invited to join for story time, cookies and free photos with Santa.
Winter Sleigh Rides
Starting Saturday, December 19 – National Elk Refuge, WY
Horse-drawn sleigh rides are a popular winter activity here, allowing visitors a unique wildlife viewing experience and an incredible opportunity to photograph the elk that winter on the western Wyoming refuge. Sleigh rides will continue through March, daily except for Christmas. To inquire about a sleigh ride or make a reservation by phone, please call 307-733-0277 or 1-800-772-5386. Contact via email at bart5@onewest.net or visit http://bit.ly/1djB8Mb.
Christmas Bird Count
Scores of refuges take part each year in this bird census, coordinated by the National Audubon Society. Dates vary. Check Refuge System event listings to see if your nearby refuge is participating, or check the Audubon site. Here are a few examples of participating refuges:
- December 16, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. – Great Dismal Swamp National Wildlife Refuge, VA
- Escape the mall. Help count every (yes, every) bird on the refuge in one day. Call to be placed on a team: 757-986-3705
- December 19, all day – Great Swamp National Wildlife Refuge, NJ
- Spend a day counting birds. Novices welcome. For more info, call: 973-425-9510. Prefer to stay indoors? Join the Friends at the visitor center counting birds at refuge feeders.
- December 19, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. – Sherburne National Wildlife Refuge, MN
- Join Friends of Sherburne Refuge to count birds on the refuge and in the local area. Meet at refuge headquarters in Zimmerman.
- December 30, 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. – Trinity River National Wildlife Refuge, TX
- Take part in the 18th annual Trinity River Christmas Bird Count for northern Liberty County. Areas to be counted include the Trinity River National Wildlife Refuge, Tarkington Prairie and Gaylor Lake. Meet at 7 a.m. at the Valero Gas station located at the intersection of Hwy 105 and Hwy 321, about 6 miles southeast of Cleveland.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service works with others to conserve, protect, and enhance fish, wildlife, plants, and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the American people. For more information, visit www.fws.gov, or connect with us through any of these social media channels: Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and Flickr.
-FWS-
Photo: Visitors to the National Elk Refuge in Wyoming have a unique opportunity for wildlife viewing and to photograph wintering elk by way of a horse-drawn sleigh.
Credit: Lori Iverson/USFWS