Earth Day a reminder to visit wildlife refuges

• By CYNTHIA V. CAMPBELL
• Travel editor
• Published: Apr 13, 2008 - UPDATED: 12:05 a.m.

• Print
• Email
• Save
• Share

• Del.icio.us
• Digg
• Facebook
• Reddit
• 

The National Wildlife Refuge System is one of the world’s most extensive networks of lands managed for wildlife. America’s system is a great example of what Earth Day is about — people celebrating our planet’s natural environment and helping to preserve it for future generations.

Earth Day, April 22, (observed April 20 in Baton Rouge) is a perfect time to connect with nature by spending the day at a national wildlife refuge. It’s also a good time to plan a trip this year to one of the numerous refuges in the United States. You can celebrate Earth Day yearlong in many ways from watching wildlife or volunteering on teams doing anything from weed control to helping restore a native prairie.

For example, the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge in Folkston, Ga., will sponsor a litter pick up event Saturday, April 19. The event will also feature programs on how to make a difference in your community, learning about the habitat needs of the red cockaded woodpeckers and a bicycle tour of exhibits. The refuge was established in 1936 to preserve the 438,000 acres of Okefenokee Swamp. Contact http://www.fws.gov/okefenokee

At Trinity River National Wildlife Refuge at Liberty, Texas, Earth Day events Saturday, April 19, will include canoeing, kayaking and boating tours, bird and butterfly viewing and dip netting and fishing lessons for kids. The refuge totals 17,500 acres and protects the bottomland hardwood forest ecosystem along the Trinity River. Annual counts have revealed more than 60 different species of butterflies and 275 bird species in the refuge. Wildlife observation and photography opportunities abound. Contact (936) 336-9786.

The San Francisco National Wildlife Refuge is made up of seven refuges devoted to preserving migratory birds, endangered species and other wildlife. A number of Earth Day programs are planned including a Wetland Round-Up program where students investigate butterflies at the Environmental Education Center butterfly garden, taste pickleweed in the salt marsh and discover the wildlife that live in the slough water. Contact http://www.fws/gov/desfbay.

Louisiana has 24 refuges listed on the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Web site, http://www.fws.gov/refuges/profiles. Not all of them are easily accessible, but a number of them are perfect for family outings.

Glenn Harris, refuge manager at Cameron Prairie National Wildlife Refuge, said the 3 1/2-mile wildlife drive off La. 27 is open. Currently Eastern King birds are showing up as well as Orchard Orioles. He said in the spring migratory birds tend to show up in waves rather than all at the same time. Harris said that although there’s no boardwalk at the Cameron Prairie complex, people are welcome to walk around the center and make use of the observation deck. The center’s restroom facilities are open Monday through Saturday.

Harris also recommended making the Lacassine Pool drive off La. 14 between Hays and Lake Arthur. The pool encompasses 16,000 acres of freshwater marsh in southwest Louisiana at the convergence of the Central and Mississippi flyways. There are a number of nesting colonies of water birds, such as egrets, ibises and roseate spoonbills. Several hundred thousand ducks and geese use the refuge as a wintering habitat. In addition, people can easily visit the 1 1/2-mile Wetlands Walkway at Sabine National Wildlife Refuge, just south of Lake Charles.

Atchafalaya National Wildlife Refuge, about 30 miles west of Baton Rouge and one mile east of Krotz Springs, was established in 1986. Much of the area is accessible for fishing, hunting and trapping, birdwatching and nature photography. The area supports wood ducks, American woodcock eagles, ospreys, swallow-tailed kites as well as wild turkeys, white-tailed deer, gray and fox squirrels, eastern cottontail and swamp rabbits, gray and red fox, coyote, striped skunk, raccoon, mink, bobcat, nutria, muskrat, river otter and beaver. Plans are under way for a Step Outside Day scheduled May 10. Contact http://www.fws.gov/Atchafalaya.

Gulf Shores happenings
The first weekend in May will be bustling along Pleasure Island with the communities of Gulf Shores and Orange Beach playing host to several fun events.

Gulf State Park Pavilion in Gulf Shores, Ala., will be the setting Saturday, May 3, for the 2008 Brett/Robinson Alabama Coastal Triathlon. The event begins early in the morning with a 1,000-yard swim in the Gulf of Mexico. Athletes then move on to a 20-mile bike ride through the state park followed by a final leg — a 5-mile run. This is the Alabama State Qualifier for the Best of the U.S. Amateur Triathlete Competition and the USA Triathlon Intermediate Distance Alabama State Championship.

In addition, the 2008 Alabama High School Athletic Association’s Boy’s and Girl’s State Track Championship is scheduled Friday, May 2, and Saturday, May 3, in the Gulf Shores Sportsplex.

The same weekend visitors in search of the perfect glass of wine can take in the Southern Breeze Wine and Culinary Festival at The Wharf in Orange Beach. The event includes a five-course dinner Friday night, a Saturday grand wine tasting, 2-6 p.m. and a walkabout brunch Sunday, 10:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.