Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge Overview

Introduction (part 1 of 5)

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Refuge at a Glance

Location: South of Cambridge, Maryland, on the eastern side of Chesapeake Bay
Size: 20,000+ acres
Features: Extensive marshes are prime habitat for nesting and migrating birds. Home to over 250 bird species including northern loons, cormorants, and thousands of Canada geese and ducks. Also home to the endangered Delmarva fox squirrel.

Contact Details
Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge
2145 Key Wallace Drive
Cambridge, MD 21613
Phone: 410-228-2677

Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge on Maryland's Eastern Shore refuge manager Glenn Carowan can afford to be more than a little boastful. He can talk about the $2 million wetland project that he pulled off for only a tenth of that amount. He can also discuss how he parlayed the use of private funds and saw his refuge grow by 50 percent to over 20,000 acres. Carowan is now talking about prospects for doubling its size and for combating sea-level rises that have already eradicated 7,000 acres of refuge wetland.

Birds and Animals
Blackwater NWR is one of nine national wildlife refuges on the low-lying Delmarva Peninsula, so named for the three states of Delaware, Maryland, and Virginia, which share its 200-mile length. This finger of land lies on the track of the Eastern Flyway, and its extensive marshes make it prime habitat for nesting and migrating birds.

More on wildlife in Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge

Cruising Wildlife Drive
From Wildlife Drive, observers usually can get good views of bald eagles soaring above the marsh or perching on one of a few dead trees.

More on scenic driving in Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge

Protecting the Habitat
The 800 acres of fields are farmed by the refuge, thereby making all crops available for wildlife and also minimizing the use of pesticides. Through two of the ongoing partnerships Carowan has forged, Pioneer Seed Company donates some $12,000 worth of seed each year and Grand National Waterfowl Hunt Club pays $7,000 for the fertilizer and lime.

More on preserving Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge

The Friends of Blackwater
Organizations like the Friends of Blackwater are led by talented people, and they help in finding new ways of thinking and doing business. That's important during this time of reform, reinvention, buyouts, reengineering, downsizing, reorganization, and bickering within the government.

Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge Highlights

Enter a birder’s paradise to see migratory species as well as permanent residents including terns, snow geese, ospreys, great blue herons, and tundra swans. Every year, thousands of birds forage and nest here, a stop on the Atlantic Flyway between the birds’ summer and winter grounds.
Drive the four-mile Wildlife Drive for a glimpse of the refuge's resident bald eagles, as well as access to short interpretative trails and several osprey-viewing platforms and bird blinds.
Paddle the refuge’s backwaters to best witness its diverse wildlife at work and play. Three newly designated trails have been named "Recommended Water Trails for 2006" by the American Canoe Association. The green and orange paths, open year-round, are appropriate for paddlers of all levels, while the purple path requires more technical skill as it winds nine miles along the marshy Blackwater River.

By Travel Expert: Alistair Wearmouth