The National Wildlife Refuge Association is seeking a passionate and community-focused Urban Community Engagement Specialist to support the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Urban Wildlife Conservation Program in the Northeast through our Urban Wildlife Refuge Program.

The National Wildlife Refuge Association is thrilled to welcome Natalie Balaguer as our new South Florida Regional Partnership Specialist! Based in her home region, Natalie is already making waves across South Florida by reinvigorating partnerships and stewarding exciting conservation initiatives through the Urban Wildlife Refuge Program.

Under the exceptional stewardship of David Lucas, the Colorado Front Range National Wildlife Refuge Complex, encompassing the Rocky Mountain Arsenal, Two Ponds, and Rocky Flats National Wildlife Refuges, stands out for its conservation excellence and urban community engagement. David Lucas’s innovative leadership has earned him the prestigious 2024 Paul Kroegel Award - Refuge Manager of the Year.

As we embrace the spirit of Latino Conservation Week, we come together to honor and pay homage to the invaluable contributions made by the Latino community in our shared endeavor to conserve and protect wildlife and wild lands across the country. This year, we proudly support the congressional resolution proposing the official designation of the third week of July as Latino Conservation Week, introduced by Representative Nanette Barragán (D-CA) this week. Through this symbolic gesture, we signal our commitment to fostering sustainability, promoting inclusivity, and safeguarding the future of the National Wildlife Refuge System.

An Earth Month celebration was held on April 8, 2023, at Chauncey Park in Dobbs Ferry, NY, in collaboration with the National Wildlife Refuge Association, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Groundwork Hudson Valley, and Moms Organic Market. The event aimed to unite community members to stabilize the riparian habitat along the Sawmill River. Groundwork Hudson Valley led the planting of 68 potted dogwoods, elderberry, and birch trees along the banks of Sawmill River Island.

As far back as she can remember, Lucy Crespo hasn’t liked being indoors. Maybe it’s in her genes: she was born in Argentina, surrounded by forests and mountains, lush grass and plants, and rivers that ran by her home. The air was crisp and sweet, the water clear.

That’s all a distant memory for her now. When she was four years old, Lucy and her family left home in search of a better and more prosperous life, eventually settling thousands of miles away in Elizabeth, New Jersey.

Elizabeth, New Jersey is home to skyscrapers, parking lots, and one of the busiest seaports in the eastern United States, but may not immediately come to mind when thinking of a location for bird watching as part of the Audubon Society’s annual Christmas Bird Count. Appearances can be deceiving though, as the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, along with the Friends of the Great Swamp National Wildlife Refuge, Groundwork Elizabeth, and the National Wildlife Refuge Association, successfully hosted their third-annual Christmas Bird Count in Elizabeth on December 17, 2022.

Urban Wildlife Conservation Day, is an annual celebration of nearby nature that invites everyone to connect with the outdoors, from National Wildlife Refuges to local parks. Urban Wildlife Conservation Day was established in 2018 to recognize and celebrate more than 100 urban national wildlife refuges that are within 25 miles of cities and towns across the country.