The Coalition of Refuge Friends and Advocates is hosting a monthly photo contest for Refuge and Hatchery Friends groups across the country and the National Wildlife Refuge Association is partnering with them to amplify the winners. The Friends Photo Contest started as an idea by the Coalition of Refuge Friends and Advocates Facebook group last year and has quickly grown in engagement. Read about the contest here.
You may have heard about the first winner of the Friends Photo Contest and the refuge’s fantastic fungi in the Winter 2022 Edition of The Link. Nicole Souza’s stunning photos of fungi at Assabet River National Wildlife Refuge caught our attention, so Assabet River NWR was featured for the month of December.
Assabet River National Wildlife Refuge encompasses 3.5 square miles located within the Massachusetts towns of Hudson, Maynard, Stow, and Sudbury. The refuge is on the original homelands of the Nipmuc People. The name “Assabet” is likely from the Nipmuc dialect, but the exact meaning is uncertain. It seems to refer to the marshy nature of the area, described as meaning “the place where materials for making fishnet grows,” “a mire-y place,” and “at the place where the river turns back.” Indeed, the refuge features a large wetland complex, several smaller wetlands and vernal pools and large forested portions, which are important feeding and breeding areas for migratory birds and other wildlife.
Assabet River NWR was established in 2000 when the U.S. Army transferred 2,230 acres to the USFWS to be part of the NWRS. The Refuge opened in 2005. The property was a training annex & had been placed off-limits by the Army since 1942 when they acquired it for an ammunition storage facility. Before World War II, the area consisted of small family farms and wood lots, some dating back to colonial times.
Would you like your Refuge/Hatchery to be recognized next month? Post your photos often in the Coalition of Refuge Friends and Advocates Facebook group and “challenge” Friends from other Refuges/Hatcheries. Thanks again Nicole! Who would you like to tag to share their photos?