Happy Trails To You – At A Nearby
National Wildlife Refuge 

Before each issue, your editors consider what topics are most likely to interest refuge and hatchery Friends and entice readers to visit their special places. This summer we decided to take advantage of the June photo contest promoted by the Coalition of Refuge Friends and Advocates (CORFA) on their Facebook page. The photo contest’s June theme was “Celebrate Take a Hike Day and Get Outdoors Day.” We hope you’ll enjoy this tour of our nation via a variety of memorable trails and vistas!

Let’s start mid-Pacific on the Big Island of Hawaii with a visit to the Hakalau Forest Unit of the Hakalau Forest NWR. As a member of the Friends of Hakalau Forest NWR and one who has been lucky enough to visit this special place some 6,000 feet above sea level on the slopes of Mauna Kea, getting there is almost as exciting as being there. The access road is a “county road” but is tough going even for an experienced driver in a sturdy SUV, not to mention for passengers in the back seat. However, the effort is well worth it to see, as the Friends website puts it, “some of the finest remaining stands of native montane rain forest in Hawai’i and habitat for 29 critically endangered species including seven birds, one insect, one mammal, and 20 plants found nowhere else in the world.”

The photo below, by Friends president J. B. Friday, depicts “hiking up through the old pastures into an ancient ohia forest at the Hakalau Forest National Wildlife Refuge, Hawaii Island, Hawaii.” The only things missing from this photo are the colorful birds and their songs!

Moving on to the west coast of the U.S., we’ll travel to Oregon’s Willamette Valley, where we find amazing vineyards as well as the William L. Finley NWR, part of the Willamette NWR Complex and, according to the refuge website, “home to rare habitats that support thousands of species, including six that are threatened and endangered.” Diane Young, secretary of the Friends of the Willamette Valley NWR Complex, used her camera to share the captivating beauty of the “Oregon Territory skies.” She reports that “the Cheadle Marsh Seasonal Trail always delights hikers with expansive skies, chattering birds, and wetland plants.” It’s open April 1- October 31.

Traveling east to Seney NWR in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, we experience the magic of a summer sunrise captured by Teresa McGill, member of the Seney Natural History Association – Friends of the Refuge. Says Teresa, “I have spent the last 20+ years enjoying Seney NWR (aka My Happy Place). The last fifteen or so I have journaled my sightings and shared my photos and sightings with the refuge...especially the loons. Refuge loons include ABJ, the oldest known common loon. At 35 years old, ABJ was the first loon banded on the refuge by Common Coast Research and Conservation in 1987.” Teresa adds that “my favorite time of day is at dawn's early light,” and her comment about her photo says it all: “Fog and calm waters...perfect.”

Now on to the south. The Pea Island NWR on the Outer Banks of North Carolina has a trail around its North Pond, the impoundment to which the public has access for wildlife viewing and photography. The salt spray in the winds off the ocean prune the trees such as live oak, black cherry, yaupon holly, and eastern red cedar and causes them to develop a dense branching habit. Vines such as grape, Virginia creeper, and greenbrier twine in those dense branches. Refuge volunteers prune the vegetation to maintain a tunnel through the dense vegetation over a sidewalk that has been there for decades. The photo was taken on February 5, 2022, by Bob Glennon, secretary of the board of the Coastal Wildlife Refuge Society.

We’ve now arrived in the northeast U.S., where Karen Blakely VanDyk, secretary of the board of Friends of Wallkill River NWR, says that “the 2.5 mile Liberty Loop trail in the Wallkill River NWR, which is located in both Pine Island, NY, and Vernon, NJ, is the favorite for most people. Ever changing with the seasons, here you may see short-eared owls to sandhill cranes, along with numerous shorebirds, waterfowl, songbirds, and more. Also, you may come across many mammals from mink to bears or even a bobcat. It’s a great spot to watch the sunset or sunrise. Hot air balloons are often viewed from the trail. It’s flat and great for young and old—and part of it is also the Appalachian Trail.”

And (drum roll, please) the grand finale on our cross-country tour—the Marsh Edge Trail at Blackwater NWR, Cambridge, Maryland—which is the subject of the winning photo in CORFA’s June photo contest! The Marsh Edge Trail is one of photographer and Friends board member Lisa Mayo’s favorite trails at Blackwater NWR because it has great water views of the rivers at the refuge. It’s closed for part of the year due to nesting bald eagles and herons along the trail, but when it’s open to the public, everyone enjoys the trail and its awesome river boardwalk that the Friends of Blackwater helped to fund.

Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge is the largest wildlife refuge in Maryland and was established in 1933 as a waterfowl sanctuary for birds migrating along the Atlantic Flyway. The Friends of Blackwater is a nonprofit citizen’s support group founded in 1987, assisting the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service staff to carry out their educational, interpretive, and public use missions. One of the ways the Friends do this is by supporting maintenance of the land and paddling trails at the refuge.

Most recently, the Friends built and installed six new bridges along the Woods Trail and installed bike racks at all the trailheads. The Marsh Edge Trail is a popular waterfront trail with an active eagle’s nest. For this trail the Friends paid for signage, Romtec toilet roof repairs, and the installation of a scenic river boardwalk using proceeds from the Wild Goose Chase women’s bicycle ride, an annual event run by the Friends that has raised more than $175,000 for the refuge. The Friends have also supported maintenance of the paddling trails at the refuge since 2003 and have raised money in the past to install kiosks and update signage along the trails. Helping to provide wildlife-friendly recreational access to the refuge has been just one way the Friends of Blackwater enjoy supporting refuge visitors. Congratulations on your winning photo, Lisa!