We’ve been watching for news about how Midway Atoll NWR and other Pacific refuges fared after the tsunami passed today. We gather the humans could make it to higher ground, but we know a lot of birds are nesting on the islands now, including the Laysan albatross named Wisdom and the famous short-tailed albatross — [...]

The Friends of Midway Atoll National Wildlife Refuge have developed an interactive game that helps adults and kids learn more about marine debris in the Pacific, which threatens wildlife species (such as the endangered Laysan albatross) found at places like Midway Atoll NWR.
On the site, the Friends offer factsheets that can be downloaded and contain [...]

NWCN.com in Washington State has posted a wonderful video of the new tidal boardwalk at Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge, near Olympia, Washington.
The $2.7 million boardwalk is going to be a birders’ paradise:

Refuge managers say bird watchers are already reporting sightings of species they’ve never seen before at this site and the boardwalk isn’t even [...]

On November 1, this blog posted a story asking refuge supporters to help restore the Kilauea Lighthouse at Kilauea Point National Wildlife Refuge by voting in the Hampton Hotels “Save a Landmark” contest.
The Kilauea Point Natural History Association announced today that Kilauea Point NWR was one of the winners in the Hampton Hotels “Save a [...]

John Klavitter, the acting manager of the Midway Atoll National Wildlife Refuge has spent almost 9 years on Midway Island. In this video clip, he takes a closer look inside one of the Midway albatross chicks that has been killed by plastic garbage from the ocean.
 

These colorful sea stars may look passive and harmless, but they are often referred to as the tigers or wolves of the intertidal zone.
As the National Park Service explains:

Sea stars, a sturdy yet flexible predator, are the tigers of the intertidal zone. When a sea star finds a mussel that seems like it will make [...]

The Kilauea Point Natural History Association is asking refuge supporters to help restore the Kilauea Lighthouse at Kilauea Point National Wildlife Refuge by voting in the Hampton Hotels “Save a Landmark” contest.
Kilauea Lighthouse is one of 3 finalists for Hawaii in the contest. Go to the Hampton Landmarks site and vote in support of the [...]

In case you hadn’t heard, there’s a huge tidal marsh restoration project going on in Oregon at Bandon Marsh National Wildlife Refuge. The project:

Is the largest tidal marsh restoration project in Oregon
Doubles the acreage of tidal marsh habitat in the estuary
Restores more than 400 acres of tidal wetlands
Creates important habitat for young salmon and shorebirds
Creates [...]

As this blog reported back on August 4, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is pressing for the removal of wild horses from Sheldon National Wildlife Refuge in Nevada.
The Associated Press is now reporting that the USFWS has secretly rounded up almost 400 horses at the refuge.

Paul Steblein, the agency’s project leader in Sheldon, confirmed [...]

This photo of a pair of Laysan albatrosses working together to protect their eggs was taken at Midway Atoll National Wildlife Refuge in the Pacific. Seventeen species of seabirds nest each year on islands within Midway Atoll NWR. The largest albatross colony in the world is on Midway Atoll with an estimated 1.5 million birds. [...]

This beautiful photo of a bobcat kitten was taken at William L. Finley National Wildlife Refuge in Oregon. The refuge — which includes the Finley Unit and the Snag Boat Bend Unit — encompasses a diverse assortment of habitats including riparian forest, upland forest, upland prairie, wet prairie, wetlands and farm fields. The purpose of [...]

The Nevada Appeal reports that refuge managers want wild horses at Sheldon National Wildlife Refuge in Nevada — animals they describe as “exotic invasive species” — to be gone within five years.

The refuge was established decades ago to protect species including pronghorn antelope. But, according to Paul Steblein, project leader at the refuge, wild horses [...]