| Camp Greenhead, other events planned at Reelfoot Lake refuge |
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Posted: Thursday, September 20, 2012 9:07 pm
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Reelfoot Lake’s National Wildlife Refuge will be hosting a pair of upcoming events that will be both entertaining and educational.
The first of two scheduled events is Camp Greenhead, planned for Oct. 13 at the refuge. The one-day program will begin at 9 a.m. that Saturday and is open to 15 youngsters, ages 14 to 17 years old.
They will learn about waterfowl identification from members of the refuge staff, including Tara Dowdy, who is promoting the event.
“The importance of waterfowl identification cannot be stressed enough,” Mrs. Dowdy said. “Misidentification of waterfowl leads to hunters exceeding the waterfowl species limits, which in turn decreases the amount of waterfowl available for the future.”
At Camp Greenhead, youngsters will learn how to identify a variety of waterfowl species while feeding, in flight and by call.
Participants will also be allowed to tour the refuge to see how bottomland hardwood forests, row crops and moist soil units benefit waterfowl, according to a news release.
Also, a refuge biologist will demonstrate how wood ducks are banded and will explain the importance of banding waterfowl.
Those who participate in the session will get a free duck call, a federal duck stamp and literature about waterfowl identification.
For more information about Camp Greenhead, contact Mrs. Dowdy at (731) 538-2481.
A second program is planned for Oct. 20 at the wildlife refuge, which is located off Highway 157.
The refuge will host a 2012 Migration Celebration in honor of National Wildlife Refuge Week with free interpretive hayrides being offered that Saturday. Hayrides will leave the refuge office at 10 a.m. and the hayrides are expected to last about 90 minutes. A free chili lunch will be offered as part of the hayride.
Reservations are required for the hayride and they can be made by calling Mrs. Dowdy.
The hayrides will travel through the Long Point refuge unit and will include stops at various stations with guest speakers stationed along the trip. They will discuss waterfowl identification, duck calls, wood duck banding, moist soil units, macro-invertebrates and birds common to the Reelfoot Lake area.
Immediately following the hayride, a live bird of prey demonstration will be presented by the Friends of West Tennessee Refuges.
Those who are unable to participate in the hayride will be allowed to follow in their own vehicles.
The Reelfoot National Wildlife Refuge is one of 550 national wildlife refuges across the country, offering a variety of outdoor activities, including fishing, hunting, environmental education, wildlife observation and photography.
For more information about the local wildlife refuge, go online to http://www.fws.gov/reelfoot.
Published in The Messenger 9.20.12 |
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