Friends of Prime Hook National Wildlife Refuge continues support
The COVID pandemic has uprooted lives in many ways, and the Friends of Prime Hook National Wildlife Refuge did not escape its impact.
The popular Evening at the Hook lectures at the CHEER Center in Milton had to be canceled, and the Friends’ bookstore at the refuge was closed, part of a broader shutdown that included the visitor center and restrooms. The 2020 Horseshoe Crab and Shorebird Festival, an annual event the Friends volunteers have always supported, also was canceled.
Yet even in the pandemic’s darkest days, the refuge trails and roads remained open, offering solace, beauty and contemplation to their many visitors. And Friends volunteers continued to support the refuge in any way they could.
They created a Facebook page to stay connected to past and prospective visitors, and a Friends of Prime Hook YouTube channel to share wonderful wildlife videos. Volunteers continued selected efforts outdoors, including cleaning and installing signs, mowing and general maintenance, and getting bluebird boxes and purple martin gourds ready for their spring occupants.
Now that pandemic-related restrictions are easing, the Friends group is stepping up its activities, particularly related to engaging with the public. Volunteers from the Friends spent a delightful day in Milton participating in the 2021 Horseshoe Crab and Shorebird Festival.
The Friends bookstore has now reopened; normal hours are from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., Sunday, Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday, depending on volunteers’ availability. An “open” flag flying out front means come on in. COVID protocols are in place and posted on the door. For details on volunteering at the bookstore, email Jim Bauer at jimbauer43@gmail.com.
Volunteers George Naegle, Hilary Stanhope and Dan Barry constructed a new photo blind on Turkle Pond accessible from the Blue Goose Trail. The blind allows visitors to Prime Hook, especially birders, to observe and photograph the abundant wildlife that inhabit or traverse the refuge, including 308 species of birds.
Volunteers are again tending the native gardens and meet at 9 a.m. Wednesdays. Volunteers can contribute as few or as many hours as they are able, and the group always welcomes new members. For more information, email Art Coppola at Arthur_coppola@fws.gov.
The 17th Annual Prime Hook Delmarva Nature Photography Contest is now accepting entries through Saturday, Oct. 9, from all photographers, amateur and professional. For more information, go to friendsofprimehook.com.
The Friends group always welcomes new members and inquiries from the public. For more information, email primehookowner@yahoo.com or go to the website above.
The mission of the Friends includes supporting educational, environmental and recreational activities at the refuge, and increasing public awareness of the role that the refuge and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service play in preserving habitat for native flora and fauna.
