On Tuesday, the Parker River National Wildlife Refuge will celebrate the dedication of the Great Marsh as a Western Hemispheric Shorebird Reserve Network (WHSRN) regional site of significance, as well as the dedication of the Refuge Headquarters bridge completion.
Activities include a shorebird observation walk with ornithologist Wayne Peterson from 8 to 9:30 a.m., a bridge ribbon-cutting ceremony with Newburyport Mayor John Moak and officials from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and Federal Highways Administration at 10 a.m., the WHSRN designation ceremony at 10:45 a.m., and a shorebird conservation presentation by Charles Duncan, director of the Shorebird Recovery project and WHSRN, at 11:15 a.m.
All activities except for the shorebird observation walk will take place at the Parker River National Wildlife Refuge Headquarters and Visitor Center, 6 Plum Island Turnpike, Newburyport. The shorebird observation walk will leave promptly at 8 a.m. from the Joppa Flats Wildlife Sanctuary at 1 Plum Island Turnpike.
"This is a special day for Parker River," refuge manager Graham Taylor said. "The ribbon-cutting for the bridge symbolizes the final step in the completion of our refuge headquarters and visitor center. The WHSRN dedication is a great honor; it recognizes the great marsh as an extremely important habitat for shorebirds, and strengthens the conservation and protection of this habitat and the shorebirds that rely on it."
Speakers and guests attending this event include George McCabe from Congressman John Tierney's office, Newburyport Mayor John Moak and representatives from the Manomet Center for Conservation Science, the Federal Highway Administration, the Trustees of Reservations, the Massachusetts Audubon Society, regional and local representatives of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and other partners.
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