Wildlife Refuge
Today the National Wildlife Refuge System is managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service. It encompasses approximately 38-million hectares. The land within the
system is diverse, ranging from arctic tundra in Alaska to coral reefs in Florida. The
Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge on the eastern shore of Maryland was
established in 1933 to help protect the pathway of migratory birds. Glen Carowan
is Blackwater’s manager.
“This particular area has some of the largest concentrations of water fowl,
specifically black ducks and blue-winged teal, found on the mid-Atlantic coast."
In the early days of the refuge system, the philosophy was just to set land aside
and the animals would come. Now wildlife management includes much more than
that.