The Wrack Line is up on the refuge web site

Check out the Fall 2011 issue of The Wrack Line, the newsletter of Parker River National Wildlife Refuge:
wrackline fall 2011.pdf (application/pdf Object)

There's a nice year end wrap up by biological staff and a profile of my favorite fellow volunteer, Big Steve, by Jean (the unit formerly known as 3 for old time readers). I still can't believe 34 chicks fledged. That's the second highest total since I've been volunteering there. It's also nice to see refuge staff appreciating the volunteers. The way the Daily News portrayed our efforts this year, you'd get the impression that staff, especially Matt, did it all. The hard part is explaining to beach goers why the refuge closes the beach -- because the mission is wildlife first. The plover wardens are on the beach explaining that to individual visitors, some of whom are angry, some of whom don't understand, and some of whom are supportive. We may not be as heroic as the pepperweed pullers or as essential to daily operation as the info desk volunteers, but we are out there in the cold and the heat and the greenheads doing the hard part of communicating with the public.