U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service Toggle navigationUtility (Top) navigationAbout Us ForwardBackAbout UsMission & VisionLeadershipOur OrganizationOur FacilitiesRegionsLaws & Regulations ForwardBackLaws & RegulationsLaws, Agreements & TreatiesHunting RegulationsLibrary ForwardBackLibraryCategoriesCollectionsHomeServices ForwardBackServicesDuck Stamps ForwardBackDuck StampsBuy a Duck Stamp or E-StampBuy a Junior Duck StampFish StockingImporting & ExportingConsultation & Technical Assistance ForwardBackConsultation & Technical AssistanceESA Section 7 ConsultationHabitat Conservation Planning (HCPs)Candidate Conservation Agreements (CCA & CCAA)Safe Harbour Agreements (SHA)Conservation BankingCoastal Barrier Resources Act Project ConsultationCoastal Barrier Resources System Property DocumentationFinancial AssistanceSpecies ManagementInvestigational New Animal Drugs (INADS)PermitsSearch All ServicesDuck Stamps One of the easiest ways that anyone can support bird habitat conservation is by buying duck stamps.Species ForwardBackSpeciesExplore Taxonomic TreeFind a SpeciesInterest story Bats: “The Coolest Mammals on Earth”Visit Us ForwardBackVisit UsEventsRecreation PassesOutdoor RecreationWhere to HuntWhere to FishOur LocationsScenic Drives Tour routes of great scenic drives on National Wildlife Refuges.Get Involved ForwardBackGet InvolvedCareers and InternshipsVolunteeringFriends PartnershipsLearning OpportunitiesEducation ProgramsEventsPartnerships ForwardBackPartnershipsPartnership CategoriesPartner ListVolunteer Search for volunteer opportunities around the countryNewsroom ForwardBackNewsroomPress ReleasesCongressional TestimonyMedia ContactsWild Things News about wonderful wild things and placesInitiatives ForwardBackInitiativesCombating Wildlife TraffickingDirector's PrioritiesClimate ChangeHuntingFishingInvasive SpeciesPollinatorsProtecting WildlifeClimate Action FWS is taking steps to mitigate climate impactsI want to ForwardBackI Want ToReport Wildlife CrimeDo Business with FWSVolunteerFind a Job or InternshipVisit a RefugeBuy a Duck StampApply for a PermitFind FundingFind TrainingWild work Search employment opportunities with USFWSSearchSearchSearchEnter the terms you wish to search for. × Patuxent Research RefugeImage DetailsImage DetailsImage Details
 Patuxent Research RefugeAbout UsWhat We DoFacility ServicesProjects & ResearchContact UsVisit UsActivitiesToursTrailsRules & PoliciesGet InvolvedEventsNewsLibrarySpeciesMapNational Wildlife Visitor Centerhttps://www.facebook.com/PatuxentResearchRefuge/ Projects and Research **Oak-Pine Savanna Restoration**Meadow environmentImage DetailsIn the eastern United States, savannas are a less common habitat type in the natural landscape. Dry, sandy, well-drained soils can produce grassy, open woodlands, which can be found in the northwest region of Patuxent. The main natural process that maintains these savannas is fire resulting from lighting strikes. Indigenous people living in the area also lit fires to maintain these open grasslands.Until recently, the savanna areas of the refuge were choked with Virginia pines, forming an ecological desert. Using a combination of management practices including: prescribed burns, timber harvesting, and herbicides, the Virginia pines were removed. In their place grasses, oaks, and pitch pines returned to support the native flora, birds, and pollinators that once thrived here.**Endangered Yellow Lance Mussel Survey**Two people snorkeling in a shallow river with a third person kneeling in the river in waders.Image DetailsThe Patuxent and Little Patuxent Rivers both run through the refuge. The rivers have several shallow, gravelly runs which are shaded by mature forest keeping the water cool. These are conditions preferred by most mussel communities. However, little information is known about what mussel species occupy these river stretches and where they are located. Mussel surveys in rivers are labor intensive and time consuming. Of particular interest is that the endangered yellow lance mussel as a small population does exist upriver from the refuge. During the summer of 2021, the refuge partnered with the Maryland DNR, USFWS' Chesapeake Bay Field Office and Northeast Fishery Center, to conduct environmental DNA (eDNA) analysis of water samples taken at various choice locations. This will be followed by physical searches during the low water season.ducks and geese swim and fly around a wetlandImage DetailsEvaluating New Refuge Lands in Southern MarylandThe U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) is seeking public comments on a proposed National Wildlife Refuge in Southern Maryland.The draft proposal and environmental assessment for establishing the Southern Maryland Woodlands National Wildlife Refuge in Anne Arundel, Calvert, Charles, Prince George’s and St. Mary’s counties in Maryland is now available for review and...Evaluating New Refuge Lands in Southern Maryland
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