Fish and Wildlife Service

Next to Ellis Island, the National Wildlife Visitor Center is the Interior Department's largest visitor center. The outlying Patuxent National Wildlife Refuge, established by President Franklin Roosevelt in 1936, was the nation's first wildlife experiment station.

The visitor center houses displays on U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service research and protection activities in various ecosystems (such as the Chesapeake Bay, Midwestern prairie potholes, Hawaiian rain forests), displays on global environmental issues, dioramas of endangered species, and a viewing area where visitors can use binoculars to watch waterfowl enjoying a nearby marsh and listen to radio tracking receivers placed on some of the birds.

A brief introductory film reveals that research at Pat- uxent first proved the harmful effects of DDT on wildlife. Also, scientists at Patuxent learned how to breed endangered condors and whooping cranes in captivity.

On a tram, tour guides point out blue herons, egrets and white-tailed deer. Visitors can see a wetland being used in an experimental project to filter wastewater and bluebird nesting boxes that are designed to keep out starlings.

The visitor center offers hiking trails, wildlife management demonstration areas and outdoor education sites for school groups. The center also sponsors weekend bird and wildflower walks and "butterfly hikes," as well as special events. Future activities will coincide with National Hunting and Fishing Day (Sept. 24) and National Wildlife Refuge Week (Oct. 14).

Patuxent National Wildlife Refuge
Open daily, 10:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m.
Powder Mill Rd., Beltsville, Md.
(301) 497-5760
www.prr.r5.fws.gov