Refuge Manager’s Update May 2025

Spring has definitely sprung at Missisquoi! It seems almost daily, for the last few weeks, we have seen a new (or several new) species of migratory birds show up at the refuge. It is nice to know that even when the beginning of spring is cold (and sometimes snowy!) that migratory birds continue their relentless and timeless movement north. Many are stopping at the refuge to breed and raise their young and many are moving to points north, only using the refuge to rest and refuel as they search for their final nesting areas.

The Missisquoi NWR was established for just this purpose: migratory bird protection and management. It is incredible to me to think of those individuals in 1943, in the face of a world war, who were able to think about the conservation of migratory birds. But that is exactly what they did at Missisquoi and many other National Wildlife Refuges across the country. In 1943, the Missisquoi NWR was established under the authority of the Migratory Bird Conservation Act, to serve in part “for use as an inviolate sanctuary, or for any other management purpose, for migratory birds.”

The term “inviolate sanctuary” is purposeful for refuges established with this Act. It requires the refuge to set aside key habitats for migratory bird protection free from disturbance. It is for this reason that areas of the refuge are posted “Closed”. Refuges established by the Migratory Bird Conservation Act may only permit disturbance, including hunting, within a maximum of 40% of the refuge, whereas 60% of the habitat must be protected for the use of migratory birds. Often referred to as the 40:60 rule, this protection is crucial to the conservation of many migratory bird species across the country.

As you walk the trails on the refuge, please keep your eyes out for areas which are posted “Closed” and respect those closures as part of the purpose for which this refuge was established. Keeping areas free from disturbance helps our refuge, and many others throughout the refuge system, to ensure the future conservation of many species of migratory birds. And as always, enjoy the trails and keep your eyes peeled for the wonderful abundance of migratory birds that use the Missisquoi National Wildlife Refuge.

by Ken Sturm, Refuge Manager, Missisquoi NWR