Junior Refuge Manager

Activity Guide

-

1

How to become a Junior Refuge Manager!

The Refuge Manager is responsible for leading a team of staff at a refuge and must be familiar with the land

they are attempting to manage! As a Junior Refuge Manager, you will learn about the refuge, its natural

resources, how and why they are managed, and what each staff members does for their job! Are you

interested in becoming a refuge manager someday? This is a great place to start!

To earn your badge and certificate, complete all the activities required for your age class. Once you have

finished the requirement to become a Junior Refuge Manager, bring your booklet to the Mattamuskeet Visitor

Center at 85 Mattamuskeet Rd, Swan Quarter, NC 27885. A volunteer or staff member will review the booklet

with you and, upon completion, will award you the certificate and badge!

Activity Book:

If you are 4-6 years old, complete 3 activity pages.

If you are 7-9 years old, complete 5 activity pages.

If you are 10+ years old, complete 8 activity pages.

Safety and Rules

To keep visitors and wildlife safe, it is important that Mattamuskeet Junior Refuge Managers set a good

example by following all refuge rules. Here are a few:

Plan ahead and prepare by checking for trail/road

closures and other alerts. Take an adult with you!

Stay on marked trails and boardwalks.

Always be cautious of your surroundings! Be careful of

poisonous plants on trails.

Never feed, touch, or disturb wildlife. Always keep a

safe distance from wildlife.

Take only pictures, leave only footprints.

Swimming is not allowed on the refuge.

Help us keep our refuge clean, dispose all trash into

proper receptacles.

Please be considerate of other visitors.

Adults, Please Read! This is a family activity. You are encouraged to join your child as they complete the activities in

this book. Do not worry about answering all of the questions correctly. Appreciate the beauty of the refuge and share

your feelings as you explore together. Your enthusiasm shows and makes for a wonderful experience.

Place your blue goose stamp here to

remember your visit!

2

What is a National Wildlife Refuge?

National Wildlife Refuge System is a designation for certain protected areas of the United States managed by

the United States Fish and Wildlife Service. The National Wildlife Refuge System is the system of public lands

and waters set aside to conserve America's fish, wildlife and plants. Since President Theodore Roosevelt

designated Florida's Pelican Island National Wildlife Refuge as the first wildlife refuge in 1903, the System has

grown to 565 national wildlife refuges and 38 wetland management districts encompassing more than

150,000,000 acres. These refuges can be found all across the United States! Circle your state, how many

refuges can you count in your state? _______ . Which region is it in? _____________ .

What about Mattamuskeet NWR?

Mattamuskeet National Wildlife Refuge, located on the Albemarle-Pamlico Peninsula in Hyde County, North

Carolina, was established in 1934. The Refuge consists of 50,180 acres of open water, marsh, timber, and

croplands. The Refuge’s main feature is the shallow 40,000 acre Lake Mattamuskeet, an excellent place to

bird watch, picnic, crab, and more! But what happened before the refuge was established?

Check out the first activity on the next page!

3

Check out the Visitor Center!

There are a few theories behind how Lake Mattamuskeet was formed, list two.

__________________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________________

As early as the ________’s, the colonial government was interested in digging a ________ from the Pamlico

Sound to the lake to reduce the size of the lake and expose more fertile soil for farming.

Between 1911 and 1934, three companies partnered with the _______________ ______________ ____________

to do what to the lake? _____________________________________________________________________________

The project included creating how many miles of canals? _______________________________________________

What else was constructed that housed four steam driven pumps? _______________________________________

How much water did it pump into the Pamlico Sound? _______________________________________

What was this constructed piece later converted into? _______________________________________

There are four flap gate structures in the ___________, ___________, ___________, and ___________ canals.

These structures have been engineered to allow the passage of what? ____________________________

Ride on the Airboat via our Airboat tour video! Tell us three interesting facts you learned!

__________________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________________

Continue to explore the visitor center!

There are many kiosks loaded with valuable information!

Talk to a volunteer or staff member, feel free to ask them anything about the refuge.

There is a pamphlet section full of materials you are welcome to take home and show your family and friends.

Feel free to write down all the interesting facts you learn on page 14!

Please obey the “staff only” signs.

4

Refuge Career Crossword

The Refuge Manager depends on a diverse team of staff members and helpful volunteers to effectively run a

refuge. Everyone that works at a refuge is given a special set of tasks they must complete. Imagine you are

trying to build a puzzle. Every piece of the puzzle is unique and fits into a certain slot, but together the pieces

create a big picture. This concept is the same when applied to the different positions at the refuge – they are all

unique and have a special slot in the big picture! Can you match the jobs in the word bank to their description?

ACROSS

1 Helps other staff by doing paperwork, answering phones, and managing the office

3 Enforces refuge rules, protects the refuge and its inhabitants

4 Guides and supervises all the people that work on the refuge

5 Repairs and maintains buildings, trails, roads, and equipment on the refuge

8 Assists the manager with refuge operation

9 Studies the plants, animals, and other natural resources

DOWN

2 Gives programs about the refuge and its natural resources to visitors.

6 A student or graduate in a professional field gaining supervised experience

7 Offers to help the refuge without pay.

Word Bank: Law Enforcement, Biologist, Maintenance, Volunteer, Intern, Administrative Officer, Refuge Manager,

Environmental Educator, Deputy Refuge Manager

5

Habitat Detective

A habitat is a place where plants and animals can find food, water, shelter, and space to live. At Mattamuskeet

National Wildlife Refuge, the main types of habitat include: open water, wetland, farmland, and some forest.

For this activity you will act as a biologist as you “research” these habitats. As you explore the refuge, stop at

two separate locations and record your notes below. Try to select two different habitat types if you can!

Date: __________________ Time: __________________ Weather Conditions: _______________________

Habitat Type: __________________

In the box below, draw a picture of a plant, animal, or the landscape. Record what you hear, smell, and anything else you

find interesting. Are there birds singing? Did you see a cool frog or lizard?

Date: __________________ Time: __________________ Weather Conditions: _______________________

Habitat Type: __________________

In the box below, draw a picture of a plant, animal, or the landscape. Record what you hear, smell, and anything else you

find interesting. Are there birds singing? Did you see a cool frog or lizard?

6

Wetland Walk

Step into nature and take a walk along the New Holland Trail, located across from the visitor center and the

canal. See if you notice any wind while walking along the boardwalk. Wetlands are areas known to absorb the

force of wind, which may explain why you see so many insects buzzing about! Wetlands also provide habitat

for all kinds of plants and animals, mainly aquatic species such amphibians, because they collect and hold

flood water. They even help purify water by filtering it, but please do not drink the water. Please watch your

step, the boardwalk may be slippery when wet and snakes enjoy sunbathing on the boards!

Refuge Bingo – As you see plants, animals, and other natural objects on the New Holland trail then cross them

off below. If you see any of these items outside of the New Holland trail, make a check mark instead. If you get

five “marks” in a row, you completed the activity! Can you find them all?

Snake

Lichen

Black Bear

Frog

Mosquito

Sweetgum Leaf

Dragonfly

Osprey

Green Anole

Squirrel

Butterfly

Cypress Knee

FREE SPACE

Fly

Heron

Fern

Turtle

Caterpillar

Deer

Cypress Tree

Songbird

Reeds

Damselfly

Vine

Spider

7

Blue Crab Conundrum

Many visitors of all ages come to the refuge to go crabbing around the lake and its surrounding canals. The

blue crabs at Mattamuskeet are well known for being large and full of meat. For this activity we are going to

test your knowledge about these infamously large blue critters. Look carefully at the image below, can you spot

the female crab? Circle the crab you believe is the female.

You can spot a female crab by its red tipped claws, or “painted fingernails”, and the U-shaped structure on their

underside. Male crabs have a T-shaped structure. If you circled the crab on the left, you are correct!

Crab Crossword – For this activity, please complete the puzzle below using the word bank beneath it!

Molting – Crabs do not have bones to support them, instead they have a hard shell they grow too large for and later shed out of.

Calcium – Necessary for hardening the crab’s shell, crabs take this mineral from the water.

Mating – A process to continue the species, females only mate once.

Sponge – A structure females use to carry their eggs, each sponge may hold 2 million eggs.

Zoea – The first stage of a crab’s life after it hatches, Zoea are as big as a pin head. They eat tiny plants and live in very salty water.

Megalopa – After seven molts, a zoea becomes a megalopa, has well developed claws, and can live in fresher waters.

Regeneration – If a crab loses a leg or claw, it is able to re-grow these limbs over time.

Salinity – The measure of salt dissolved in water. Crabs need certain levels of salt to survive.

Shell – The protective exterior of a crab that is usually hard.

Diet – Blue crabs will eat anything they can get their claws on; mussels, snails, fish, plants, and even carrion and smaller blue crabs

©Anxiouswren

8

Bird Watching

A very popular recreational activity at this refuge is bird watching! Our refuge lies in the heart of the Atlantic

Flyway, a path which birds follow during their migration from north to south or vice versa. In North American

there are four flyways: Atlantic, Mississippi, Center, and Pacific.

Look at the map and circle the state you live in! Which flyway(s) cover your state? _________________________________.

Depending on the season, you may see colorful migratory songbirds, hardy year-round natives, and vast

numbers of waterbirds! Find a pair of binoculars and head outside to see how many birds you can find. If any

of the birds are on this list, cross them out. Do not be discouraged if you cannot find them all, some birds are

only here certain times of the year!

Mallard

Red-headed Woodpecker

Barn Swallow

Carolina Chickadee

Great Blue Heron

Ruby-throated

Hummingbird

Northern

Mockingbird

Snowy Egret

Carolina Wren

Canada Goose

Osprey

Northern Cardinal

9

Swans Galore

Every winter, flocks of Tundra Swans gather at Lake Mattamuskeet to feed on the abundant supply of

submerged aquatic vegetation within the lake. During this time, Mattamuskeet NWR and partners host an

event known as “Swan Days” – which features a series of free programs dedicated to these elegant creatures.

Your attendance and participation in Swan Days automatically counts towards the completion of this activity!

If you attended Swan Days, have a volunteer or staff member sign here: ___________________________________________

Also, do not feel discouraged if you are unable to make it to Swan Days. You can make your own flock of swans!

Origami Swan – Follow the instructions below to create an origami swan. Bring your swan(s) when you turn in the booklet.

1. Start with a square sheet of paper. Fold in half on the diagonal. Unfold.

2. Fold the left and right edges of the paper to meet the central crease made above.

3. Turn the paper over and repeat: fold the left and right edges to meet the central crease.

4. Fold the model in half so the sharp point meets the corner on the opposite side (align the red dots).

5. Fold the sharp point back again about a third of the way; exact distance not important.

6. Fold the model in half vertically (mountain fold to create left and right side of swan). Rotate quarter turn.

7. Gently pull the neck and head of the origami swan away from the body. Done.

Do some research! Write down four interesting facts about Tundra Swans. Ex. Tundra Swans are known as “Whistling Swans”.

__________________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________________

10

Wildlife Scramble

The words below are all names of wildlife found on our refuge – but they are all scrambled! Can you

unscramble the letters to correctly spell the names? Once you have, draw a line from the name to its picture.

tksauMr _______________________________

odWo uDkc _______________________________

rtaeG erEgt _______________________________

onccaoR _______________________________

popreedaCh kaneS _______________________________

ueBl arbC _______________________________

muLrgetlhoa asBs _______________________________

lckBa erBa _______________________________

dRe lofW _______________________________

veRir trOet _______________________________

hiWte-taledi erDe _______________________________

acobBt _______________________________

sEtnare oBx rlTeut _______________________________

11

Pollution Solution

Pollution is harmful chemical or waste products which makes the environment foul or dirty. There are several

forms of pollution which can affect our environment, and each are quite harmful. The types of pollution include:

Air, Water, Noise, Radioactive, Thermal, Light, Visual, and Personal. Although we will not cover all of these

types in this exercise, you are always encouraged to research each type to see if you can prevent it from

becoming worse!

Refuge Stewardship – Being a steward means you care about something and desire to protect it. We want you

to fight against pollution by doing something that makes the refuge or your own home a better place for wildlife!

Listed below are a few project ideas:

Pick up a plastic grocery bag worth of trash outside (remember to wear gloves!)

Start composting your food waste, worms will love it!

Give a short program to your family about pollution!

Learn how to recycle!

Turn off all lights, or anything that may be plugged into an outlet or use electricity, for 8 hours.

Think of your own project!

Write down what you did below. Why do you believe your project was important to people, plants, and

animals? Which of the 9 types of pollution does your project prevent? It can be more than one!

__________________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________________

We must always be mindful of the “footprints” we leave behind.

12

Paquippe Scavenger Hunt

When you think of Mattamuskeet NWR, the first thing that generally comes to mind is North Carolina’s largest

natural lake. In 1585, this lake, once known as “Paquippe” by local Native Americans, covered 120,000 acres

and averaged six to nine feet deep. It was roughly 3 times its current size! As the years progressed, and

settlers attempted to drain the lake for access to more farmland, the lake was renamed Lake Mattamuskeet.

This lake is now 2-3 feet deep on average and stretches to about 40,000 acres.

Head out to the many roads, overlooks, and trails here at the Refuge. Search for the items on the list and place

a check by each one found. Remember to always be mindful of the “footprints” you leave behind!

o Mudflat

When the summer heat kicks in, lake levels lower and expose these important pieces of habitat

that grow vegetation and contain dozens of small aquatic organisms. Perfect food for waterfowl.

o Boardwalk or Overlook

These are built to help us get a closer look at wetland and lake species while simultaneously

protecting plants and wildlife species from being stepped on.

o Levee

Made of soil and are built to retain water within the impoundments; these help staff raise and

lower water levels using pumps to create additional habitat and food sources for wildlife.

o Flock of Birds

When observing the lake or surrounding impoundments, it is not uncommon to see a flock of

waterbirds lingering around! If you can identify the species, let us know!

o Pump

Used by staff members to pump the water out of the impoundments into the lake. You should

see two long metal shafts with fencing on opposite sides of each other.

o Gate Structure

There are four sets of gates on this refuge which prevent water from the Pamlico Sound from

entering lake while also allowing the lake to release water into the sound.

o Lodge

The Mattamuskeet Lodge was once the largest pump house in the world. It was later converted

into a hunting lodge which also hosted banquets, weddings, and dances; until it was closed for

remodeling.

o Phragmites

A non-native, invasive reed species which grows in tall patches along the water’s edge.

13

Word Mini-Dictionary

See a word you are not too sure about? Look up the definition of your mystery word in our mini-dictionary

below. If you still cannot find your mystery word, write it in one of the blank spaces provided so you can do

some research at home!

Amphibian – a cold-blooded vertebrate animal of a class that comprises the frogs, toads, newts, and

salamanders. They are distinguished by having an aquatic gill-breathing larval stage followed (typically) by a

terrestrial lung-breathing adult stage.

Carrion – deceased animals in the process of decay.

Conundrum – a question asked for amusement, typically one with a pun in its answer; a riddle.

Flyway – a route regularly used by large numbers of migrating birds.

Migration – seasonal movement of animals from one region to another.

Origami – the Japanese art of folding paper into decorative shapes and figures.

Radioactive – the spontaneous emission of a stream of particles or electromagnetic rays in nuclear decay

Thermal – relating to or associated with heat

Waterbirds – a bird that swims and lives in or near water

___________________ - _____________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________________

___________________ - _____________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________________

___________________ - _____________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________________

___________________ - _____________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________________

___________________ - _____________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________________

14

15

Mattamuskeet National Wildlife Refuge

Junior Refuge Manager

This certifies that

___________________________________________________________________

has successfully completed the Junior Refuge Manager program at

Mattamuskeet National Wildlife Refuge.

Signed: _________________________________ Date: ____________________

Refuge Volunteer/Staff

16

Mattamuskeet National Wildlife Refuge

85 Mattamuskeet Road

Swan Quarter, NC 27885

Telephone: 252-926-4021

Website: https://www.fws.gov/refuge/mattamuskeet/

Follow us on Facebook:

Lake Mattamuskeet

@LakeMattamuskeet

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

1-800-334-WILD

www.fws.gov

Special Thanks: Minnesota Valley NWR, San Francisco Bay NWR, Okefenokee NWR

Photos: Kelcie Severs, Audubon Society, free clipart sites, USFWS

Cover created by Kelcie Severs (General Intern, Summer 2016)