Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge

Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge
IUCN category IV (habitat/species management area)
View from the wildlife drive after a storm.
Location	Dorchester County, Maryland, USA
Nearest city	Cambridge, Maryland
Coordinates	38°24′50″N 76°05′50″W / 38.413921°N 76.097231°W / 38.413921; -76.097231Coordinates: 38°24′50″N 76°05′50″W / 38.413921°N 76.097231°W / 38.413921; -76.097231
Area	28,894.35 acres (116.9313 km2)
Established	1933 (1933)
Website	Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge

The Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge was established in 1933 as a waterfowl sanctuary for birds migrating along the critical migration highway called the Atlantic Flyway. The refuge is located on Maryland's Eastern Shore, just 12 mi (19 km) south of Cambridge, Maryland in Dorchester County, and consists of over 28,000 acres (110 km²) of freshwater impoundments, brackish tidal wetlands, open fields, and mixed evergreen and deciduous forests. Blackwater NWR is one of over 540 units in the National Wildlife Refuge System, which is managed by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service.

Blackwater Refuge is fed by the Blackwater River and the Little Blackwater River. The name "blackwater" comes from the tea-colored waters of the local rivers, which are darkened by the tannin that is picked up as the water drains through peat soil in the marshes.

In addition to a wealth of wetlands and forests, Blackwater Refuge is also host to over 250 bird species, 35 species of reptiles and amphibians, 165 species of threatened and endangered plants, and numerous mammals that can be spotted throughout the year in Blackwater's marshes, forests, meadows, and fields. During winter migration, Blackwater Refuge is also home to upwards of 35,000 geese and 15,000 ducks. The refuge is currently host to three recovering species: the endangered Delmarva fox squirrel, the delisted migrant peregrine falcon, and the recently delisted American bald eagle.