Mashpee National Wildlife Refuge

Mashpee National Wildlife Refuge located on Cape Cod Massachusetts is one of eight refuges that make up the Eastern Massachusetts National Wildlife Refuge Complex. The refuge was established in 1995 to preserve and protect natural resources associated with the Waquoit Bay area for the protection of waterfowl and wildlife. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service only owns a portion of the enormous refuge. Through a unique partnership among eight federal, state, tribal and private conservation groups, the refuge is managed to help conserve and protect the area’s wildlife and habitat. The refuge is named after the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe, which encompassed the homelands of the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe.

The refuge manages a variety of habitats including Atlantic white cedar swamps, coastal ecosystems, salt marshes, cranberry bogs, freshwater wetlands, ponds, rivers and vernal pools. These habitats provide ideal environment for songbirds, migratory waterfowl, raptors, white-tailed deer, small game and furbearers.