Birds of Merritt Island NWR Gallery
The refuge traces its beginnings to the development of the nation’s Space Program. In 1962, NASA acquired 140,000 acres of land, water, and marshes adjacent to Cape Canaveral to establish the John F. Kennedy Space Center. NASA built a launch complex and other space-related facilities, but development of most of the area was not necessary. In 1963 the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service signed an agreement to establish the refuge and in 1975 a second agreement established Canaveral National Seashore. Today, the Department of Interior manages most of the unused portions of the Kennedy Space Center as a National Wildlife Refuge and National Seashore.
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Black Crowned Night Heron
The night heron species is often used as an indicator of environmental quality because It is widespread and tends to accumulate contaminants . This individual was perched on large water pipe below road level. This park was created to be the first large scale man-made wetland designed to reclaim water and provide habitat for wildlife.
HeronBlack Crowned Night HeronFloridaMerritt Islandbirdsconservationwater_birdswildlife
