Montezuma National Wildlife Refuge

06/04/2026

GUIDED NATURE WALK - Entangled Lives
Saturday, June 20, 10:00 am

Meet your guide, Pete Saracino, NY State Master Naturalist Volunteer, at the Montezuma NWR Visitor Center Sunroom.

To be alive is to be in relationship—entangled with the things that make our lives possible: Sun, Moon, air, water, plants, animals, insects, bacteria, fungi, etc. As we come to understand the nature of these relationships, we can deepen our appreciation for our dependence on both the living and nonliving components of our environment.

Join us as we examine some of the fascinating connections between all living things.

Binoculars and sunscreen are advised.
All ages are welcome! No pets, please.

Photo: Yellow Warbler on Flowering Chokecherry , Katie Goodwin/USFWS, Public Domain, https://www.fws.gov/media/yellow-warbler-flowering-chokecherry

05/29/2026

Try your hand at volunteering for the Montezuma Wetlands Complex this summer! Volunteer days are scheduled at the refuge and on state land/Montezuma Audubon Center.

05/26/2026

Unfortunately, the Seneca Trail nesting bald eagles had a failed nest this season. The Seneca Trail is now fully open.
PARKING for the Seneca Trail is the Visitor Center parking area; the trail begins next to the great blue heron sculpture.
Be aware that some areas may be wet.
Please remember to keep pets on a leash and pick up after them.

Photo credit: USFWS/Marsela Leverone

05/04/2026

Our Friends are excited to announce their 4th Annual Native Plant Festival to be held at the refuge on Saturday, September 19, 2026, from 9 am to 3 pm. Be sure to SAVE the DATE!

SAVE the DATE
4th Annual Native Plant Festival & Sale at Montezuma National Wildlife Refuge
Saturday, September 19, 2026
9:00 am to 3:00 pm

Fall is an excellent time to plant native trees, shrubs and perennials so please join us for fun, food and flowers at the 4th annual Grow Native! Native Plant Festival and Sale.

Come early (9 am) for a guided nature walk with Master Naturalist, Pete Saracino and stay for our special guest speakers: Janice Wiles from Go Native! Perennials, Molly Jacobson from SUNY ESF Bee Campus, Krissy Boys from Finger Lakes Native Plant Society, John Price from the Mid-Atlantic Regional Seed Bank and Brian Hoven, Assistant Professor of Biology at SUNY Geneseo. Discover the fascinating relationship between native plants and native pollinators and the impact they have on local ecosystems. Learn how to create and manage habitats, meadows and native gardens and collect native seeds responsibly while getting updates on NY State’s native seed supply chain. Investigate the many ways invasive species get established and affect native ecosystems. Visit our local native plant nurseries, vendors and artisans.

Enjoy lunch from a local food truck and later join our native bee expert for a bug sweep around the marsh or duck into the tent for a workshop on plant propagation.

End your day with a birding adventure on the Wildlife Drive with Audubon Environmental Educator, Fred Leff. This fall take a walk on the wild side and enjoy a fun-filled “day of discovery” at the Refuge!

“Come for the flowers, stay for the fun!”

05/04/2026

Our partners at the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation are celebrating I Love My Park Day this week. And even though the Montezuma Wetlands Complex is not a park, but a national wildlife refuge and state wildlife management area, we thought we'd celebrate too! Join our MARSH! Volunteers on Wednesday, May 6, 9 am to 1 pm (lunch provided by Friends of the Montezuma Wetlands Complex) for a workday at the Montezuma Audubon Center (2295 NY-89, Savannah, NY) for garden clean up and removal of woody invasive plants.

For more information and to sign up:
https://act.audubon.org/a/marsh-honeysuckle-popping-3-montezuma-audubon-center?aud_path=%2Fevents&aud_cta=unknown&_gl=1*12osrkd*_gcl_au*MTM5NzA0MDYyOC4xNzc3MzExMjc0*_ga*MjM0MTkwOTM0LjE3NDgwMTQwMzE.*_ga_X2XNL2MWTT*czE3Nzc5MDQ0MDckbzE0JGcxJHQxNzc3OTA0NDA5JGo1OCRsMCRoMA..

04/22/2026

Happy Earth Day!

04/20/2026

GUIDED NATURE WALKS at MONTEZUMA NWR
10 AM, Saturdays, April 25 and May 2 & 9

Meet your guide, New York State Master Naturalist Volunteer Pete Saracino, at the refuge Visitor Center.

All ages welcome but please leave your pets at home.

For a more comfortable experience, wear sturdy shoes and sunscreen, and bring water - binoculars if you have them!

“Transformation"
As Earth circles the Sun it's Northern Hemisphere leans more deeply toward its parent star triggering a marvelous alchemy on the planet's surface. Energy that has its source deep within the Sun's core now finds expression as leaf and flower, bird and beast, fish and frog, turtle and toad, invertebrate and fungi. Join New York State Master Naturalist Volunteer, Pete Saracino, as we explore myriad examples of this wonderful alchemy unfolding.
See attached poster for details. And bring a friend!
Pete Saracino/Refuge Volunteer Naturalist/New York State Master Naturalist Volunteer

04/17/2026

Don’t have plans for Earth Day yet? (April 22). Check this out! Next week’s MARSH! Volunteer workday will be at the refuge. 🌎