Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge

Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge Welcome to the Merritt Island NWR page. The Refuge is open daily from sunrise to sunset. Habitats protected by the refuge contribute to species diversity.
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Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge was established to provide habitat for migratory birds and protection for endangered species. The Refuge's open spaces provide visitors opportunities for wildlife-dependent recreational activities. The refuge is open daily sunrise to sunset. The visitor center is open from 8am until 4 pm Wednesday through Saturday.
*Unexpected road closures can happen without notice.

Blackpoint Wildlife Drive has officially reopened as of this morning! Special thanks to our hard working maintenance tea...
08/28/2026

Blackpoint Wildlife Drive has officially reopened as of this morning! Special thanks to our hard working maintenance team & volunteers for making this happen and getting it done before the weekend. Come out and enjoy the smooth roads & wildlife! šŸŠšŸ¦…

Today is the day that work begins on the Black Point Wildlife Drive. Please enjoy one of the other Refuge drives, such a...
08/24/2026

Today is the day that work begins on the Black Point Wildlife Drive. Please enjoy one of the other Refuge drives, such as BioLab, while the crew works to get Black Point in ship shape condition.

Wednesday! Alligators are found throughout Florida, from the swamps all the way in our backyards. These beautiful crea...
08/19/2026

Wednesday! Alligators are found throughout Florida, from the swamps all the way in our backyards. These beautiful creatures are essential ecosystem engineers, making deep holes of waters (gator holes) during dry seasons that the surrounding wildlife utilize. Baby gators will have light stripes top to bottom running down their body till they're around 10 ft, when they become adults. They can grow a foot a year for the first 4 to 6 years of their lives.

See you later, Alligator!

Image credit: Chloe Ream

Have you ever spotted a manatee at the refuge?At Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge, portions of the Indian River L...
08/12/2026

Have you ever spotted a manatee at the refuge?

At Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge, portions of the Indian River Lagoon provide important habitat for manatees and many other aquatic species.

When viewing manatees, please remember to watch from a distance, use zoom for photos, never touch or feed them, and follow all posted boating signs.

Thank you for helping protect manatees and the habitat they depend on.

The turtle nest numbers for this week are in! Still only the 6 leatherbacks. We do not expect that number to increase. 1...
08/11/2026

The turtle nest numbers for this week are in! Still only the 6 leatherbacks. We do not expect that number to increase. 1662 loggerheads and 685 greens. While these numbers are still slowly increasing, the big news at this point in the summer is hatchings! Be sure to keep the beach clean, flat and dark so the newly hatched turtles can make their way to the ocean, quickly and safely.

This week's sea turtle nest counts: 6 leatherbacks, 601 green and 1629 loggerheads. Remember, the eggs are hatching now,...
08/07/2026

This week's sea turtle nest counts: 6 leatherbacks, 601 green and 1629 loggerheads. Remember, the eggs are hatching now, so leave the beach as clean and flat as you can so there are not any obstacles to block the hatchlings form reaching the ocean. This means flattening sand castles and filling in holes.

Looking for a shady place to walk? Check out the story trail, at the Refuge visitor center (1987 Scrub Jay Way, Titusvil...
08/06/2026

Looking for a shady place to walk? Check out the story trail, at the Refuge visitor center (1987 Scrub Jay Way, Titusville). Learn more about alligators as you stroll the 1/4 mile boardwalk and keep your eyes open for gators in the pond. The visitor center is open from 8:30am until 4:00pm, Tuesday through Saturday.

08/06/2026

Steal the Look: Northern Flicker
āš«āš«āš«
Did someone say craft night? (I did. It was me.)
The bag is packed and Iā€™m ready to swoop in for some DIY fun. Iā€™ll bring the headphones (just in case the creative chaos gets a little loud), but you might want a pair, too, because we'll all be busy pecking away at our current hyperfixation craft.
And since my tongue is already wrapped around my brainā€¦ Iā€™ll happily take the lead on deciding our food order. Beetles, anyone?

šŸ‘… Dotted with curiosity?
Learn some woodpecker tongue secrets to share at your next craft night:
https://abcbirds.info/4hf3LA2

Last night was the final sea turtle walk and the group was lucky enough to see a loggerhead laying her eggs. Eggs laid e...
07/31/2026

Last night was the final sea turtle walk and the group was lucky enough to see a loggerhead laying her eggs. Eggs laid earlier this summer are hatching now so we stay off the beaches at night in August but we still patrol in the morning looking both for new nests and evidence of hatching. The total number of nests on our beach so far this summer is 6 leatherbacks, 564 greens and 1598 loggerheads.

We are fortunate to have a work crew coming to help us get some road maintenance done at the end of August. The Bio Lab ...
07/27/2026

We are fortunate to have a work crew coming to help us get some road maintenance done at the end of August. The Bio Lab scenic drive will be open while the Black Point Wildlife Drive is closed. Once the repairs are complete on Black Point and it is re-opened, the crew will move to Bio Lab Rd, closing it for a few days.

Address

1987 Scrub Jay Way
Titusville, FL

Opening Hours

Tuesday 8am - 4pm
Wednesday 8am - 4pm
Thursday 8am - 4pm
Friday 8am - 4pm
Saturday 8am - 4pm

Telephone

+13218610669

Website

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