Kiwanians hear about what’s going on at the refuge

For its weekly program on Tuesday, the Kiwanis Club of Starkville had Andrea Dunstan of the Sam D. Hamilton Noxubee National Wildlife Refuge as their guest speaker this week, and she shared updated information with the Kiwanians about the refuge.

Established in 1940, Noxubee National Wildlife Refuge serves a statutory purpose that targets the conservation of native species dependent on its lands and waters. The refuge includes pine forests, bottomland and upland hardwood forests, cypress swamps, and wetlands surrounding the historic Noxubee River whose channel and floodwaters support migratory bird species and a host of native flora and fauna. The refuge is located over three counties: Oktibbeha, Noxubee, and Winston.

Growing up, Dunstan's father worked for the Bureau of Indian Affairs, but it wasn't until later in life when she realized what he did.

“It was really strange because I never knew what he did and I never understood what he did. Later on as I got out of college, I actually went to work for the Fish and Wildlife Service in downtown Atlanta, and with that job came a lot of the same things my dad was doing because that regional office was where he worked.”

The experience she gained from that job is what gave her the ability to be the park ranger for the Noxubee National Wildlife Refuge every day.

Dunstan says the Regulatory Improvement Act of 1997 was a “big deal for public use,” because that is what she deals with most of the time.

“Anything that anyone does on the refuge is seen as public use. So visitation in general falls under this Regulatory Improvement Act,” said Dunstan. “This is what we call the ‘big six:' hunting, fishing, wildlife conservation, environmental education, interpretation, and photography.”

When the refuge was established in 1940, it was primarily used as a breeding ground and resting area for migratory birds and other wildlife with emphasis on waterfowl. While the refuge does have fewer ducks in recent years than when they were first established, they do have resident populations of wood ducks and even a few mallards.

“One of the things that I've been enjoying this year is we have a little flock of shovelers that is actually right outside the visitor center every single day. Shovelers are not something we usually see around here except way back in the woods, and we've been enjoying them immensely from the visitor center.”