Michigan’s Seney National Wildlife Refuge: Help It Get Named Best NWR in the U.S.
The honors keep on coming for Michigan cities and attractions. Over the past two weeks we’ve profiled Saugatuck’s efforts to be named Best Coastal Small Town in the U.S. and Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park’s efforts to be named Best State Park in the U.S. Now it’s Seney National Wildlife Refuge’s turn, as it has been named one of the 20 finalists to be named Best National Wildlife Refuge in the U.S. by 10best.com and sponsored by USA Today. Voting is open until March 30th, go here to cast your vote. Seney NWR is very active on Facebook so be sure to check out their page for frequent updates, animal sightings and more!
Located in the Upper Peninsula’s Schoolcraft County, Seney NWR is made up of more than 95,000 acres that showcase ponds, streams, bogs, forests and other natural features. More than 200 different kinds of birds have been spotted at the refuge, which is also home to black bears, moose, beavers, wolves and otters. The refuge sees nearly 90,000 visitors annually, and they also oversee the Huron Islands/Huron National Wildlife Refuge (Lake Superior), Whitefish Point Bird Observatory (Paradise) and the Michigan Islands National Wildlife Refuge (Lake Michigan) units.
Popular attractions in the refuge include a stop at the visitor center and exploring the nearby trails or taking a drive on the 7-mile Marshland Loop. The loop provides a chance to see beavers, geese, swans, loons, eagles, osprey, cranes and more from your car as you follow a winding road through various habitats. Bordered by M-28 and M-77, the refuge is found in an area with a rich lumbering history.
Other finalists for the award include Aransas NWR (Texas), Arctic NWR (Alaska), Atchafalaya NWR (Louisiana), Blackwater NWR (Maryland), Bombay Hook NWR (Delaware), Bosque del Apache NWR (New Mexico), Charles M. Russell NWR (Montana), Desert NWR (Nevada), Hakalau NW (Hawaii), J.N. “Ding Darling NWR (Florida), Kilauea Point NWR (Hawaii), Klamath Basin Refuge Complex (Oregon, California), Maine Coastal Islands NWR (Maine), National Elk Refuge (Wyoming), Rocky Mountain Arsenal NWR (Colorado), Sherburne NWR (Minnesota), Silvio O. Conte National Fish and Wildlife Refuge (New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Vermont, Connecticut), Vieques NWR (Puerto Rico) and Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge (Oklahoma). As has been the case with other recent lists, the Midwest is poorly represented on this list. Cast your vote today and help change that as another Michigan location has a chance to win a national award.
We previously featured Seney NWR on our list of
10 Best Places to View Wildlife in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula.
