The Mashpee National Wildlife Refuge (MNWR) is unique here on Cape Cod, Massachusetts. Encompassing over 5,800 acres, it is the second largest accessible, open space on the Cape; the first being the National Seashore!
The Friends of Mashpee National Wildlife Refuge (FMNWR) exists to ensure the long-term protection and enhancement of native wildlife and habitats, to support MNWR Refuge Partners management efforts, and to promote advocacy, education, conservation, and recreational opportunities within the Mashpee Refuge. We support native pollinators through education, sponsoring workshops and creating pollinator gardens in the Mashpee Refuge and with other conservation partners.
Please explore all we have to share in these pages, including outstanding wildlife photos and videos that describe past and ongoing Refuge Projects. Learn more about the Mashpee National Wildlife Refuge, the Refuge Partners, and the Mashpee Refuge Friends who work cooperatively in managing this unique Refuge for all to enjoy.
The menu at the top and other links will bring you to a wealth of information about the Mashpee Refuge, the MNWR Friends and MNWR Partners, or scroll down for a brief introduction of what you will find on each of our pages…
Gain an appreciation for the Friends of Mashpee National Wildlife Refuge, a nonprofit volunteer organization which assists the Partners by supporting their activities in education, research and stewardship projects within the Mashpee Refuge. Read more about our mission, our activities and the structure of the MNWR Friends organization. Learn how you can become involved.
Learn about the Refuge Partnership, composed of eight conservation land-owners that form a unique type of management structure designed to protect and enhance the Mashpee Refuge for people, wildlife, plants and fish. The MNWR Friends work cooperatively with the Partners in it’s activities and efforts. The MNWR is unique within the US Fish and Wildlife National Refuge System in that it is managed by eight conservation land partners, not predominately the USFW, with support from the Friends of Mashpee National Wildlife Refuge. Together we manage many ongoing Refuge Projects throughout the Mashpee Refuge.
Discover helpful resources like Mashpee Refuge Trail Maps, the Mashpee Refuge History Book, Friends of MNWR Brochure, and Mashpee Refuge Newsletters. All are available for easy online viewing or downloading.
Stay up-to-date with latest News about the Mashpee Refuge and upcoming Events planned by the MNWR Friends and Refuge Partners. The Friends of Mashpee National Wildlife Refuge plans and manages activities throughout the year, and we also post activities organized by the Mashpee Refuge Partners.
Visit the Mashpee Refuge to experience firsthand ecosystems like pine barrens, moss-filled Atlantic white cedar (AWC) swamps, dry oak forests and tidal estuaries. Explore our pollinator gardens and learn about Cape Cod native plants, migrating monarchs, rare moths and butterflies, bumblebees and hummingbirds. Hike through Mashpee and Falmouth trails and encounter white-tailed deer, turkey, coyotes, eastern box turtles, frogs, salamanders, New England cottontail rabbits, northern long-eared bats, and countless other rare animals, plants and insects. Enjoy Cape Cod birding and observe American woodcock, osprey, bluebirds, tree swallows, ruffled grouse, hawks, owls, maybe even spot a bald eagle! Kayak the bays, rivers, estuaries and freshwater ponds which serve as habitat for otter, herring, rare freshwater mussels, and diamondback terrapins. There is always something new to discover in our diverse woodlands and wetlands.
Please join us. Join the Friends of Mashpee National Wildlife Refuge to help make a difference in your community by getting involved! Your donation will help support conservation efforts in Mashpee and the surrounding area on Cape Cod.
Have questions? Want to know the best place to launch a canoe or kayak? Find a trail suitable to your needs? Report injured wildlife? How to enhance your own property and garden to support pollinators? Feel free to email us your questions and we’ll do our best to steer you in the right direction!
Thank you for visiting! We hope you come back often for current information, news and events within the Mashpee National Wildlife Refuge, and to learn about all that the MNWR has to offer.
Friends of Mashpee National Wildlife Refuge