Crab Orchard National Wildlife Refuge

🍂☕️🦃♡ɞ˚ Happy Thanksgiving! 🍂☕️🦃♡ɞ˚

We are thankful for the beauty of nature and for our visitors.

The refuge lands will be open for recreation. The Visitor Center will be closed so our staff can enjoy the holiday with their families.

Visiting family and need to get out of the house to stretch your legs? Check out your nearest public lands for fresh air.

Crab Orchard National Wildlife Refuge will be open all week. Only the Visitor Center will be closed on Thanksgiving Day, but you can still access the lands.

Sit on our covered porch to enjoy the beautiful lake, have a picnic at Bogard Point or Greenbriar boat ramp, find a quiet place to fish from the shore or stop in and say hi to the Park Ranger. Bonus points if you have a fun Thanksgiving story to entertain our Park Ranger with.

Photo credit: USFWS

🦃Turkey Fun Fact🦃

Toms can change the color of their head from read, to blue, to white.

Generally, the more calm and dominate the tom feels, the whiter it's head looks. When the tom is feeling stressed, more blood will flow to his head, turning it red.

When a male turkey is looking for danger and preparing to run, like seen here, its head will flush with blood and its snood will retract out of the way.

During mating rituals, the turkey will change the color of it's head as a way to attract females and allow its snood to extend.

Photo Credit: Lisa Hupp/USFWS

Check out this throwback to 1989.

Photo credit: USFWS

EXCITING NEWS!

Detroit River International Wildlife Refuge will be hiring for several seasonal positions for Summer 2026. Applications will be open December 8-12, 2025 via USAJOBS.gov. Keep your eyes open for jobs in Biology, Visitor Services, and Maintenance.

Our team will even be hosting a resume workshop on December 6, 2025 at 10:30am for anyone seeking to learn more about the ins and outs of submitting government resumes. Register here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/resume-building-workshop-tickets-1975187540103?aff=oddtdtcreator

Credit: Ian Shive/USFWS, Public Domain, https://www.fws.gov/media/usfws-uniform-patch

⚠️ Temporary Closure ⚠️

Wildlife Drive and hiking trails will be closed to non-hunters from Friday, November 21 - Sunday, November 23, 2025 for firearm deer season. 🦌

If you do find yourself out in the woods this weekend, wear orange. 🦺

The Wildlife Drive and trails will be closed to all non-hunters this Friday, November 21 - Sunday, November 23 for Deer Firearm Season.

To celebrate America's 250th birthday, we at the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service are highlighting the incredible wildlife that calls this beautiful country home. From American icons to subtle specialists, join us as we highlight 250 species, leading up to America's 250th birthday.

First up! The American shad.

Did you know that some fish hear better than others? American shad have fine sensory hairs that make them extremely sensitive to noises like the clicks and echolocation communication used by dolphins, one of their predators.



Photo courtesy of Bill Byrne/Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife

Do you have a Crab1, CrabD or CrabY permit for this deer season? Be sure to check-in at the Crab Orchard Campground this year. Check your email for more instructions.

If you have a Williamson Count permit for hunting the open area, all you need is the refuge access pass, an America the Beautiful Pass, or a Duck Stamp.