Montezuma National Wildlife Refuge

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Montezuma National Wildlife Refuge

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For official information about the Montezuma National Wildlife Refuge, go to
fws.gov/refuge/montezuma

Founded in 1938, Montezuma National Wildlife Refuge is located in the Finger Lakes region of New York State. The 10,000-acre refuge lies at the north end of Cayuga Lake and is transected by the Erie and Cayuga-Seneca Barge Canals, Seneca River, and Clyde River. General Information

From April through November, the visitor center is open daily from 10:00 am to 3:00 pm; the attached sun room is open year-round and offers refuge
maps, brochures and other information. The Wildlife Drive is open April 1 (weather-permitting) through November from sunrise to sunset. Walking trails are open year-round (with some closures during the
white-tailed deer hunting season) from sunrise to sunset.

10/28/2026

GUIDED NATURE WALKS: Dormancy
Saturdays, November 14 & 21, 10:00 am at Montezuma NWR
Meet your guide, New York State Master Naturalist Volunteer Pete Saracino, at the Montezuma NWR Visitor Center.

Most deciduous trees have lost their leaves. Reptiles and amphibians have entered brumation. Insect sightings have become rare and the last of the migrant birds are leaving. Mammals that don’t remain active through the winter are entering hibernation or dormancy. The natural world braces for the coming winter.

Join us as we seek to experience different aspects of these seasonal changes.

Walks are free and no sign-ups necessary. All ages welcome.
No pets please.

10/28/2026

🕊 Pause. Take a deep breath in. Hold it for 3 seconds. Exhale. 🕊
GUIDED WALK & MEDITATION at the Montezuma Audubon Center

Reconnect with nature and your senses in a quiet hemlock grove at the Montezuma Audubon Center on Friday, November 13th at 10am for our Hemlock Grove Meditation: A Sylvotherapy Experience. This gentle, guided "forest-bathing" program invites you to slow down, listen intentionally, and explore what it feels like to calmly reflect on nature. Beginners and experienced meditators alike are welcome to join us along with Montezuma National Wildlife Refuge staff for this program. Registration is required at the link below.
https://act.audubon.org/a/mac-sylvotherapy-2026?aud_path=%2Fevents&aud_cta=unknown&_gl=1*1sbz9os*_gcl_au*OTA5MzE0Mzk5LjE3OTEyMTM1NDc.*_ga*MTk1NjE4MzkxNS4xNzkxMjEzNTQ4*_ga_X2XNL2MWTT*czE3OTMxOTkxMDIkbzIkZzEkdDE3OTMxOTkxMTgkajQ0JGwwJGgw

10/08/2026

Hey! What are you doing tomorrow, Saturday, October 17?
Consider hanging out at the Montezuma National Wildlife Refuge for a GUIDED WALK with NYS Master Naturalist Volunteer Pete Saracino.

Meet Pete at the refuge Visitor Center at 10:00 am

You'll walk the Seneca Trail and wander around the visitor center parking area discovering some of the fascinating connections between all living things! You can leave the walk whenever you like. All ages welcome. Bring binoculars if you have them. No pets please. No registration required.

10/06/2026

ATTENTION: The Wildlife Drive will be closed at 3:30 pm today (Tuesday, 10/6) until tomorrow (Wednesday, 10/7) at 7:30 am for habitat management activities.

09/12/2026

The Visitor Center pool is looking amazing! Yesterday we had several species of shorebirds, sandhill cranes, Canada geese, gulls, and ducks!

09/11/2026

Ready. Set. Bird!

Tonight at 6:00, the Friends of the Montezuma Wetlands Complex 29th Annual Montezuma Muckrace begins! An annual 24-hour bird-a-thon, this event is meant to raise awareness about and funds for the Montezuma Wetlands Complex.

Learn more about the Friends here: https://friendsofmontezuma.org/

07/09/2026

Hey! What are you doing this Saturday? Consider hanging out at the Montezuma National Wildlife Refuge for a GUIDED WALK with NYS Master Naturalist Volunteer Pete Saracino.

Meet Pete at the refuge Visitor Center at 10:00 am
You'll walk the Seneca Trail and wander around the visitor center parking area discovering some of the fascinating connections between all living things! You can leave the walk whenever you like. All ages welcome. Bring binoculars if you have them. No pets please. No registration required.

06/04/2026

GUIDED NATURE WALK - Entangled Lives
THIS SATURDAY, June 20, 10:00 am

Meet your guide, Pete Saracino, NY State Master Naturalist Volunteer, at the Montezuma NWR Visitor Center Sunroom.

To be alive is to be in relationship—entangled with the things that make our lives possible: Sun, Moon, air, water, plants, animals, insects, bacteria, fungi, etc. As we come to understand the nature of these relationships, we can deepen our appreciation for our dependence on both the living and nonliving components of our environment.

Join us as we examine some of the fascinating connections between all living things.

Binoculars and sunscreen are advised.
All ages are welcome! No pets, please.

Photo: Yellow Warbler on Flowering Chokecherry , Katie Goodwin/USFWS, Public Domain, https://www.fws.gov/media/yellow-warbler-flowering-chokecherry

05/29/2026

Try your hand at volunteering for the Montezuma Wetlands Complex this summer! Volunteer days are scheduled at the refuge and on state land/Montezuma Audubon Center.

Address

3395 U.S. Route 20 East
Seneca Falls, NY
13148

Website

https://www.fws.gov/refuge/montezuma/

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