September 10, 2022:
Bitter Lake National Wildlife Refuge and Friends of Bitter Lake will host this free, unique, fun for all ages – annual Dragonfly Festival Saturday, September 10th, 2022! Join professional dragonfly experts on a guided tour to learn about our many dragonflies and damselflies (we have over 100 different species that use the refuge!); get an up close look and learn about the many animals that call the refuge and New Mexico home; learn about bats and raptors; try your luck fishing in the fishing pool provided by NM Department of Game and Fish; look at tiny critters through a microscope, and more! More information will follow on the Bitter Lake NWR refuge website so check back for this year’s schedule of events and various tours:
https://www.fws.gov/refuge/bitter-lakeReservations for guided tours start Monday, August 1st, call to reserve at 575-244-6256.
In addition, there will be a Friday night program (September 9th) about raptors at 6:30 p.m. Following the raptor program, we will stargaze through telescopes with the Roswell Astronomy Club! Please see that Facebook event for details and refuge website.
Photo: Variegated Meadowhawk dragonfly by Cliff Powel
Join a wildlife biologist on this hands on tour and experience where many wildlife species call home. Visitors will be led to a variety of wildlife field stations where they will observe some of the unique wildlife that inhabit the refuge. Stations include a reptile display tank, fish trapping and invertebrate display.
Tour Times
- 8:00 am – 9:30 am
- 10:00 am – 11:30 am
- 12:45 pm – 2:15 pm
- 3:00 pm – 4:30 pm
Our most popular tour! Join professional dragonfly experts and see some of over ninety species of dragonflies and damselfies that inhabit the refuge. Capturing wild specimens, the guide will give you an up-close experience with these fascinating insects.
Dragonfly Tour Times
- 8:00 am – 9:30 am
- 9:00 am – 10:30 am
- 10:00 am – 11:30 am
- 11:00 am – 12:30 pm
- 1:00 pm – 2:30 pm
- 2:00 pm – 3:30 pm
Join some of our local bird experts and discover some of over three hundred and fifty species that visit the refuge. Named as “Wetlands of International Importance,” Bitter Lake National Wildlife Refuge provides an outstanding bird watching opportunity for both beginning and experienced bird watchers.
Tour Time is 6:30 am – 8:30 am
We have 200 tagged monarch butterflies that will be released during the Dragonfly Festival on September 10th, to find their way to their overwintering sites in Mexico and we need your help! Call to reserve a butterfly release at 575-625-4011 or at 575-244-6256. When you arrive at the refuge, be sure to stop at the Visitor Center front desk to pick up your special ticket to help release a butterfly at 12:00 p.m.
Why are the butterflies tagged? They have a special numbered light sticker affixed to their wing, which doesn’t hinder their flight, and volunteers in Mexico can find them in their overwintering sites (or on their spring migration back through North America). The data helps scientists keep track of their migration routes and helps set aside conservation corridors for the butterflies or helps promote planting native milkweed along the way. Monarch caterpillars need milkweed to survive. See the fall and spring migration map through Monarch Watch at:
https://www.monarchwatch.org/tagmig/index.htm or to report your sightings!
September 11, 2022:
Our most popular tour! Join professional dragonfly experts and see some of over ninety species of dragonflies and damselflies that inhabit the refuge. Capturing wild specimens, the guide will give you an up-close experience with these fascinating insects.
Dragonfly Tour Times
- 9:00 am – 10:30 am
- 10:00 am – 11:30 am
- 12:00 pm – 1:30 pm
