Visit to Patuxent Research Refuge

I had a great meeting with Brad Knudsen, the manager of the refuge. He showed me around the property and picked out three pond areas, within flood range, right off of the Little Patuxent River that could easily have the Northern Snakehead fish in them. I can't wait to expand my field research into Anne Arundel County next year. This will be a great place to start since it has ideal stagnant water and lots of vegatation coverage. I can't wait to come out in November and give a presentation about the Northern Snakehead to the staff here!

Here is a little history on the refuge from Wikipedia:

"Established in 1936 by executive order of President Franklin D. Roosevelt, the Patuxent Research Refuge is the only National Wildlife Refuge in the United States established to support wildlife research. With land surrounding the Patuxent and Little Patuxent Rivers between Washington, D.C. and Baltimore, Maryland, the Refuge has grown from the original 2,670 acres (10.8 km2) to its present size of over 12,800 acres (52 km2) and encompasses land formerly managed by the Departments of Agriculture and Defense. Throughout decades of change, Patuxent's mission of conserving and protecting the nation's wildlife and habitat through research and wildlifeEstablished in 1936 by executive order of President Franklin D. Roosevelt, the Patuxent Research Refuge is the only National Wildlife Refuge in the United States established to support wildlife research. With land surrounding the Patuxent and Little Patuxent Rivers between Washington, D.C. and Baltimore, Maryland, the Refuge has grown from the original 2,670 acres (10.8 km2) to its present size of over 12,800 acres (52 km2) and encompasses land formerly managed by the Departments of Agriculture and Defense. Throughout decades of change, Patuxent's mission of conserving and protecting the nation's wildlife and habitat through research and wildlife management techniques has remained virtually unchanged."