Eastern Neck National Wildlife Refuge

Eastern Neck National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) is an island of 2,285 acres located at the confluence of the Chester River and the Chesapeake Bay in Kent County, Maryland. Native Americans hunted here for thousands of years and the island was among the first areas settled by Europeans in the "New World." Established in December 1962, the refuge is a major feeding and resting place for migratory and wintering waterfowl on Maryland’s famed “Eastern Shore.” The varied habitats on Eastern Neck NWR, including brackish tidal marsh, forest, cropland, grassland, and open water impoundments, provide a home for a variety of wildlife species. The refuge holds the designation of Important Bird Areas by the Audubon Society. Over 240 species of birds and a variety of mammals, amphibians and reptiles inhabit the island.