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Sunkhaze Meadows is one of more than 500 national wildlife
refuges in the United States. The mission of the refuge is to
“preserve the peatland ecosystem and maintain a
biologically-diverse area for native wildlife and plants, while
offering opportunities for wildlife-dependent visitor
activities.” In keeping with this purpose, the refuge is open to
visitors year-round during daylight hours and offers
recreational opportunities that are
compatible with refuge wildlife and habitat management
objectives.
Location
Sunkhaze Meadows National Wildlife Refuge is located in the Town
of Milford, Penobscot County, Maine, approximately 14 miles
north of Bangor. The Penobscot River, which flows from north to
south, forms the western boundary of the Town of Milford and
separates Milford from Old Town. The refuge is located
approximately three miles east of the Penobscot River, is
roughly bounded on the west by Dudley Brook, on the south and
east by the County Road, and on the north and east by the Stud
Mill Road.
An ecologically diverse,
peat-dominated wetland complex, Sunkhaze Meadows Refuge is
located in an extensive area of peat deposits that range from
Bangor northward to Lincoln, a distance of approximately 40
miles. The refuge is the second-largest and most unique
peat-land in Maine. It contains several raised bogs or domes,
separated from each other by extensive areas of streamside
meadows.
Sunkhaze Stream bisects
the refuge along a northeast to southwest orientation and, with
its six tributaries, creates a diversity of wetland
communities. The bogs and stream wetlands, along with the
adjacent uplands and associated transition zones, provide
important habitat for many wildlife species. The wetland complex
consists primarily of wet meadows, shrub thickets, cedar swamps,
extensive red and silver maple floodplain forests and open
freshwater stream habitats, along with those plant communities
associated with peat-lands such as shrub heaths and cedar and
spruce bogs.
Large peat-lands in Maine
such as Sunkhaze Meadows have frequently been considered for
development by the peat mining industry. It is estimated that
there are approximately 3,301 acres of commercial quality peat
within the refuge, of which 661 acres have an average thickness
of 15 feet, 785 acres have an average thickness of 13 feet, and
another 1,115 acres have an average thickness of 10 feet. A
complete map of peat depths exists, and is on file in the refuge
office.
Public uses include
canoeing, cross-country skiing, environmental education,
interpretation, photography, research, snowmobiling, wildlife observation, hunting, fishing, and limited trapping.
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