Wet, muddy and covered with insects — the perfect home for hundreds of thousands of migrating and local animals, each drawn to the rich and murky wetlands of Montezuma National Wildlife Refuge. Teeming with life, this unassuming 10,008-acre oasis is preserved and enjoyed by people dedicated to the land and its creatures.
Chris (left), and his son Ethan Laverack, strategically place decoy ducks in Tschache Pool before the sun rises in preparation for an annual youth hunt at the refuge.
Chris (left), and his son Ethan Laverack, paddle across the Tschache Pool Oct. 5, 2019, at the Montezuma National Wildlife Refuge in New York. The father and son took part in an annual youth hunt at the refuge.
A flock of ducks flies over the Sandhill Crane Unit Oct. 11, 2019, at the Montezuma National Wildlife Refuge in New York. Each year tens of thousands of ducks visit the refuge during the migration seasons.
Jake Cassel, State University New York Morrisville student, picks native seeds during a volunteer event Oct. 4, 2019, at the Montezuma National Wildlife Refuge in New York. Native seeds are picked from plentiful habitats to be transplanted in areas that are lack native plants.
Cattails explode with fluff as winter temperatures encourages them to drop their seeds at the Montezuma National Wildlife Refuge Nov. 16, 2019, in New York. Cattail, bulrushes, water lilies, and pondweeds are the main source of food for the large muskrat population at the refuge.
Ethan Laverack, 14, takes down a motorized decoy duck after harvesting 1 Black Duck and Pintail, and two Widgeons; the refuge allows limited hunting in order to control specific populations of wildlife.
Pond debris float on the water of the Sandhill Crane Unit at the Montezuma National Wildlife Refuge Nov. 16, 2019, in New York. The 454-acre unit was restored in 2010 to make a new habitat for marsh birds, raptors and waterfowl.
As the primary biologist at the refuge one of Ziemba’s responsibilities is to take note of the water levels and what actions were taken to move water to different areas.
Leaves cover the grounds of the wooded areas of the Montezuma National Wildlife Refuge on Oct. 4, 2019, in New York. The refuge is like a patchwork quilt of woodlands, wetlands, grasslands and shrublands.
During a hands-on tour the refuge’s biologist Linda Ziemba leads a group of State University New York Morrisville students to a water control structure which controls water to the refuge’s main pool.
