Parker River National Wildlife Refuge
Site Description
- State: Massachusetts
- County: Essex
- Ownership: Federal
Impoundments
- North Pool: 100 acres
- Bill Forward Pool: 65 acres
- Stage Island Pool: 100 acres
Ecology and Management

Shorebirds staging at Parker River NWR. Photo: Ranger Poole, USFWS

Sandpipers at Parker River National Wildlife Refuge. Photo credit: Matt Poole/USFWS.
Vulnerability
All three impoundments at Parker River NWR are at, close to, or below mean high water. However the impoundments are sheltered from storm-driven flooding. On the ocean side, large vegetated dunes prevent storm surge from reaching the impoundments. On the bay side, vast stretches of high and low marsh reduce the likelihood of flooding. According to refuge staff, none of the impoundments have ever been impacted by storm-driven erosion or overtopping. With the predicted change in Plum Island Sound, higher vulnerability is expected in the future, with enlarged open water and narrower salt marsh.
Human Value
Approximately 240-250 thousand people visit the refuge each year. According to a visitor study conducted in 2010/2011, the top activity reported by those surveyed were bird watching (67%) and wildlife observation (61%). Although it’s impossible to know where exactly visitors spent their time watching birds and wildlife, it is more than likely that a majority of these folks went to one or more of the refuge’s impoundments where birds and wildlife are most easily visible.
Acknowledgements
We are grateful to Nancy Pau and Bill Peterson (Park River NWR) for providing helpful information used on this page.
Literature Resources
- Berry, J. Letter to Parker River NWR. Essex County Ornithological Club; 2003.
- Carson, R. Parker River: A National Wildlife Refuge. Washington, D.C.: United States Fish and Wildlife Service; 1947. 15 p.
- Green, A., J. Lyons, M. Runge, W. Kendall, H. Laskowski, S. Lor, and S. Guiteras. Timing of impoundment drawdowns and impact on waterbird, invertebrate, and vegetation communities within managed wetlands, Study manual – Final version field season 2007. Laurel, Maryland: USGS Patuxent Wildlife Research Center; 2007.
- Green, A. W., W. L. Kendall, H. P. Laskowski, J. E. Lyons, L. Socheata, and M. C. Runge. Draft version of the USFWS R3/R5 Regional Impoundment Study. Washington, D. C.: U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service; 2008.
- Hagar, J. A. 1945. Parker River National Wildlife Refuge: The Case for Revision of Plans. Massachusetts Department of Conservation, Boston, Massachusetts.
- PRNWR [Parker River National Wildlife Refuge]. 2013. Resource Management, Parker River National Wildlife Refuge. http://www.fws.gov/refuge/Parker_River/what_we_do/resource_management.html Accessed 2015:1.
- Ruber, E., A. Gilbert, P. Montagna, G. Gillis, and E. Cummings. 1994. Effects of impounding coastal salt marsh for mosquito control on microcrustacean populations. Hydrobiologia 292/293:497-503.
- Windingstad, R. M., and L. S. Hinds III. 1987. Lead poisoning in Canada geese on plum Island, Massachusetts. Journal of wildlife diseases 23:438-442.