9535

• UCREFRP Catalog Number: 9535
• Author: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
• Title: Fish & Wildlife News.
• USFW Year: 2003.
• USFW - Doc Type: \
• Copyright Material: NO

Energy Saver Showcase at
Chincoteague NWR
The new Herbert H. Bateman Educational
and Administrative Center at Chincoteague
National Wildlife Refuge in Virginia has
been recognized as a Federal Energy Saver
Showcase by the Interior Department's
Federal Energy Management Program.
"We've cut in half our consumption of fossil
fuels and other non-renewable resources
to run the facility by using solar power,
minimizing water use and employing other
environmentally sound technologies,"
according to John Schroer, refuge manager
"Since 1963, when the center was first
proposed, hundreds of Service employees
and volunteers have worked toward making
the dream of a new center become a reality,"
continued Schroer. "The Bateman Center is
a credit to their collective vision and
conservation values."
Engineers tapped into the earth's natural
energy to regulate the temperature in the
center. Seventy-two wells were drilled to a
depth of 250 feet where the earth's
temperature remains a constant 55 degrees.
A system makes use of this geothermal
energy to either heat or cool the buildings.
Schroer expects to save 2 million gallons
of water at the center each year through
the use of low-flow and waterless
restroom fixtures, and a system that
recycles wastewater.
The new Bateman
Center at
Chincoteague NWR
in Virginia will
recycle wastewater,
maximize the use of
natural light and
minimize its impact
on fish and wildlife
resources. The
plants used in
landscaping are all
native to Assateague
Island and will
provide important
food and shelter to
its wildlife.
Recycled products and those made from
renewable natural resources were used as
much as possible in constructing the center.
Recycled rubber tires, and cork and bamboo,
two plant species that rapidly regenerate,
are among the materials in the floors. The
ceiling beams are made from byproducts
from the wood processing industry that,
when pressed together, are stronger than
standard lumber. The carpet is recycled and
contains no petroleum products.
The building design maximizes the use of
natural light. The windows are energy
efficient and are positioned to offer daylight
and scenic views throughout 90 percent of
the center.
In addition to its energy efficient attributes,
the center was built to minimize its impact
on fish and wildlife resources at the refuge.
The buildings are located on land that was
already disturbed. The plants used in
landscaping are all native to Assateague
Island and provide important food and
shelter to its wildlife.
The Bateman Center was dedicated on
October 25 as part of National Wildlife
Refuge Week and the centennial of the
National Wildlife Refuge System. It
houses exhibits, an auditorium, classrooms
and other visitor services, as well as
administrative offices for refuge staff.
Terri Edwards, Public Affairs,
Hadley, Massachusetts
Voyage to the
Aleutian Islands
Without Getting
Seasick!
Mountains of icy green sea, cacophonous bird
cliffs, vicious weather... just part of a day's
work in the Aleutians! Visitors took the
voyage themselves, without getting seasick,
during National Wildlife Refuge Week at
the Anchorage Museum of History and Art,
where Journey of the Tiglax was featured.
A finalist in the "Best Short Film" category
at the 2003 Jackson Hole International
Wildlife Film Festival, the film, directed
by Steve Heiser of Odyssey Productions
made his masterpiece by voyaging for
70 days aboard the Alaska Maritime
National Wildlife Refuge's 120-foot
research vessel M/V Tiglax.
"It's life going on a
Jacques Cousteau
adventure into a place
that's incredibly alive
with wildlife and
volcanoes, yet seen by
so few people, "
Greg Siekaniec, refuge manager
Journey of the Tiglax tells the remarkable
story of Alaska Maritime National Wildlife
Refuge, which consists of more than 2,500
islands and headlands scattered across the
Alaska coastline, from Cape Lisburne on the
Chukchi Sea to Attu Island at the tip of the
Aleutians, to Forrester Island on the border
of British Columbia. The Refuge provides
nesting sites for more than 40 million
seabirds, 80 percent of Alaska's total seabird
population while the surrounding seas
support huge populations of marine
mammals attracted to food in the nutrient-
rich waters. Scientists, transported to field
camps by the Refuge's research vessel
Tiglax (Aleut for "Eagle" and pronounced
"TEKH-lah"), strive to understand the
dynamics of the food web as they study and
protect the creatures and habitats of a place
lightly touched by humans.
Continued on page 8