Help protect the refuge wildlife and their habitats by making a contribution to the Back Bay NWR Society. Support our advocacy, outreach, and education for the betterment of the Refuge.
Back Bay National Wildlife Refuge Society is the primary partner and Friends group of the the Back Bay National Wildlife Refuge.
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Gain new experiences and meet new people while helping to advance wildlife conservation. Preserve and protect habitat and wildlife.
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There are no dues required for Society membership. The Society depends on donations to fund programs and projects.
Learn MoreOn Saturdays April 11 and 18, 2026, volunteer consultant, Laurie Fox, PhD, Research Associate, Virginia Tech Hampton Roads Agricultural Research and Extension Center (Hampton Roads AREC) directed the spring maintenance of the refuge pollinator and monarch gardens. Volunteers pulled weeds in both gardens. An additional 150 milkweed plugs were planted to fill in areas in the pollinator garden. Exiting plants were thinned.
Thank you to all of the volunteers. And a special thanks to lead garden volunteer Patrick Johnston and volunteer consultant Dr Fox who appears in the following video.
Refuge visitors upload photographs from their phones at four designated locations. Photographs contribute to scientific documentation of the refuge habitats. By automatically appearing in time-lapse videos that are available online.
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Monarch butterflies have suffered a drastic reduction in population in the last 30 years. Some estimates indicate a population decline of 90%. The most common reason cited for this dramatic decline is loss of habitat. Given the success of the pollinator garden and the fact that Back Bay is on the Monarch’s eastern migratory flyway, it was decided to put in a monarch specific garden at the Refuge.


Volunteers removed and pruned old vegetation, cultivated and amended soil, and filled beds with native plants supporting pollinators and wildlife Garden beds are maintained by volunteers throughout the year. Signage and visitor outreach is being planned
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The 2.7 miles of the Back Bay National Wildlife Refuge Trail System consists of seven, interconnected trails that provide opportunities to observe the wildlife and vegetation of the refuge’s seven distinct habitats- ocean, beach, marsh, shrubs, grassland, maritime forest and freshwater bay. Trail surfaces vary from boardwalk, crushed stone, sand and gravel.
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