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Silvio O. Conte National Fish and Wildlife Refuge was established in 1997 to conserve, protect and enhance the abundance and diversity of native plant, fish and wildlife species and the ecosystems on which they depend throughout the Connecticut River watershed. The watershed covers large areas of Vermont, New Hampshire, Massachusetts and Connecticut. It contains a great diversity of habitats, notably: northern forest valuable as nesting habitat for migrant thrushes, warblers and other birds; rivers and streams used by shad, salmon, herring and other migratory fishes; and an internationally significant complex of high-quality tidal fresh, brackish and salt marshes. The refuge works in partnership with a wide variety of individuals and organizations to provide environmental education, to encourage and support appropriate habitat conservation and management on public and private lands, and to protect additional habitat. The refuge has three cooperative visitor centers: in Colebrook, New Hampshire;〔Great Northwoods Interpretive Center of the Silvio O. Conte National Fish and Wildlife Refuge ()〕 at the Montshire Museum of Science in Norwich, Vermont; and Great Falls Discovery Center near the headquarters in Turners Falls, Massachusetts. The refuge currently consists of seven units (small tracts) and two divisions (large tracts): of wetlands and a riverine sand spit that hosts a federally listed beetle in Cromwell, Connecticut; a island in Deerfield, Massachusetts; at the base of Mount Toby in Sunderland, Massachusetts; an upland and wetland parcel in Westfield, Massachusetts; on Mount Tom in Holyoke, Massachusetts; along the river in Greenfield, Massachusetts; which host a federally endangered plant in Putney, Vermont; on the Mohawk River in Columbia, New Hampshire (the newest division, which opened in 2007);〔Mohawk River Division of the Silvio O. Conte National Fish and Wildlife Refuge ()〕 surrounding the Audubon Society of New Hampshire's Pondicherry Refuge〔Pondicherry Division of the Silvio O. Conte National Fish and Wildlife Refuge ()〕 in Jefferson, New Hampshire; and in the Nulhegan Basin〔Nulhegan Division of the Silvio O. Conte National Fish and Wildlife Refuge ()〕 in Essex County, Vermont. The refuge is named for Silvio O. Conte, a late, longtime member of the United States House of Representatives for Massachusetts who worked to preserve and protect the environment. ==Invasive species== People have spread species from one geographic area to another throughout history, inadvertently as well as purposefully. Usually, this does not create a problem. However, there are a small percentage of species, that when removed from the insects, diseases, and competing species that control their numbers in their native area, become established, spread rapidly, displace native species, and may even change the way an ecosystem works. Only a small number of the thousands of species that have been either purposefully or accidentally introduced into the watershed have the potential to become, or have already become, invasive. However, when certain species are introduced from other places and find conditions favorable, they may be able to out-compete native species, especially if they have no predators adapted to control them in their new location. Many of these species were first introduced specifically because they were easy to establish, hardy and disease resistant. In addition to the initial introductions, human activities can favor the spread of many of these species. When a species can spread into natural communities, become established, displace native species, and cause ecological and economic damage, it is said to have become invasive. These "invasive" species pose a great threat to the native biodiversity this refuge was established to protect, so refuge staff are very active in educating the public and specific target audiences about the issue. They work on early detection and rapid response and control projects. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Silvio O. Conte National Fish and Wildlife Refuge」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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