Thanks to places like the Stewart B. McKinney National Wildlife Refuge in Westbrook, the costal habitats where at-risk wildlife and other wading birds, ducks, and other waterfowl call home will remain protected for future generations.

Today, thanks to Shaun Roche, Visitor Services Manager at U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), State Representative Chris Aniskovich had an opportunity to not only learn more about the refuge’s history but also tour this beautiful area.

Overall, the refuge encompasses over 1,000 acres of forest, barrier beach, tidal wetland and fragile island habitats, stretching over 70 miles along Connecticut’s shoreline, running from Westbrook all the way down to Greenwich.

A big reason the refuge is what it is today is due to a little over fifty-three years ago when Esther Lape donated her 147-acre estate to the Federal Government for the purpose of a wildlife refuge. She and former Connecticut congressman Stewart B. McKinney were key figures in advocating for the creation and expansion of the refuge.

The refuge became quite popular with former first lady Eleanor Roosevelt, who befriended Esther, and was known to have visited somewhere near fifty times.