Franklin Island National Wildlife Refuge
Encyclopedia
Franklin Island National Wildlife Refuge is a National Wildlife Refuge
on Franklin Island outside Muscongus Bay in the state of Maine
. It is one of the five refuges that together make up the Maine Coastal Islands National Wildlife Refuge
, along with Petit Manan
, Cross Island
, Seal Island
, and Pond Island
.
Franklin Island NWR has a surface area of 11.94 acre
s (0.048 km² or 4.8 ha
). It is one of the smallest refuges in the United States National Wildlife Refuge
system. It is part of the Town of Friendship
.
The U.S. Government acquired Franklin Island in 1806 and completed construction of the Franklin Island Light
in 1808. This was the third lighthouse built in Maine. The U.S. Lighthouse Service and its successor, the U.S. Coast Guard, continued to staff the lighthouse for 160 years before the station was automated in 1967. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service acquired Franklin Island in 1973, making this the first island acquired for the Petit Manan National Wildlife Refuge Complex.
Franklin Island once supported one of the largest common eider
colonies in Maine. Unfortunately, the eider colony was decimated by avian cholera in the mid-1980s. The population has slowly recovered, and a 2003 survey documented over 330 pairs of eiders and over 100 pairs of great black-backed
and herring gulls
.
Franklin Island is closed to public use during the seabird nesting season: April–August. It is open during daylight hours the rest of the year.
National Wildlife Refuge
National Wildlife Refuge is a designation for certain protected areas of the United States managed by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service. The National Wildlife Refuge System is the world's premiere system of public lands and waters set aside to conserve America's fish, wildlife and plants...
on Franklin Island outside Muscongus Bay in the state of Maine
Maine
Maine is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States, bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the east and south, New Hampshire to the west, and the Canadian provinces of Quebec to the northwest and New Brunswick to the northeast. Maine is both the northernmost and easternmost...
. It is one of the five refuges that together make up the Maine Coastal Islands National Wildlife Refuge
Maine Coastal Islands National Wildlife Refuge
Maine Coastal Islands National Wildlife Refuge contains more than 50 offshore islands and four coastal parcels, totaling more than 8,100 acres. The complex spans more than 250 miles of Maine coastline and includes five national wildlife refuges — Petit Manan, Cross Island, Franklin Island, Seal...
, along with Petit Manan
Petit Manan National Wildlife Refuge
Petit Manan National Wildlife Refuge is a National Wildlife Refuge in the state of Maine. It is one of the five refuges that together make up the Maine Coastal Islands National Wildlife Refuge, along with Cross Island, Franklin Island, Seal Island, and Pond Island.Petit Manan NWR has a surface...
, Cross Island
Cross Island National Wildlife Refuge
Cross Island National Wildlife Refuge is a National Wildlife Refuge in the state of Maine. It is one of the five refuges that together make up the Maine Coastal Islands National Wildlife Refuge, along with Petit Manan, Franklin Island, Seal Island, and Pond Island.Cross Island NWR has a surface...
, Seal Island
Seal Island National Wildlife Refuge
Seal Island National Wildlife Refuge is a mile-long island off the coast of Maine near Matinicus Island. It is home to colonies of many types of seabirds, including Atlantic Puffins, Great Cormorants, Arctic Terns, Common Terns, and guillemots...
, and Pond Island
Pond Island National Wildlife Refuge
Pond Island National Wildlife Refuge is a National Wildlife Refuge in the state of Maine. It is one of the five refuges that together make up the Maine Coastal Islands National Wildlife Refuge, along with Petit Manan, Cross Island, Franklin Island, and Seal Island.Pond Island NWR has a surface...
.
Franklin Island NWR has a surface area of 11.94 acre
Acre
The acre is a unit of area in a number of different systems, including the imperial and U.S. customary systems. The most commonly used acres today are the international acre and, in the United States, the survey acre. The most common use of the acre is to measure tracts of land.The acre is related...
s (0.048 km² or 4.8 ha
Hectare
The hectare is a metric unit of area defined as 10,000 square metres , and primarily used in the measurement of land. In 1795, when the metric system was introduced, the are was defined as being 100 square metres and the hectare was thus 100 ares or 1/100 km2...
). It is one of the smallest refuges in the United States National Wildlife Refuge
National Wildlife Refuge
National Wildlife Refuge is a designation for certain protected areas of the United States managed by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service. The National Wildlife Refuge System is the world's premiere system of public lands and waters set aside to conserve America's fish, wildlife and plants...
system. It is part of the Town of Friendship
Friendship, Maine
Friendship is a town in Knox County, Maine, United States. The population was 1,204 at the 2000 census.-History:...
.
The U.S. Government acquired Franklin Island in 1806 and completed construction of the Franklin Island Light
Franklin Island Light
Franklin Island Light is a lighthouse on Franklin Island, in Muscongus Bay, Maine.It was first established in 1805. The present structure was built in 1855....
in 1808. This was the third lighthouse built in Maine. The U.S. Lighthouse Service and its successor, the U.S. Coast Guard, continued to staff the lighthouse for 160 years before the station was automated in 1967. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service acquired Franklin Island in 1973, making this the first island acquired for the Petit Manan National Wildlife Refuge Complex.
Franklin Island once supported one of the largest common eider
Eider
Eiders are large seaducks in the genus Somateria. Steller's Eider, despite its name, is in a different genus.The three extant species all breed in the cooler latitudes of the Northern hemisphere....
colonies in Maine. Unfortunately, the eider colony was decimated by avian cholera in the mid-1980s. The population has slowly recovered, and a 2003 survey documented over 330 pairs of eiders and over 100 pairs of great black-backed
Great Black-backed Gull
The Great Black-backed Gull is the largest gull in the world, which breeds on the European and North American coasts and islands of the North Atlantic...
and herring gulls
American Herring Gull
The American Herring Gull or Smithsonian Gull is a large gull which breeds in North America. It is often treated as a subspecies of the European Herring Gull but is now regarded as a separate species by some authorities.Adults are white with gray back and wings, black wingtips with white spots,...
.
Franklin Island is closed to public use during the seabird nesting season: April–August. It is open during daylight hours the rest of the year.