National Conservation Training Center

08/24/2026

Reach for the stars, darling. Dream the unattainable, have humor and enthusiasm. Dream the big dreams. — Helen Fenske

Conservation Hero: Helen Fenske (1922-2007)

Reach for the stars, darling. Dream the unattainable, have humor and enthusiasm. Dream the big dreams. — Helen Fenske

A neighborhood meeting in her New Jersey kitchen started a nine-year battle against impossible odds to save Great Swamp from becoming a 10,000-acre jetport. It also launched the influential career of a woman determined to harness the power of citizen action.

On May 29, 1964, the conservation efforts of Helen Fenske, a homemaker-turned-activist with little formal training, were recognized at the dedication ceremony of the Great Swamp National Wildlife Refuge. With Fenske as their galvanizing force, 6,100 citizens challenged the Port Authority and transformed 3,000 acres of marshland into a Federally protected wildlife refuge. Four years later, Fenske’s determination culminated in signing of the Great Swamp Wilderness Act, permanently protecting this rare area of undeveloped wetland located only 26 miles from the nation’s largest city.

“Yellin’ Helen” was a figure larger than life. Known as the grand dame of New Jersey’s environmental movement, Fenske’s influence spread well beyond Great Swamp. She fostered conservation non-profits and inspired the work of numerous environmental commissions and organizations. Her legacy grew as she worked to ensure a public voice in government policy through her work at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, where she retired as acting Commissioner. She received many awards in her career, including the Department of Interior’s Conservation Service Award. For Fenske, however, nothing was more significant or more personal than protection of Great Swamp, an achievement that continues to inspire future generations with the determination to never give up.

Photo Credit: Courtesy of the Fenske Family.

08/12/2026

We're proud to announce our first report from the Biological Technical Publication series published since 2021. We're renewing this technical report series to share cutting-edge science with the field.

"Habitat suitability of historical Mississippi sandhill crane nest sites 1991-2022" by Henry W. Woolley and Scott G. Hereford relaunches this technical report series from NCTC that aims to share science from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Read Henry Woolley' FWS Scholar profile to learn more about his journey as a biologist shaped by wide-ranging experiences, persistent curiosity, and a deepening commitment to conservation.

Links to the publication and FWS profile are in the comment section.

08/11/2026

In our latest episode of The Future of Conservation, we trace the origins, growth, and evolving purpose of an important part of America’s public lands from Pelican Island to today’s cutting edge conservation work. Discover the people, places, and wildlife shaping the next century of stewardship, and get inspired to visit a refuge near you.
Listen to Your National Wildlife Refuge System now on our Future of Conservation Podcast website or your favorite podcast app!

Photo: Waterfowl at Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge by USFWS

08/07/2026

Join us Thursday, August 20 at 7:00 PM for the NCTC Conservation Lecture Series featuring author Jeff Groff, presenting his new book “The Rocinante In Wonderland: A Yellowstone Story.“

Yellowstone is a land of boiling mud, shooting geysers, and thundering bison, so extraordinary that 19th-century visitors called it Wonderland. Groff's book follows two professors and a group of college students on a six-night journey through the park in a well-worn van named Rocinante, exploring the super volcano beneath the geysers, trace the ecology of wildfires, explore our relationship with wildlife, and learn the history of the Indigenous peoples who have called this place home for millennia. Along the way, the book follows the arc of the national park idea itself: from the expeditions that first captured the public imagination to the ongoing struggles for preservation and restoration that define Yellowstone today. Part travel story, part natural history, part philosophical reflection, this is Yellowstone like you've never heard it before.

Meet the author: Jeff Groff is a professor of physics and environmental science at Shepherd University and creator of the Yellowstone field course this book is based on.

Free and open to the public. Doors open at 6:30 PM.
Location: NCTC Byrd Auditorium, 698 Conservation Way, Shepherdstown, WV

Registration required: email [email protected] with the program date, names of adults attending, and any questions.

Can't make it in person? The lecture will be recorded and available September 3rd at 2:00 PM ET at youtube.com//streams

Image: Book cover for "The Rocinanate in Wonderland: A Yellowstone Story"

07/27/2026

Trees of North America​

Cucumbertree (Magnolia acuminata L.)​

Magnolia acuminata, also known as cucumber magnolia and mountain magnolia, is one of the largest magnolias and one of the cold hardiest. It's a large forest tree in the eastern deciduous forest, usually growing as scattered individuals rather than in clumps or groves. Its large, deep green leaves can grow up to 10 inches long and turn dull yellow in the fall. The bark is smooth and pale gray when young, becoming deeply furrowed and ridged as the tree matures. Native to eastern North America, cucumbertree grows best in the cool, moist sites of the southern Appalachian Mountains.​

Cucumbertree wood is used for wood products and closely resembles yellow poplar (Liriodendron tulipifera), which is why it's often sold under that name. In fact, cucumbertree hasn't been marketed as itself since 1928. It's also a pollinator plant that supports and attracts bees and butterflies, and it serves as a host plant, providing food for butterflies during their larval stage​.

Image: Magnolia acuminata leaves and fruit. Courtesy of Sally and Andy Wasowski, Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center.

07/16/2026

07/08/2026

Mark your calendar and join us for our next Indigenous Connections Broadcast: Indigenous-led Conservation: Models and Opportunities for Regenerative Care of Lands and Waters with Dr. Melissa K. Nelson, Wednesday July 15th at 3pm ET. Link to join: https://www.youtube.com//streams

Dr. Nelson will outline a new paradigm of conservation rooted in Indigenous models, values and practices, from the use of culture burning for forest management to prairie restoration and coastal protection. Her talk will address the need to protect biocultural diversity in a way that recognizes Indigenous rights and Traditional Ecological Knowledges.

Photo Description/Credit:
Harvesting wild onions in the Sonoran Desert with Arizona State University colleagues. Photo by Arianne Cease.

07/04/2026

From the NCTC to you, we wish everyone a happy Independence Day!​​

This Independence Day marks 250 years since the signing of the Declaration of Independence. It's not just a commemoration, it's a celebration of the land, wildlife, and people that make this nation what it is today. ​​

The story of America is written in landscapes, rivers, species, and communities. From restoring endangered species to recreational access to public lands, the Service has played a quiet but powerful role in America's story. This Fourth of July, we invite you to get outside, visit a refuge, or simply reflect on the wild places that are part of your own American story.​​

Photo: Female bald eagle on the NCTC nest with a rainbow in the background. Jenna Dorsey/USFWS

06/30/2026

🦅 From the archives, June 30, 1994 🦅

U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service Director Mollie Beattie, the first woman ever to lead the Service, prepares to release a bald eagle named "Hope" at Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge in Maryland.

The moment was chosen to mark a milestone announcement: the bald eagle was being reclassified from Endangered to Threatened.

It's hard to believe that just decades earlier, fewer than 450 nesting pairs remained in the lower 48 states. DDT, hunting, and habitat loss had pushed our national symbol to the very brink. But thanks to the banning of DDT in 1972, the Endangered Species Act of 1973, and tireless conservation work, the eagles came back.

By 2007, the bald eagle was fully removed from the endangered species list, with nearly 10,000 nesting pairs documented across the country.

From the brink of extinction to soaring free.



Image credit: Steve Farrell

06/29/2026

Second Fledge – June 26, 2026!

Early in the morning just after 6:00 am, the second of two juvenile eagles fledged from the NCTC nest!
This eaglet hatched on March 30 and was 12 weeks & 4 days old on fledge day.
The first hatched eaglet was 11 weeks and 3 days at fledge.

Bald eaglets grow amazingly fast – just 11-12 weeks from hatch to full size adult!
It’s fun to watch the young birds take off from the nest for the first time (fledge).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2o8uBoMbhbs

The first fledged eaglet has returned to the nest and the second likely will too, they still associate the nest with food.
You can watch them coming and going from the nest at: https://www.outdoorchannel.com/live/eaglecam

Please join the NCTC on Thursday July 2, at 2:00 pm ET for “Live from the Eagle’s Nest".
Anyone interested in bald eagles is welcome to join us on USFWS YouTube. https://www.youtube.com//streams

Photos & video USFWS / NCTC Eaglecam – Deb Stecyk