USFWS · Maine

Sunkhaze Meadows National Wildlife Refuge

Sunkhaze Meadows National Wildlife Refuge is located in the Town of Milford, Penobscot County, Maine, approximately fourteen miles north of Bangor. The refuge was established in 1988 to ensure the ecological integrity of the Sunkhaze Meadows peat bog and the continued availability of its wetland, stream, forest and wildlife resources to the citizens of the United States. The purpose of acquisition, under the authority of the Fish and Wildlife Act of 1956 was "... for the development, advancement, management, conservation, and protection of fish and wildlife resources.". and "... for the benefit of the United States Fish and Wildlife Service, in performing its activities and services. Such acceptance may be subject to the terms of any restrictive or affirmative covenant, or condition of servitude.". The Land and Water Conservation Fund was the source of funding for the purchase

From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

National Wildlife Refuge11,594 acresUSFWSME
Official page at U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service ↗
Sunkhaze Meadows National Wildlife Refuge
Photo by Fredlyfish4, licensed CC BY-SA 3.0, from Wikimedia Commons.

Facts

Where each comes from ↓
DesignationNational Wildlife Refuge
Managed byU.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
StateMaine
Size11,594 acres
FWS regionRegion 5
Center point44.99° N, 68.57° W
Night skyAbout as dark as the ground gets (Black Marble reading 11)

Boundary map

2 outlines

Boundary, simplified to about 0.005 degrees

The outline is the agency boundary simplified for display, so small parcels and inholdings may not show. The agency page has the authoritative map.

Weather by month

NOAA climate normals →
Weather by month near Sunkhaze Meadows National Wildlife Refuge10°20°30°40°50°60°70°January: 3.66 inches of precipitationFebruary: 2.98 inches of precipitationMarch: 3.78 inches of precipitationApril: 3.68 inches of precipitationMay: 3.47 inches of precipitationJune: 4.19 inches of precipitationJuly: 3.45 inches of precipitationAugust: 3.15 inches of precipitationSeptember: 3.67 inches of precipitationOctober: 4.27 inches of precipitationNovember: 3.99 inches of precipitationDecember: 4.15 inches of precipitationJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecJanuary: 16.8°F averageFebruary: 19.4°F averageMarch: 29.3°F averageApril: 41.2°F averageMay: 52.6°F averageJune: 61.3°F averageJuly: 67.5°F averageAugust: 65.5°F averageSeptember: 57.7°F averageOctober: 46.4°F averageNovember: 35.8°F averageDecember: 24.7°F average0 in1 in2 in3 in4 in5 inTemp °FInches
The line is the average temperature and the bars are average precipitation at Old Town 2 W, 8 miles from the center point at 127 feet, station USW00094644 in the NOAA monthly climate normals for 1991 to 2020. Precipitation totals about 44 inches a year.

Large units span more than one climate. The station stands in for the center point, and the outer parts of the boundary can be warmer or colder.

Explore

Nearby on the other atlases

National Register listings within 15 miles · 58 in all · Register Atlas

Landmarks are listed first, then by distance from the boundary.

Guidebooks for Maine

We earn a small commission if you buy through these links. It does not change what we list.

  • Birdwatching in Maine
    Derek J. Lovitch, 2024
    Find at Bookshop.org
  • Maine's favorite birds
    Jeffrey V. Wells, 2012
    Find at Bookshop.org
  • AMC's best day hikes along the Maine Coast
    Carey Michael Kish, 2024
    Find at Bookshop.org

Titles come from Open Library's catalog, matched by subject heading or by title.

Reference

Questions people ask

How big is Sunkhaze Meadows National Wildlife Refuge?

11,594 acres.

Source: How acreage is computed

Who manages Sunkhaze Meadows National Wildlife Refuge?

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Source: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

What state is Sunkhaze Meadows National Wildlife Refuge in?

Maine.

Source: How states are assigned

How do I get to Sunkhaze Meadows National Wildlife Refuge?

A point inside the boundary is at 44.986° N, 68.566° W. The official page carries directions and the office address.

Source: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

Are there historic places near Sunkhaze Meadows National Wildlife Refuge?

The National Register has 58 listings within 15 miles, including Milford Congregational Church and St. Anne's Church and Mission Site.

Source: Register Atlas

Sources

  • Boundary, name: the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service refuge boundary layer.
  • States and territories: computed by intersecting the boundary with Census state polygons and coarse outlines of the territories and outlying islands. A place is listed when it holds at least one percent of the area. A boundary that touches no outline is listed under the nearest one.
  • Acreage: geodesic area of the published polygon. The agency’s official acreage can differ where the boundary includes water, easements or inholdings.
  • Photograph: the image Wikidata records for this refuge (Q7640450), the item linked to its Wikipedia article. Author and license come from the file page on Wikimedia Commons.
  • Description: Sunkhaze Meadows National Wildlife Refuge on Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. The article was accepted because its title contains this unit’s name.
  • Campgrounds: the Campsite Atlas index of federal campgrounds, matched to this boundary at build time.
  • Night sky: NASA Black Marble (VIIRS, 2016 composite) sampled at zoom 6 around the center point.
  • Weather, alerts, air quality, river flow and earthquakes load live in your browser from NWS, AirNow, USGS and iNaturalist when you open the page.