Parker River National Wildlife Refuge
![Piping Plovers can be found all over the Parker River National Wildlife Refuge](https://mail.northshorekid.com/sites/default/files/styles/thumb_80/public/directory_listings/pipng_plover_0.jpg?itok=r7g7Autu)
Parker River National Wildlife Refuge was established in 1942 to provide feeding, resting, and nesting habitat for migratory birds. The refuge occupies 4,662 acres on the southern two-thirds of Plum Island, a barrier island on the Northeast coast of Massachusetts, and is administered by the US Fish and Wildlife Service, a federal agency. Parker River is one of over 540 Refuges in the National Wildlife Refuge System, a national network of lands dedicated to "wildlife first."