Paddling past a huge stretch of marsh grass, we look for muskrats and other critters. Matt explains the federal government’s efforts to protect the grass from invasive species, like nutria, a rodent that was introduced to the refuge in the 1940s by trappers who sold their fur. The rodent’s voracious appetite for marshlands has destroyed thousands of acres of wetland over the years, but through the Chesapeake Bay Nutria Eradication project, they have nearly vanished from the area.
At every turn, it becomes clear that Matt Meredith is not your average outdoor enthusiast. Certified as a Master Naturalist, his breadth of knowledge about the land and its inhabitants is staggering. As a teen, he began working at a nearby conservation, and he shares his family’s passion for preserving and promoting the area’s natural resources.
“When you dive deep into this stuff, it leaves you wanting to know more,” he said. “I believe that as a student of nature and wildlife, it takes a lifetime to know it all.”
Noting that his mother, Susan Meredith, was also out on the river that day, on a guided paddle with an expert birder, Matt directs us farther upriver, to another eagle’s nest, this one even larger than the first.
Our late-summer paddle is filled with sightings of heron, eagles and osprey, but the refuge truly comes alive in the fall, when upwards of 35,000 geese and 15,000 ducks descend on the area. The refuge’s mix of salt and fresh water attracts a huge variety of river and puddle ducks, such as widgeons, mallards and black ducks.
“In the fall, the refuge becomes a huge melting pot of every kind of waterfowl imaginable, and the roar of the ducks and geese can wake you up at night,” Matt said.