Contact: Michelle Williams, (631) 286-0485, michelle_williams@fws.gov; Terri Edwards, (413) 253-8324 or (413) 244-4235 (mobile), terri_edwards@fws.gov

A rendering of the new administrative and visitor center at Wertheim National Wildlife Refuge.

Shirley, N.Y. – Groundbreaking occurred today at the Wertheim National Wildlife Refuge for a $9.775 million visitor center and headquarters for the nine national wildlife refuges located on Long Island. The facility, funded through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, will serve as the visitor center and headquarters for the Long Island National Wildlife Refuge Complex. It will be located within an hour’s drive of more than 7.5 million people.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in March awarded a $7.3 million contract for the construction phase of the 13,000-square-foot-energy-efficient project to T. G. Nickel & Associates, a local company based in Ronkonkoma, N.Y.

In addition to the construction phase of the project, previous awards for the remainder of the funds were made to C&S Companies of Syracuse, N.Y., which completed the architectural and engineering design for the facility; Lyons/Zaremba Inc. of Boston, Mass., for the design and production of the interpretive displays for its exhibit hall; and pre-construction site surveys. The new center will also include an environmental education classroom and other visitor services.

The building will meet the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification criteria for sustainability and energy efficiency.

The national wildlife refuges on Long Island are some of the last remaining natural areas in the greater New York City metropolitan area, and are located within an hour drive of more than 7.5 million people. In addition to the headquarters at Wertheim National Wildlife Refuge, other units include Amagansett, Conscience Point, Morton, Oyster Bay, Seatuck and Target Rock national wildlife refuges and Lido Beach, which is designated as a national wildlife management area.

For more information on this project, visit the Long Island National Wildlife Refuge Complex project page.

Originally posted 05/17/2010