ECU shows field station during “Swan Days”

East Carolina University’s Field Station for Coastal Studies at Lake Mattamuskeet will take part in the National Wildlife Refuge’s popular Swan Days program, Dec. 7 – 8.

The program at the Mattamuskeet Lodge in Hyde County will include Christmas decorations, crafts, tours, workshops and food concessions. Roger Rulifson, a professor and director of the ECU Field Station, said there will be an information booth about ECU coastal studies. He also said the station’s dormitory wing will be open to the public during the weekend. The site is owned by the federal government and is part of the Mattamuskeet National Wildlife Refuge. It includes 50,000 acres of water, marsh and woodlands that are home to 200 animal species and an attraction to millions of migratory waterfowl.

The lodge was built in 1914 as the largest pumping station in the world. It was designed to drain the lake for crop production. The plan proved too costly for its developers and the federal government acquired the buildings and lake in 1934. The government maintained the facility until 1974. As the building fell into disrepair over the 15 years, public and private groups in the state began to look for ways to fix it up. ECU expressed an interest in developing a research field station at the site and subsequent agreements with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service led to the opening of a section of the old lodge as the Field Station for Coastal Studies in 1995. The facility serves as a site for classes, workshops, research projects and cultural programs.

Some of the Swan Days events include guided tours of the refuge, bird identification workshops, photography workshops, lecture programs and slide shows. Arts and crafts produced by people in area will be on display.