A snowy egret perches on a branch at the shoreline of a waterway at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The center shares a border with the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge. More than 330 native and migratory bird species, 25 mammals, 117 fishes and 65 amphibians and reptiles call Kennedy and the wildlife refuge home.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- A snowy egret wades the shallow waters of the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge, which shares a boundary with Kennedy Space Center. Ranging from northern California, Oklahoma and Maine to southern South America, the snowy egret winters north to California and South Carolina. In the East, they are best known as salt marsh birds. Once an endangered species, their numbers have increased again. The 92,000-acre refuge is a habitat for more than 310 species of birds, 25 mammals, 117 fishes and 65 amphibians and reptiles. The marshes and open water of the refuge also provide wintering areas for 23 species of migratory waterfowl, as well as a year-round home for great blue herons, great egrets, wood storks, cormorants, brown pelicans and other species of marsh and shore birds

A snowy egret perches on a branch near a waterway at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The center shares a border with the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge. The bird is one of more than 330 native and migratory bird species, 25 mammals, 117 fishes and 65 amphibians and reptiles that call Kennedy and the wildlife refuge home.

A snowy egret successfully catches a small fish in a shallow waterway at Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge in Florida. NASA’s Kennedy Space Center shares boundaries with the refuge, which is home to more than 330 native and migratory bird species, along with 25 mammal, 117 fish, and 65 amphibian and reptile species.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. –– Snowy egrets gather in water on NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. They are distinguished by their slim black beaks, black legs and yellow feet. These egrets inhabit salt marshes, ponds, rice fields and shallow coastal bays. The center shares a boundary with the Merritt Island Wildlife Nature Refuge, which is a habitat for more than 310 species of birds, 25 mammals, 117 fishes and 65 amphibians and reptiles. Photo credit: NASA/Dimitri Gerondidakis

A snowy egret is seen at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Kennedy shares a boundary with the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge. The refuge encompasses 140,000 acres that are a habitat for more than 331 species of birds, 31 mammals, 117 fish, and 65 amphibians and reptiles. The marshes and open water of the refuge provide wintering areas for 23 species of migratory waterfowl, as well as a year-round home for great blue herons, great egrets, wood storks, cormorants, brown pelicans and other species of marsh and shore birds.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. –– Snowy egrets gather in water on NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. They are distinguished by their slim black beaks, black legs and yellow feet. These egrets inhabit salt marshes, ponds, rice fields and shallow coastal bays. The center shares a boundary with the Merritt Island Wildlife Nature Refuge, which is a habitat for more than 310 species of birds, 25 mammals, 117 fishes and 65 amphibians and reptiles. Photo credit: NASA/Dimitri Gerondidakis

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- A snowy egret is on the lookout for food in a pond on NASA's Kennedy Space Center. A type of heron, the snowy egret inhabits salt marshes, ponds, rice fields and shallow coastal bays ranging from Maine to southern South America on the east coast. It can also be found in California and Oklahoma to the Gulf of Mexico. KSC shares a boundary with the Merritt Island Wildlife Nature Refuge. The refuge is a habitat for more than 310 species of birds, 25 mammals, 117 fishes and 65 amphibians and reptiles. In addition, the Refuge supports 19 endangered or threatened wildlife species on Federal or State lists, more than any other single refuge in the U.S. Photo credit: NASA/Ken Thornsley

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- A snowy egret perches on dead limbs in the Indian River near Kennedy Space Center. A type of heron, the snowy egret inhabits salt marshes, ponds, rice fields and shallow coastal bays ranging from Maine to southern South America on the east coast. It can also be found in California and Oklahoma to the Gulf of Mexico. KSC shares a boundary with the Merritt Island Wildlife Nature Refuge. The refuge is a habitat for more than 310 species of birds, 25 mammals, 117 fishes and 65 amphibians and reptiles. In addition, the Refuge supports 19 endangered or threatened wildlife species on Federal or State lists, more than any other single refuge in the U.S. Photo credit: NASA/Dimitri Gerondidakis

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- A snowy egret prepares for flight from its perch in the Indian River near Kennedy Space Center. A type of heron, the snowy egret inhabits salt marshes, ponds, rice fields and shallow coastal bays ranging from Maine to southern South America on the east coast. It can also be found in California and Oklahoma to the Gulf of Mexico. KSC shares a boundary with the Merritt Island Wildlife Nature Refuge. The refuge is a habitat for more than 310 species of birds, 25 mammals, 117 fishes and 65 amphibians and reptiles. In addition, the Refuge supports 19 endangered or threatened wildlife species on Federal or State lists, more than any other single refuge in the U.S. Photo credit: NASA/Dimitri Gerondidakis

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – A snowy egret stands in the shallow water of a pond in the Merritt island National Wildlife Refuge, which borders NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. A type of heron, the snowy egret inhabits salt marshes, ponds, rice fields and shallow coastal bays ranging from Maine to southern South America on the east coast. It can also be found in California and Oklahoma to the Gulf of Mexico. The center shares a boundary with the refuge that includes salt-water estuaries, brackish marshes, hardwood hammocks and pine flatwoods. The diverse landscape provides habitat for more than 310 species of birds, 25 mammals, 117 fishes and 65 amphibians and reptiles. Photo credit: NASA/Jim Grossmann

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- A snowy egret perches on dead limbs in the Indian River near Kennedy Space Center. A type of heron, the snowy egret inhabits salt marshes, ponds, rice fields and shallow coastal bays ranging from Maine to southern South America on the east coast. It can also be found in California and Oklahoma to the Gulf of Mexico. KSC shares a boundary with the Merritt Island Wildlife Nature Refuge. The refuge is a habitat for more than 310 species of birds, 25 mammals, 117 fishes and 65 amphibians and reptiles. In addition, the Refuge supports 19 endangered or threatened wildlife species on Federal or State lists, more than any other single refuge in the U.S. Photo credit: NASA/Dimitri Gerondidakis

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- A snowy egret is spotted in the midst of reeds near a pond on NASA's Kennedy Space Center. A type of heron, the snowy egret inhabits salt marshes, ponds, rice fields and shallow coastal bays ranging from Maine to southern South America on the east coast. It can also be found in California and Oklahoma to the Gulf of Mexico. KSC shares a boundary with the Merritt Island Wildlife Nature Refuge. The refuge is a habitat for more than 310 species of birds, 25 mammals, 117 fishes and 65 amphibians and reptiles. In addition, the Refuge supports 19 endangered or threatened wildlife species on Federal or State lists, more than any other single refuge in the U.S. Photo credit: NASA/Ken Thornsley

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Snowy egrets join in a feeding frenzy in a marshy area of the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge. Ranging from northern California, Oklahoma and Maine to southern South America, the snowy egret winters north to California and South Carolina. In the East, they are best known as salt marsh birds. Once an endangered species, their numbers have increased. The refuge was established in 1963 on Kennedy Space Center land and water not used by NASA for the space program. The marshes and open water of the refuge provide wintering grounds for 23 species of migratory waterfowl, as well as a year-round home for great blue herons, wood storks, cormorants, brown pelicans and other species of marsh and shore birds.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- A snowy egret marches through a pond near Kennedy Space Center, looking for food. The snowy egret can be identified by its slender black bill, black legs and yellow feet. This species inhabits salt marshes, ponds, rice field and shallow coastal bays along the coast from Maine to southern South America. They are also found in northern California, Texas and Oklahoma. KSC shares a boundary with the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge, which surrounds it. The refuge is a habitat for more than 310 species of birds, 25 mammals, 117 fishes and 65 amphibians and reptiles. In addition, the refuge supports 19 endangered or threatened wildlife species on Federal or State lists, more than any other single refuge in the U.S. Photo credit: NASA/Ken Thornsley

NASA Kennedy Space Center’s Spaceport Integration and Services organization is leading a restoration project at KARS Park on Hall Road in Merritt Island, Florida. As part of this project, a wavebreak is being created about 20 feet offshore to allow mangroves and other plants to propagate into the gap, providing protection for the shoreline. Show here in a tree are a snowy egret, left, and a limpkin.

A snowy egret focuses its attention on a potential meal swimming in a shallow waterway at Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge in Florida. NASA’s Kennedy Space Center shares boundaries with the refuge, which is home to more than 330 native and migratory bird species, along with 25 mammal, 117 fish, and 65 amphibian and reptile species.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Great white and snowy white egrets gather just north of the Shuttle Landing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Kennedy coexists with the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge, habitat to more than 310 species of birds, 25 mammals, 117 fish and 65 amphibians and reptiles. Photo credit: NASA/Frankie Martin

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- A snowy egret wades through brackish water just north of the Shuttle Landing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. This type of bird often stalks its prey in shallow water by running or shuffling its feet, flushing small fish, shrimp, frogs or crabs into view. Kennedy coexists with the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge, habitat to more than 310 species of birds, 25 mammals, 117 fish and 65 amphibians and reptiles. Photo credit: NASA/Frankie Martin

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Perched on a section of pipe, this snowy egret keeps a wary eye on the photographer on a sunny day at Black Point Wildlife Drive, part of the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge. NASA's Kennedy Space Center shares a boundary with the refuge, consisting of 140,000 acres. The Refuge provides a wide variety of habitats: coastal dunes, saltwater estuaries and marshes, freshwater impoundments, scrub, pine flatwoods, and hardwood hammocks that provide habitat for more than 1,500 species of plants and animals, including about 331 species of birds. Photo credit: NASA/Jim Grossmann

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Snowy egrets hide in the bramble along the water's edge off Schwartz Road at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The center coexists with the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge, which encompasses 140,000 acres. The refuge comprises a wide variety of habitats, including coastal dunes, saltwater estuaries and marshes, freshwater impoundments, scrub, pine flatwoods, and hardwood hammocks. These habitats provide sanctuary for more than 1,500 species of plants and animals, including more than 330 species of birds, 31 mammals, 117 fishes, and 65 amphibians and reptiles. For additional information about the refuge, visit http://www.fws.gov/merrittisland. Photo credit: NASA/Daniel Casper

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. — A snowy egret is spotted near NASA Kennedy Space Center. Its habitat is salt marshes, ponds, rice fields and shallow coastal bays, ranging primarily along the eastern coast from Maine to South America, but including areas of northern California and Oklahoma. This and other wildlife abound throughout KSC as it shares a boundary with the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge, home to some of the nation’s rarest and most unusual species of wildlife. The wildlife refuge is a habitat for more than 310 species of birds, 25 mammals, 117 fishes and 65 amphibians and reptiles. In addition, the Refuge supports 19 endangered or threatened wildlife species on Federal or State lists, more than any other single refuge in the U.S.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Snowy egrets wade through a pond for their food. The pond is near Kennedy Space Center. This species inhabits salt marshes, ponds, rice field and shallow coastal bays along the coast from Maine to southern South America. They are also found in northern California, Texas and Oklahoma. KSC shares a boundary with the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge, which surrounds it. The refuge is a habitat for more than 310 species of birds, 25 mammals, 117 fishes and 65 amphibians and reptiles. In addition, the refuge supports 19 endangered or threatened wildlife species on Federal or State lists, more than any other single refuge in the U.S. Photo credit: NASA/Ken Thornsley

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - At NASA Kennedy Space Center, a snowy egret in breeding plumage stalks the ground. This species is identified by its slender black bill, black legs and yellow feet. It inhabits salt marshes, ponds, rice fields and shallow coastal bays. Its range is northern California, Oklahoma and Maine to southern South America. They winter regularly north to California and South Carolina. The Center shares a boundary with the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge, which is a habitat for more than 310 species of birds, 25 mammals, 117 fishes and 65 amphibians and reptiles. In addition, the Refuge supports 19 endangered or threatened wildlife species on Federal or State lists, more than any other single refuge in the U.S. Photo credit: NASA/Jim Grossmann

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. — A contrast in black and white, this snowy egret is spotted near NASA Kennedy Space Center. Its habitat is salt marshes, ponds, rice fields and shallow coastal bays, ranging primarily along the eastern coast from Maine to South America, but including areas of northern California and Oklahoma. This and other wildlife abound throughout KSC as it shares a boundary with the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge, home to some of the nation’s rarest and most unusual species of wildlife. The wildlife refuge is a habitat for more than 310 species of birds, 25 mammals, 117 fishes and 65 amphibians and reptiles. In addition, the Refuge supports 19 endangered or threatened wildlife species on Federal or State lists, more than any other single refuge in the U.S.