Beavers at the Refuge, Unexpected Wildlife Refuge photo
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Moss on Boundary Trail, Unexpected Wildlife Refuge photo
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Moonlit main pond, Unexpected Wildlife Refuge photo
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Elegant spreadwing damselfly, Unexpected Wildlife Refuge photo
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Racoon on trail camera near Wild Goose Blind, Unexpected Wildlife Refuge photo
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Northern water snake in main pond, Unexpected Wildlife Refuge photo
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House wren near Headquarters, photo by Leor Veleanu
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Luna moth male on porch at Headquarters, Unexpected Wildlife Refuge photo
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Bleeding heart flowering near Headquarters, Unexpected Wildlife Refuge photo
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Northern cricket frog in Miller Pond, Unexpected Wildlife Refuge photo
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Fungi on fallen tree on Boundary Trail, Unexpected Wildlife Refuge photo

Unexpected Wildlife Refuge is a protected natural habitat comprising 767 acres of pristine pine lands, forest, fields, bogs, streams and lakes. It provides a refuge to animals and plants indigenous to southern New Jersey; a place where wildlife can live freely and naturally without fear of being harmed at the hands of human beings. We began as the home of Hope Sawyer Buyukmihci and Cavit Buyukmihci, who dedicated their land to habitat preservation so that native wildlife and habitat could thrive. We are a not-for-profit 501(c)(3) entity, federal ID 23-7025010.
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Unexpected Wildlife Refuge Merchandise

Our main source of support for the Refuge is, and has always been, through donations by wonderful people who know the inestimable value of protecting habitat in order to protect wildlife. Along the way, we had developed a few items to sell, promoting the Refuge and providing an alternate, but small source of support. As you might know, merchandising is extremely expensive, with high risks in terms of inventory, shipping issues and potential for returns. Combined with the cost of the items to us and the labor involved in this enterprise, these result in very little usable income for the Refuge. As a result, we limit our merchandise to those which can be supplied, from start to finish, by third parties. We will add to the items below as we find companies that can provide this service for us.

We will continue to provide certain educational materials free of charge (see below).


Watercolor prints by co-founder Hope Sawyer Buyukmihci now available

We have prepared prints of several of the wonderful watercolor illustrations by Refuge co-founder, artist, writer and naturalist Hope Sawyer Buyukmihci. These can be purchased through Zazzle, which fulfills orders from the public on our behalf. The images below are of reduced quality to show you what is available. You can click on each to see a higher resolution image; the copyright overlay will not be on the distributed prints.

Young rabbits
Rabbit and toad
Doe and fawn
Red squirrel

The following are not currently available. If there is enough interest to warrant the expense of preparing them for sale, we will do so. Click on the caption for a print to send us a message with your preference.

Mother bear, cubs
Doe, fawn, pond
Rabbit, wolf
Chipmunk
Doe, fawn, stream

Educational Materials

These are free with a stamped, self-addressed, letter-sized envelope (please apply additional postage if ordering multiple items), or are available for download through links below: