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Spring Volunteer Naturalist Trainings!
(click flyer to view larger or download)
.jpg) Whether you want to work with students and the public to spread the conservation message, teach about local indigenous culture, or get your hands dirty doing habitat work, this training will show you how local refuges manage habitat and inspire people. This four part interactive series will include presentations, activities, and field trips. Topics being developed may include major restoration techniques such as fire management, oak restoration, wetland and field conservation for waterfowl, and floodplain restoration in the Gorge. Local indigenous culture and the long history of habitat conservation by First Peoples will be explored through the Cathlapotle Plankhouse. Species specific presentations and tours of the Refuge will highlight the wildlife that benefit from these activities and communication techniques to share this great work with our surrounding communities.
If any of this sounds interesting contact:
Josie Finley at 360-887-4106 or ridgefieldvolunteer@fws.gov for questions and to sign up.
Trainings will be Saturdays:
March 31-What Makes a Refuge Unique
April 7-Connecting People to Nature
April 14-Lifeways and Landscapes
April 21-Wetlands and Wildlife
*Note: March 14th will be Cathlapotle Plankhouse Day- Required for docents and Carty Trail Stewards
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New Benefits of Membership!
New Businesses on our Member Card!
 Thanks to our new board member, Spiritual Leader of the Cowlitz Indian Tribe Tanna Engdahl, we were able to add some new discounts to the coupon section of our member card! Now, members can receive 10% off at select Ilani Restaurants! If you have an old member card and would like the new one but it isn't time to renew, contact us with your contact info and we will get you a new card.
Join or Renew by clicking here today!
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Have you done your taxes yet?
If not, get some help from H&R Block and help us out at the same time! For every new client who files their taxes with H&R Block or Block Advisors, $20 will be donated to The Friends of Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge! The total donation amount is unlimited! Print or show the flier below with our nonprofit number at your local H&R Block to get started!
(click to view or download)
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Ridgefield Refuge Complex
News & Events
Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge
Environmental & Cultural Education Program
Thank you for visiting the refuge and supporting conservation. If you have any questions regarding activities and regulations on the refuge, call the office Monday through Friday 7:30 am to 3:30 pm at 360-887-4106.
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Cathlapotle Plankhouse
Update & Events
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Cathlapotle Plankhouse Second Sunday Series
We will be celebrating Lifeways and Landscapes throughout the 2018 season.  Each Second Sunday of the month we will feature speakers, demonstrators, and other presenters focused on topics that relate to indigenous culture and the rich habitat provided by the Refuge. You can look forward to topics relating to indigenous women’s labor, ancestors and grandchildren, seasonality, ancestral oak stands, and of course our always popular Traditional Technologies Day.
Second Sundays begin in May and will continue through December. This year we are experimenting with a longer series and have added three additional events to the tail end of our series, extending it to the end of the year. We hope that you enjoy this additional programming and hope to see you often!
Save the Date!
Saturday, May 5th, the Cathlapotle Plankhouse opens to the public. Hours are from 12 to 4 Saturdays and Sundays. The House remains open until BirdFest 2018 in October.
Interested in learning more about local indigenous cultures? Do you have a passion for our regional landscape? Be sure to attend April 14, the Plankhouse Day, in our Naturalist Training Series! Come join our team of citizen educators, docents, and trail stewards at the Carty Unit.
Questions? Contact Juliet at Juliet_McGraw@fws.gov
or call (360) 887-4106
(click link to view the Plankhouse listing)
Preserve America is a national initiative in cooperation with the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation; the U.S. Departments of Defense, Interior, Agriculture, Commerce, Housing and Urban Development, Transportation, and Education; the National Endowment for the Humanities; the President's Committee on the Arts and Humanities; and the President's Council on Environmental Quality.
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Name that Bird!
Last months answer was a first year male Common Goldeneye (check out the species spotlight for more information)!
Terry Anderson was the first to get it totally right by guessing male, and Robin Bradford and Roger Windemuth both guessed the species correctly as well! There is some debate on the gender, but after careful consideration, and lots of research, we decided there is the barest hint of a white patch developing behind the bill, it lacks the yellow bill tip the females usually have, and it most closely resembled #11 and #15 on this list. Compare for yourself with the photo from last month here.
(click photo to view larger)
Every so often, guests will send us photos to help identify wildlife on the Refuge, and we want to see if you can do it too! What do you think these little guys are?
Email your answers to contact@ridgefieldfriends.org and we will announce who got it right, and what the answer is, in next month's newsletter! Stay tuned! And, if you have a photo that took some time to identify, or that you need help with, send it our way and it may end up here!
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Habitat Restoration
Updates & Events
Mostly Mild March
Volunteers spent March on the Refuge finishing up plantings and starting in on spring cleaning. Despite our somewhat abbreviated winter season, close to 400 trees and shrubs were planted across the landscape. Nine different species were planted to enhance habitat... Keep Reading...
Now you can sign up to volunteer easily on our website! Check it out by clicking here!
Check out more about Habitat Restoration here!
Questions? Contact Keith_Rutz@fws.gov for more information
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From the Contact Station
Slithering Snakes!
The beginning of warmer weather has resulted in the emergence of our refuge snakes. They have been spotted sunning near the blind and, unfortunately for a few, in the deadly jaws of Great Blue Herons. We have three snake species on the Refuge: Red-spotted (Common) Garter Snake, Northwestern Garter Snake and the Rubber Boa. All snakes are an important part of the natural food chain... Keep Reading...
-Susan Setterberg, Volunteer & Board President
Photo: Red-spotted (Common) Garter Snake
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We Are Stewards- FYI98642
Local resident, Byron Brink, brings attention to the Refuge, and the impacts of the community around it, in two parts.
 Byron Brink has a history of being outspoken about the development happening in and around Ridgefield, with articles in the Columbian and The Reflector over the years, all highlighting the rapid expansion of homes in Ridgefield and their impact on the town, the schools, and the Refuge. Because of one such article, local blogger Kathy Winters reached out to ask him to write a piece for her popular Ridgefield blog, FYI98642. The response came in two parts, which you can read here:
Part 1
Part 2
Click here to see the opinion piece in The Reflector that caught Kathy's attention.
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2018 Events to Save the Date for:
Keep an eye out for more information on these events!
 Friends of Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge Annual Fundraiser 2018:
Friday, July 20th, 2018 - Evening, Lucy's Garden - 3302 NW Carty Rd, Ridgefield, WA 98642
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Partner Events to Save the Date for:
Tualatin River Bird Festival: May 19th, 2018
 The Friends of the Refuge, in conjunction with Tualatin River National Wildlife Refuge, welcome you to our 22nd Annual Tualatin River Bird Festival. This is a FREE family-friendly event! Join thee Friends of the Refuge for diverse family-friendly activities celebrating wildlife and wild places.
Check out the Friends of the Refuge's webpage here to stay up to date on this event, and what all is going on in Tualatin!
Big Paddle: June 2nd, 2018
There’s something for absolutely everyone on this fun-filled day  downtown and on Lake River. Breakfast, paddling, obstacle course, live music, beer & wine garden, BIG games and a Totally Awesome Scavenger Challenge! Registration is already open! Check out the schedule HERE, and sign up today!
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Help the Friends and the Refuge When You Shop
When you link your Fred Meyer Rewards Card to the Friends, you help us earn donations from Fred Meyer Community Rewards. It doesn't change your regular personal shopping and fuel rewards, but it does make a meaningful contribution to our work on the Refuge.
It's easy to sign up. Just go to www.fredmeyer.com/communityrewards. You can search for us by our name, Friends of Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge, or by our non-profit number, 89824. Then, every time you shop and use your Rewards Card, you are helping the Friends earn a donation to support the Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge. If you do not have a Rewards Card, they are available at the Customer Service desk of any Fred Meyer store.
Shop and Give Online at AmazonSmile.com
 Log on to smile.amazon.com, shop as you usually would and .5% of your purchase will be donated directly to the Friends. Use the special link, smile.amazon.com, with your existing user name and password.
To set up your AmazonSmile account, click this link: http://smile.amazon.com/ch/91-2018749. When prompted to select a charity, choose the Friends of Ridgefield Wildlife Refuge. Begin shopping as you normally would and the Friends will receive 0.5% of eligible purchases.
Or Shop Online and Give through Giving Assistant
 Giving Assistant makes it easy to donate to Friends of the Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge! Simply shop online, earn cash back, and donate as much as 30% of your purchase price—Giving Assistant facilitates the whole process. Now, you can help change the world for free while saving money at over 3,000 popular online retailers like Home Depot, ULTA, and Macy’s! Start HERE!
Thanks for being an EcoShopper and helping the Refuge!
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Follow the Friends on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram!
Want regular updates on Refuge events and happenings? Follow the Friends on your favorite social media by clicking the logos below to stay connected even when you are off the Refuge.
  
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Header Photo Credit: William Lee, 2010 Photo Contest Honorable
Mention
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