August 2019 Newsletter

Don't forget to buy your Raptors tickets, learn about Refuge project updates, save the dates for upcoming events, and so much more!

Friends of Ridgefield NWR - August E-News

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The Friends of the Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge

The latest updates | August, 2019

Ridgefield Raptors Baseball Refuge Night

Watch a Raptors game and help support the Friends and the Refuge!

Part of the proceeds from tickets bought through this link (and this link only, no ticket purchases at the game will apply), for the Thursday, August 1st game will be donated to the Friends of Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge. Support the Refuge, and all the unique programs that make this place an irreplaceable resource for wildlife and people.

Get your tickets here, and tell your friends, today!

** TICKETS MUST BE PURCHASED BY MIDNIGHT JULY 31ST **

Game: Thursday, August 1st, 2019 – 6:35 pm

The Friends and Refuge staff will be present at the game to answer questions about the Refuge, play games, take photos with some cool Refuge equipment, and more! Come see us, and enjoy a community event perfect for the whole family!

Click the flyer to learn more, view a map of where you will be seated, and get your tickets!

Save the Date!

Join the Friends of Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge for our BirdFest & Bluegrass 20th Anniversary Celebration at the Ilani Casino & Resort, Friday, October 4th, 2019.

There will be an appearance by Tony Starlight, heavy hors d'oeuvres, drinks, and a silent and live auction. (click the postcard to view larger or download)

We look forward to kicking off this milestone festival with you! To stay up to date on the Festival itself, click here!

Want to sponsor this landmark celebration, or the Festival? Contact us!

Become a BirdFest & Bluegrass Vendor

Celebrate the 20th Anniversary of BirdFest & Bluegrass with us! Taking place October 5th, BirdFest is our local celebration of the return of the Sandhill Cranes to the Refuge. Events include Sandhill Crane tours, guided nature and bird walks, children’s activities, Cathlapotle Plankhouse tours, naturalist workshops, and the Birder’s Marketplace, which features artists who concentrate on wildlife and/or nature themes. BirdFest attracts 3,000 – 5,000 people annually, and we expect this year to be a record-breaker!

Please note that this year the Birder’s Marketplace will only be open for ONE DAY on Saturday, October 5th.

The Marketplace will also have a new location! Join us in the brand new, centrally-located Ridgefield Administrative and Civic Center (RACC) gym (510 Pioneer St, Ridgefield, WA 98642). This location is right next door to where several of our biggest events of the festival are taking place. Or, join the Saturday Market and food vendors at Overlook Park!

Find out more or apply today here!

2019 Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge Photo Contest

Submit your favorite nature images taken within the boundaries of the Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge to the 13th Annual 2019 Photo Contest!

Submit by: September 3, 2019

ADULT CATEGORY PRIZES:

1st & 2nd Place in each category

Categories:

• Birds – Birds and waterfowl in their natural habitat

• Wildlife – Any wildlife other than birds – mammals, amphibians, fish, insects, reptiles, and invertebrates in their natural habitat

• Plant Life – Trees, grasses, flowers, fungi, lichen, and other flora in their natural habitat

• Landscape & Structures – The refuge contains a mosaic of scenic views, including iconic structures such as the Cathlapotle Plankhouse

YOUTH PRIZES: 1st, 2nd, 3rd Place

Find out more...

Ridgefield Refuge Complex News & Events

River 'S' and Trail Closures

Stay up-to-date on all the projects going on this year

at the official Refuge 20/20 website, where all the projects at Ridgefield and Steigerwald Lake NWRs are explained.

More info added all the time - check back for updates and more!

Currently:

-- *UPDATE*: The Main Street Extension project will impede traffic to the Carty Unit and the Refuge office (28908 NW Main Ave) starting July 5th, 2019. Access the unit from the freeway by using the second roundabout to go right onto N Royle, then turn left onto 289th, and follow that as it turns into 291st, then Main Ave. The Refuge will be on your right. Maps are available on the home page of our website.

- The River 'S' Unit and Auto Tour Route (1071 S Hillhurst Rd.) are closed Monday-Friday for bridge construction; open Saturdays and Sundays until summer 2020.

- The Oaks-to-Wetlands Trail (28908 NW Main Ave.) starting at the end of the paved section will be closed for our Oak Restoration Project into August 2019. Opening soon!

Please contact the Refuge Office at (360) 887-4106 during regular business hours (M-F, 7:30 AM - 3:30 PM) for more information.

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.

(click flyer to view larger or download)

Bird Walks

Birding at Steigerwald Lake NWR

Meet at the Gibbons Creek trailhead off SR-14 at the time listed. Walks last two to three hours. There is no entrance fee at Steigerwald. Email Mesha_wood@fws.gov to sign up.

Hike led by Ken Pitts, starting at 7:00 AM

Saturday, Aug 10

Saturday, Aug 24

Click here to learn more about the Steigerwald Lake Refuge and trail.

Restoration Celebration

Join the Columbia Gorge Refuge Stewards for a Restoration Celebration!

Saturday, August 3rd, celebrate the large restoration project that will be starting at Steigerwald Lake National Wildlife Refuge soon! From 7:30-noon there will be activities at the trailhead, and guided walks throughout the morning to learn about how wildlife use the Refuge, how you can experience the refuge through wildlife observation and photography, and how the Refuge will change once Steigerwald Lake is reconnected to the Columbia River. Sign up on the Steward's Eventbrite page here.

Find out more about this event, or download the flyer here!

From the Contact Station

A Fine Summer Day for Birding

I took a drive around River S on a late July Saturday morning as a civilian, i.e. without my volunteer vest. It was a four-and-a-half-hour trip of pure pleasure. My goal was to spot some shorebirds. It is migration time for shorebirds, and they are going south. Most of our shorebirds go far north each year to nest. If you want to see tons of shorebirds in breeding plumage, head to Alaska in June. After they are done and the young are independent, the adults take off in July and head south. The young will follow later after they have fattened up and grown in a nice set of feathers for the long flights. Ridgefield NWR isn’t exactly a hub for shorebird migration, but find a good muddy edge of a pond, and you can find some shorebirds feeding this time of year. We have had sightings of dowitcher...Keep Reading...

-Susan Setterberg, Contact Station Volunteer & Board Past President

Cathlapotle Plankhouse Updates & Events

Cathlapotle Plankhouse August Second Sunday - Traditional Technologies Day

August 11, 12:00 PM–4:00 PM

Event free with $3.00 per vehicle Refuge admission

12:00 PM - 4:00 PM Plankhouse Tours and Activities
Docent or self-led Plankhouse tours and family-friendly activities throughout the day.

Special Demonstrations will include:
Atlatl, Flintknapping, Traditional Native games, First Foods demonstrations, Crafts, and more!

1:30 PM Naturalist-led Walk-n-Talk
Walk on the ethnobotany portion of the Oaks to Wetlands Trail. Participants meet in front of the Plankhouse, be prepared for a 45 minute walk over moderately even terrain.

Cathlapotle Plankhouse: 28908 NW Main Ave, Ridgefield, WA 98642

(click flyer to view larger or download)

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.

Habitat Restoration Updates & Events

Summer is more than Bulrush

July’s work crews spent most of their time in wetlands searching for ricefield bulrush. This is our annual pilgrimage to stopping the spread of a Washington State class A invasive. Volunteers walked both the Ruddy and Canvasback wetlands with their hori hori in hand looking for an increasingly elusive plant. While the numbers of individual ricefield bulrush are down, the search continues since each plant can carry enough seeds to quickly reestablish an unwanted population.

We are trying a more equipment-focused approach to wetland #6 including reflooding to encourage a second growth round of bulrush. The overall Refuge approach is to deplete the seed bank so we are treating, mowing, disking, and reflooding towards that end.

Looking into August we will be finishing up with bulrush and starting our restoration efforts in the recently logged “Oak Release” area. We are hoping to start an 'Oaks Thursday' volunteer day to help out with trails construction, invasive and erosion control, and planting come fall and winter.

We are also beginning the construction of our High Tunnel to propagate native materials sourced from the refuge to help stop accidental introductions of invasive plants and pathogens. We will be looking for some dedicated volunteers starting around October to help stock and maintain the facility.

Make your own mark on habitat restoration efforts and support us today.

Now you can sign up to volunteer on our website!
Check it out by clicking here!

General Habitat Questions? Contact Keith Rutz or contact us for more information.

Species Spotlight

Cinnabar Moth

Tyria jacobaeae

Cinnabar moths and their larvae are a unique example of a species that is not native to the area, but is still beneficial to the ecosystem they have been introduced to. These moths were intentionally released in North America to help control the invasive noxious weed, Tansy Ragwort. Cinnabar Moth larvae eat Tansy Ragwort almost exclusively, that is why this time of year you might notice tansy plants covered in these bright orange and black caterpillars. Some places on the Refuge have had single plants covered in.... Keep Reading...

Seeking Business Alliance Members

As a member of the Friends of the Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge Business Alliance, you invest in one of our urban metropolitan area’s most unique and diverse natural and cultural resources. Click here to find out more!

Calling All Volunteers!

Volunteer Opportunities:

Refuge and Trail Greeters

Over 120,000 visitors flock to the Refuge annually

to enjoy nature through participation in wildlife observation, photography, environmental education, cultural interpretation, hunting, and fishing. Volunteers help to make their experiences meaningful. Share your enthusiasm for nature and make the Refuge a welcoming place for people walking our trails, stopping at the Visitor Contact Station and driving the AutoTour.

Volunteers naturalists needed to walk trails and teach people about what they can see and enjoy

at the Refuge this summer!

If you are interested email RidgefieldVolunteer@fws.gov to be put on the

update list.

Cathlapotle Plankhouse

The Cathlapotle Plankhouse draws thousands of visitors to the Refuge each year. Help share the legacy of the Indigenous people who have tended to this place since time immemorial as a Plankhouse Docent or Cultural Educator. Field trips take place during the weekdays. Docents staff the house on weekends from April - September.

To get on the list for more information as it comes out, email RidgefieldEducation@fws.gov with the subject line "New Plankhouse Volunteer"

Support the Friends
Help us inspire people to support the Refuge! Whether you help us out during BirdFest & Bluegrass in October by giving directions or helping set up, or by providing outreach for what the Friends do, or joining the board or a committee, every little bit helps.

Now you can sign up to volunteer easily on our website!
Check it out by clicking here!

Learn more about volunteering at Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge here

Birding Enthusiasts

Check out what species are being seen on the Refuge here.

Ridgefield First Saturday:

“Play” in the Park: Find Adventures in your own Backyard

August 3rd, 2019

The sultry days of summer are upon us. So saunter downtown for food, friendship and fun. Enjoy an off-off-off broadway performance written and acted by residents, have a picnic, play backyard games, challenge yourself with a scavenger hunt and more summer friendly activities.

Full Schedule Here

Benefits of Membership

Discounts at local businesses for new and renewing members! Would you like to enjoy a cup of coffee from Ridgefield's Seasons after a morning hike on the Refuge? Lunch at Vinnie's Pizza in-between the River 'S' and Carty Units? Dinner and drinks at the Historic Sportsman's Restaurant and Lounge after a busy day of wildlife viewing (5% off a meal with member card!)? Or maybe you would like to get a discount on some supplies at Shorty's or Backyard Bird Shop? How about a night out at Ilani? Find out more, become a Friend, or renew your membership today and receive a member card with great discounts at these wonderful local businesses! Feel free to contact us for any questions or inquiries.

The Friends of the Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge promote the enjoyment, understanding, and protection of native and endangered birds, other wildlife, and their habitats. We focus on our local community and the Pacific Northwest. Visit us on the web at www.ridgefieldfriends.org

Support the Friends While 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 click here. You can search for us by our name, Friends of Ridgefield NWR, or by our non-profit number, PK822. Then, every time you shop and use your Rewards Card, you are helping earn a donation to support the Friends and Ridgefield NWR. If you do not have a Rewards Card, ask at the Customer Service desk of any FM store.

Log on to smile.amazon.com and shop as you usually would - .5% of your purchase will be donated directly to the Friends! Use the link with your existing user name and password. When prompted to select a charity, choose the Friends of Ridgefield Wildlife Refuge.

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!

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.

Sponsors

Business Alliance Members:

In-kind Support:

BirdFest & Bluegrass:

Granting Organizations & Partners:

Header Photo Credit: Oca Hoeflein, 2nd Place Landscape Category, 2018 Refuge Photo Contest

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Friends of Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge

PO BOX 1022
Ridgefield, WA 98642

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August 2019 Newsletter

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