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Ridgefield First Saturday: Big Paddle Festival
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Date: Saturday, June 4, 2016 Events starting from 7:00am- 3:00pm
Join the flotilla of kayaks, canoes and stand-up paddleboards for a two-hour interpretive tour or a relaxing recreational one-hour tour; celebrate the excitement of outdoor recreation on the waterfront with vendor booths, live music, beer garden, food trucks and live marimba music; challenge yourself with the amazing race style scavenger hunt or jump & climb your way through the obstacle course, or take a stroll on the paved path along the waterfront! End the day with a closing ceremony with a bonfire and s'mores.
For the full schedule, how to rent kayaks, where the food will be and when, and so much more, follow these links below!
Check out the City of Ridgefield Page HERE
Or the Facebook Event HERE for more information!
Parking is free! No entrance fee! Activities are free! The ONLY cost is boat rental (if needed) and a $5 registration fee for the two hour interpretive paddle. You can register online at Eventbrite or on the day of the event.
![](https://content.delivra.com/etapcontent//FriendsoftheRidgefieldWild/bigpaddle.jpg) ![](https://content.delivra.com/etapcontent//FriendsoftheRidgefieldWild/big%20paddlepg2.jpg)
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National Trails Day
June 4th is also National Trails Day!
June 4, 2016 is American Hiking Society’s National Trails Day®, the country’s largest celebration of trails. It "first began in 1993 to highlight the importance of the National Trails System, and to enhance its quality and accessibility for the general public. By encouraging partnerships with outdoor organizations, agencies, and trail groups, National Trails Day succeeds in uniting the larger trail community behind the common cause of demonstrating the tremendous value in America’s trails. National Trails Day events will take place in every state across the country and will include hikes, biking and horseback rides, paddling trips, birdwatching, geocaching, gear demonstrations, stewardship projects and more."
So come on down to the Refuge (after attending some Big Paddle activities) and take a walk to show your support of our country's wonderful and beautiful trails!
For more information on what National Trails Day is about and how to get involved, check out the National Trails Day Website
Content credit courtesy of: http://nationaltrailsday.americanhiking.org/ and http://www.americanhiking.org/ntd/national-trails-day-part-of-something-bigger/
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BirdFest & Bluegrass Planning Committee Seeks New Coordinator!
Do you love attending our annual BirdFest celebration? Do you want to see it be successful in 2016? If so, than we need YOU to get involved in planning next years event.
Position: BirdFest and Bluegrass Event Coordinator Date of Term: June-October 2016. Part time- Independent Contractor.
Direct duties will include working with the BFBG Committee and the President of the Friends Board in organizing the event, providing coordination of all of BFBG preparation and additional duties as assigned or needed. Including attending and running monthly Committee Meetings, coordinating subcommittee’s, and overseeing the entire event planning.
Application and Cover Letter are due by June 3rd
For more information about the position and how to apply CLICK HERE, and share with a friend!
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Help Represent the Friends and the Refuge at Community Outreach events!
We are looking for a few dedicated volunteers who love the refuge and would like to help others discover what makes this place special. Outreach volunteers are needed to help staff Friends and Refuge booths at events in our community from Ridgefield to Portland. Outreach volunteers work alongside Refuge and Friends staff to answer questions about the Refuge, provide information about what visitors can do at this Refuge, and act as ambassadors for one of our region's best kept secrets. Interested in learning how to get involved? Contact Park Ranger Josie Finley at Josie_Finley@fws.gov or call (360) 887-4106.
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From the River 'S' Contact Station
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By late April, there is a palpable buildup of energy and excitement on the River 'S' unit of the refuge. People are eager to get out of their cars and explore along the road and on the Kiwa Trail. The resident wildlife and new migrants begin gearing up to find mates and settle into newly made nests. We had a beautiful day on opening day May 1st this year. By 7:30am, the parking area at the Kiwa trail entrance was already filled. One of the first visitors on the trail, later reported to the contact station volunteer, had seen a recently elusive Great Horned Owl. “He looked very nervous,” reported a birder from Seattle. The owl wasn’t there long as he had moved away when the Vancouver Audubon Group walked through the area. There were two birding groups eager to be out first thing on the opening day. Ron Escano lead a FWS birding tour also. He will be doing several birding trips, listed on the refuge website, both at Ridgefield and Steigerwald this spring and summer for those who might want a good introduction to birds of the refuges.
All around the refuge the birds have been in full song. Since you can get out of your car on the road, it is much easier to hear their calls and songs if you spend a few minutes standing quietly. With the water levels being rather high this year, the often sought American Bitterns have been calling from many sections of the auto tour. They were frequently reported on the Kiwa trail and have been calling around the blind overlooking rest lake. The deep, resonant ooooohnk-A-doonk call is always a thrill to hear. Soras and Virginia Rails appear to be plentiful and can be heard calling from many sections of the refuge. If you stand on the first wetlands bridge to the left on the Kiwa Trail, you can be surrounded by them. And yet, you may never see them. But it is fun to try and spot one passing under the bridge.
Mother’s Day, May 8th, was a very, very busy day. Well-dressed High Schooler's brought their mom's to the refuge. One 4th grader brought his mom and four siblings for the day using his Everykidinapark Pass. If you have a fourth grader in your family, you can get a pass good until August 31st for free entrance to all national parks and refuges. Google it online for more information about this great program. Several Moms came for a walk on the refuge, including walking the whole auto route, as it was THEIR day. A few left the kids at home! There were people coming in their Sunday best who were changing in the rest rooms. One woman brought her 99-year-old mother with her to see the beautiful refuge. In six hours, we tallied 415 visitors to the River 'S' unit. It was such a beautiful day and everyone was enjoying the outdoors.
Visitors have reported a few lingering Sandhill cranes seen from the Kiwa Trail. Last year, we had a crane stay through the summer, so if we are lucky, a few might be around for good viewing. In the shadows of the forested area as you first walk into the Kiwa Trail, you might spot the albino Nutria munching grass. Later reports indicate there may be baby albino Nutria too. Keep a sharp eye out for this all white animal. They show up periodically in the population. It has been known to bump into people as it appears it doesn’t see well. Watch your fingers though, this is not an animal to pet. They can be aggressive. As with all wildlife on the refuge, it is best to watch and observe, but not touch. We need to be good guests in their refuge home.
When you visit the refuge do stop and talk to the volunteer at the contact station. The volunteer crew staffs the contact station for a few hours almost every day. We are looking for more volunteers for this rewarding activity so we can expand our hours of operation. Everyone comes with their own expertise and it varies widely. It is our goal to assist you in having a great experience on the refuge. We enjoy learning from our visitors also. It is an amazing place.
Reporting from the River 'S' Contact Station- Susan Setterberg, Volunteer
Photo By: Virigina Scott
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Ridgefield Refuge Complex
News & Events
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Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge
Naturalist Led Hikes
The following listings are for Steigerwald Lake, Pierce, and Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuges. Limited space is available. Sign up by calling (360) 887-4106 or emailing Josie_Finley@fws.gov.
Other groups that may be offering guided hikes are; Backyard Birdshop, Vancouver Audubon, Portland Audubon, and the Friends of the Columbia River Gorge.
Birding the Kiwa Trail at Ridgefield NWR
Leader: Ron Escano
All walks meet at the trail head at 8:00 am and last about 3 hours. The Kiwa trail is half way around the Auto Tour Route so please allow yourself an extra 15 minutes to pay your entrance fee and make your way to the trail head.
There is no charge for this walk, however the Refuge does have an entrance fee of $3 per vehicle or the use of an applicable federal lands pass. For more information about the fee program, and what passes are eligible, see our Entrance Fee and Passes page.
Birding the Gibbons Creek Wildlife Art Trail at Steigerwald Lake NWR
Leader: Ron Escano
All walks meet at the trail head at 8:00 am and last about 3 hours. There is no entrance fee at Steigerwald Lake NWR.
Learn More
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 7:30am to 3:30 pm at 360-887-4106.
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Cathlapotle Plankhouse
Update & Events
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Second Sunday Event:
Climate and Native Wisdom Documentary Film Series "People of the Whale" Film screening and talk
Join us for a film screening and presentation by Rose High Bear (Deg Hit’an Dine, or Alaskan Athabascan), Executive Director at Wisdom of the Elders, Inc. At 1:00pm Rose will discuss her organization’s Climate and Native Wisdom Documentary Film Series, and screen the short documentary “People of the Whale”. At 3:00 a Refuge Naturalist will lead an ethnobotany hike looking at the relationship that the Cathlapotle People had to their landscape, how the environment influences culture and culture influences the environment.
The Plankhouse will be open for visitors from 12pm-4pm, and there will be activities for kids as well.
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(Click this poster for a link to our website)
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is committed to providing access to this event for all participants. Please direct all requests for sign language interpreting services, closed captioning, or other accommodations needs to Juliet McGraw, 360- 887-4106, Plankhouse@gmail.com. TTY 800-877-8339 with your request by close of business one week before the event.
Upcoming Events and Exhibitions:
Archaeology Roadshow
Saturday June 4th
10am - 3pm
1 block from the PSU Farmers Market
FREE
We are gearing up for the next Archaeology Roadshow, set for Saturday, June 4th, 2016 at Hoffman Hall Portland State University Campus, 1833 SW 11th Ave.
This year's theme is the 'Archaeology of Dwellings'. Through interactive exhibits, displays and demonstrations we will explore our heritage as seen through the lens of "dwellings". Presentations will be hosted by archaeologists and other professionals and community members with local and traditional knowledge from universities, federal and state agencies, tribes, archaeology companies, and non-profit organizations. We will showcase heritage of dwellings in all its forms--drawing on archaeology, knowledge of historic buildings and places, oral traditions and historic documents. Besides our interactive exhibits, a panel of experts in archaeology, paleontology and geology will be on hand to identify the personal artifacts visitors bring. Stone, bone, woven, plant and historical items are welcome.
Questions? Contact Sarah at Sarah_Hill@fws.gov
or call (360) 887-4106
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Habitat Restoration
Updates & Events
Spring has sprung on the refuge. Red Elderberries (Sambucus racemosa) are heavy with fruit, rose bushes (Rosa nutkana) are full of blooms, and the cottonwoods (Populus balsamifera) are shedding their tiny tuffs. Meanwhile staff and volunteers continue to search for invaders while the biomowers (cows) are busy prepping and fertilizing the ground for next year’s crop of waterfowl.
If you haven’t had the chance yet, now is a good time to take a stroll around the River 'S' and the Kiwa Trail, and if you’re lucky you might happen to see one or two members of the new generation recently born on the refuge.
As we heat up and somewhat dry out, it is also time to start thinking about bulrush. June marks the start of the bulrush removal season. We are starting to put together Wednesday and Saturday volunteer crews to search out and pull Ricefield Bulrush (Scirpus mucronatus) from mid-June through early September.
For more information or to sign up please contact: keith_rutz@fws.gov
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Online Store Now Open!
The Friends of Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge are proud to announce the opening of a new webstore! Now you can order our 50th Anniversary Gear- including the Pelican Brewing Company 50th Anniversary T-shirt and Pint Glass, as well as our Chinookan Steller’s Jay T-shirt, all online!
Check out our Shop for links to the store and more info, or click HERE to go directly to the store!
Proceeds help support our unique education and restoration programs at Ridgefield National Wildlife 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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Help the Friends and the Refuge When You Shop Online
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.
You Can Also 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.
Thanks for being an EcoShopper and helping the Refuge!
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Header Photo Credit: Javier Urquizu 2007 Photo Contest Honorable Mention
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