|
|
|
Cathlapotle Plankhouse Second Sunday Event
(click poster to learn more, view larger, or to download)
|
|
|
Big Paddle 2017, Totally Awesome Scavaneger Hunt and National Trails Day!
 June 3rd, 2017
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!
A flotilla of canoes, kayaks, and stand-up paddleboards travel a 2.5-mile portion of Lake River between Ridgefield and the confluence with the Columbia River to celebrate National Trails Day. The flotilla paddles for close to two hours, visiting historic, cultural and environmental sites along the waterway before returning to the Port launch site for lunch, live music, Paddler’s Village market and a beer garden.
We are looking for volunteers to help with an archery booth at this event! Contact Jane Chorazy: jane_chorazy@fws.gov to sign up and help out!
For a schedule of events and more click here!
|
|
|
Summer Teacher Camp
Science & Culture: Our place through different lenses
July 24, 25, 26
9:00 AM - 3:30 PM
At Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge
& Water Resources Education Center
(click to view larger or download)
For more information & to sign up: Suzanne.Hebert@cityofvancouver.us
|
|
|
From the River 'S' Contact Station
Great Horned Owls reappear on the River 'S' 
Our Great Horned Owls seemed to disappear for a while this winter on the River 'S' Auto Tour Route. For the early winter, we pretty much knew how to find up to five owls on a good day drive around. Then around February they were scarce. Owls are early nesters compared to other birds like the songbirds we see now and the rails in our wetlands. Once the eggs are laid, the female stays on the nest while the male brings her food at night. Keep Reading...
|
|
|
Naturalist Led Birding Hikes!
 Whether you are new to birding or have been watching them your whole life, Ron Escano offers easy and interesting ways to learn about this amazing world of our feathered friends. A retired USFWS biologist and life long birder, Ron has been leading these walks for over a decade at the Refuge and for the Audobon society. Join him on refuge trails at Ridgefield, Pierce and Steigerwald Lake this Spring to find out who might be flying in!
Hikes start at 8:00 and last between 2 and 3 hours. These hikes are free with refuge admission at Ridgefield NWR, and totally free at Steigerwald Lake NWR and Pierce NWR- RSVP for more information and directions.
For the dates and locations of each of the upcoming hikes, click here!
|
|
|
Steigerwald Eco-Blitz!
Get your hands dirty and join us at Steigerwald Lake National Wildlife Refuge for our first Eco-Blitz… An Eco-Blitz is a one day event to document as many species as possible with the help of experts in different fields and YOU! Find out more
|
|
|
Ridgefield Refuge Complex
News & Events
Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge
Front Desk Volunteer Opportunity
Are you looking for a great organization to support, but maybe don't want to spend as much time outside? Looking to help in an administrative capacity? The Ridgefield NWR office is looking for you! The main office is looking for consistent help at the front desk, answering phones, issuing passes and helping support a great team! We are looking for someone who can come in regularly, ideally 1 or 2 half days a week for the next few months, and help out our staff. This can be a great training opportunity also for those who want to work in the Contact Station. Learn all the normal questions and get support while getting comfortable with the new information.
High Water on the Refuge-But Not Everywhere?
People have been noticing that with our wet winter, the water levels are a lot higher than they were this time last year. Someone also mentioned that the water levels on the River 'S' Unit, Auto Tour Route, and Kiwa Trail  aren't as high as they are over on the Carty Unit (were some areas are still under water completely). There is a simple explanation for that at least, the River 'S' unit is diked, and the water levels can be controlled by pumps, whereas the Carty Unit is part of the Columbia River floodpain, and the river is at an all-time high for this time of year, flooding the lowland areas of that part of the refuge. Keep this in mind when you visit, it can get a little muddy in some areas, and this can mean you can easily damage the trails and rocky balds, so please be aware, some of the plants, mosses and lichens have taken hundreds of years to build a base and grow, but it only takes a second for a human to dislodge all that work.
¡Festival de aves!
Tualatin River National Wildlife Refuge Bird Festival was a sunny success  on May 20th, with over 1,200 visitors. While a warm, dry day certainly helps with turnout, we can also attribute a collaborative effort between the Urban Refuge Support Team, Friends of Tualatin River Refuge, and Refuge Staff to reach out to Spanish-speaking communities of the Portland Metro Area. The event drew more people and more cultures than ever before. Keep Reading...
A partnership to reach beyond the Blue Goose
When the Oregon Zoo opened its new Education Center this last March, it was just the beginning of a d eveloping partnership between the USFWS and the Zoo. With the opportunity to reach thousands of visitors, the zoo affords the USFWS to go beyond the Blue Goose and connect with people who might not understand how our work benefits them daily. On April 29th, the USFWS and its partners, the Ridgefield NWR Friends and Tualatin River NWR Friends, brought our story to the Zoo to celebrate Arbor Day. Keep Reading...
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.
|
|
|
Cathlapotle Plankhouse
Update & Events
.jpg)
The Plankhouse will now be open Saturdays and Sundays 12:00PM - 4:00PM, so stop by and say hello!
Second Sundays at the Plankhouse!
"Colonizing Native History" is the Second Sunday Event for June, with events every month until October! Every Second Sunday of the month! Check out our website for more info!
Help Support Sentate Bill 13
Senate Bill 13, a bill that directs Department of Education to develop  curriculum relating to Native American experience in Oregon and to provide professional development related to curriculum, still needs advocacy and support! One way that allies can do this is by sharing information about their local lawmakers with youth, families, and educators in their area. You can encourage people to look up their lawmaker and feel free to speak from your heart about what the passing of this bill might mean to you and your family. For those of you who have never called their representative, click this link for more information on how to find and contact your rep, and a sample script to get you started.
Jon Daehnke's book, Chinook Resilience, will be out soon! Pre-order your copy today!
 (click for the pre-order form, release date set for November!)
For the full UW Catalogue, click here, flip to page 16 for this book!
Questions? Contact Sarah at Sarah_Hill@fws.gov
or call (360) 887-4106
|
|
|
Habitat Restoration
Updates & Events
Call for Citizen Scientists: Join a regional volunteer effort to detect and eradicate invasive plant species!
(click image for more information!)
Habitat Update
As the water slowly recedes, comes back up, then slowly recedes again, the refuge grows vertically by inches a day. Habitat volunteers have been busy clearing blackberries, mapping fences, spraying weeds, and digging thistles before the grasses conceal everything. Keep Reading...
For questions or to sign up for a volunteer event give us a call at 360-877-3883 or email keith_rutz@fws.gov or sean_davis@fws.gov
(click this poster to view larger and download)
Questions? Contact Keith_Rutz@fws.gov for more information
|
|
|
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- the Pelican Brewing Company 50th Anniversary T-shirt, and our Photo Contest Calendar, 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!
|
|
|
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.
  
|
|
|
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!
|
|
|
Header Photo Credit: Javier Urquizu 2007 Photo Contest Honorable
Mention
|
|
|
|
| |
|
