March 2017 Newsletter

Community & Nature Center Update 

For some time now, the Friends of RNWR, the Refuge Staff, and Region 1 of US Fish and Wildlife have been working toward designing and building a office and Community Nature Center.  The process has been slow but recently has picked up speed as an architect and engineering company was hired by Region 1 in 2016. Region 1 staff have been gathering information from many community members and organizations, the Friends of RNWR formed a committee called ERIC  to start and keep the process going. The City of Ridgefield, Port of Ridgefield, and the Ridgefield School District have joined the effort, seeing the benefit to the community including the County and State. Local and national elected officials are actively in favor of this building project. 

Drawings have been produced and are continuing to be modified.  No definite building plans yet, but there will be.

Donations for construction have been made and are being held by the Friends of RNWR. During the last Friends membership meeting in January those present added more to the building fund during a spirited spontaneous activity. There is currently over $7,000 in the Community Nature Center Account.

Thank you for the donations, the FRNWR is a 501-C3 so all donations are tax deductable.

It has taken 50 years to get to this point, with many false steps and promises along the way. Plans now look like they will be completed and the buildings built. No date yet but there is no turning back now.

Russ Roseberry- Community & Nature Center Committee Chair

Thank you to our wonderful Members and Volunteers who donated towards this project during our Annual Volunteer and Member Appreciation Dinner:  

Elizabeth Adcock

Gail Alexander

Eugene Carroll

Carol Cleveland

Sandra Day 

Jan Haig

Lorre Jaffe

Jim Maul

Sydney Reisbick

Mel Sanchez

Trink and Ernie Schurian

Donna Schuurman

Virginia Scott

Pete and Janis VanWyhe

Allene Wodaege

A variety of people responded to a call to donate $20 on the spot during our dinner in January as well, thank you!

From the River 'S' Contact Station 

Water, Water Everywhere

It is ironic that we were lamenting how dry everything was this last summer, and now water is higher than many visitors ever remember.  It appears records will fall with this year’s winter rains. Refuge staff have been working hard to keep the River ‘S’ entry road open while mother nature seems to want to throw a few trees and boulders down on the road.  

So how does that affect the wildlife? Visitors have noticed we seem to have had fewer ducks on River ‘S’ at times in Jan-Feb. On one of my tours of the River ‘S’ mid-February, I saw a lot of Pintails in the grasses south of the loop around Rest Lake. But why don’t we see many ducks when there is so much water, you would think they would enjoy it? The answer, at least in part, has to do with how they feed. Our dabbling ducks—Mallard, Northern Pintail, Northern Shoveler, the teals and Gadwall—feed by upturning, tail in the air. They go for shallow vegetation or aquatic invertebrates close to the surface. They prefer shallower areas and that is why it is more likely you will see these ducks in the newer large “puddle” areas in the grassy fields and moving away from our larger lakes which have become too deep. High water is a good time to look for more diving ducks to come into the refuge. They will also be scattered in the now deeper, more prevalent ponds. Diving ducks like Canvasback have been seen on Rest Lake in the last few weeks. You can usually see Bufflehead, Ruddy Duck and Ring-necked Duck diving in these areas too. So, not to worry, they are probably somewhere else on the refuge feeding in the place that is “just right.”

There is a lot of muddy, wet areas close to the road on the tour. Look for Wilson’s Snipe foraging in these areas along with Killdeer. The snipe likes to probe in soft mud for worms. You have to watch the grassy areas intently for their movement to be able to find them as their mottled brown feathering is great for concealment. You can identify this medium sized shorebird by its very, very long bill and the dark brown stripes down its back. If you are lucky, you might catch one pulling a big worm out of the ground.

And, the otters seem to be having a great time in the full sloughs and canals. There have been numerous sightings of cavorting otters all over River ‘S’. They are so much fun to watch. So enjoy your watery winter wonderland while you can. Spring is just around the corner. 

Reporting from the River 'S' Contact Station- Susan Setterberg, Volunteer 

Ridgefield Refuge Complex

News & Events

 

 

Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge  

Wildlife Refuge Open House 

March 4th, 10:30-3:00

Cascade Park Library

600 NE 136th Ave, Vancouver, WA 98684

Presentations at 12:00 and 2:00

 

Want to learn more about how you can get involved at one of our local National Wildlife Refuges? Want to hear about exciting new programs and projects? Come out to the Cascade Park Library to chat with Friends and Refuge staff about whats going on at YOUR local Refuge! 

 

(click to view larger or download)

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Voices of the Urban Refuge Support Team

As the Urban Refuge Program continues to take shape, we want to support your understanding of this important, but sometimes unfamiliar, work. We’ve collected some highlights from the last month below and encourage you to contact us anytime to learn more and explore ways to get involved.

Try Out “Daycation” Today

Ever heard of the “Ale Trail” in Washougal? Want to test your nature knowledge on Ridgefield NWR’s GeoAdventure? Curious about how to experience heritage trees and chocolate in one activity? All of these adventures await you in the Daycation Mobile App, now available in the Apple App Store as a “Beta Test” version. Through the Urban Refuge Program, the USFWS has been working with partners of The Intertwine Alliance for the past couple years to develop this fun, handy guide to nature in the Portland-Vancouver Metro Area. We are actively seeking “Beta Testers” —  folks who are willing to download and give the app a try, then fill out a feedback form with their impressions. If you want to give this new, fandangled technology a try as a Beta Tester, check out the Daycation Website or directly contact Tara Wilkinson of The Intertwine Alliance at tara@theintertwine.org. To generally learn more, contact Pat at patrick_stark@fws.gov.

Ridgefield NWR Community & Nature Center Focus Group

Progress continues in visioning a new public and staff facility at Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge — a Center developed not just for the community, but by the community. Public and partner input has been a key part of the "Imagine" phase of the project, as the Refuge works with an architectural firm on a conceptual design. The Urban Refuge Program and Friends of Ridgefield NWR supported the latest perspective-gathering effort on January 19th, facilitating a focus group of youth-serving organizations in the Clark County area. Nine organizations participated, engaging in a discussion of how a new Center can best serve youth in the region. The conversation was lively and enlightening, including much discussion around addressing potential barriers for new, urban audiences that have varying experience and comfort levels with nature. Several attendees expressed interest in opportunities to further participate in the project. If you want to learn more, contact Pat at patrick_stark@fws.gov.

Engaging Our Community: From Professionals to Neighborhoods

Our Urban Wildlife Refuges’ own, Dr. Jenny de la Hoz, spoke at the 15th Annual Urban Ecosystem Research Consortium (UERC), a gathering of environmental professionals focused on urban nature. She presented her dissertation work on Latinos’ environmental identity in the Pacific Northwest. Her work showed that Latinos living in the Pacific Northwest have a strong environmental identity and enjoy exploring nature with families and loved ones. She also concluded that environmental values are stronger in older Latinos and encouraged organizations to support opportunities, like multigenerational activities, for older generations to pass along these values to other generations. To learn more, contact Jenny at jenny_delahoz@fws.gov.

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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.

Habitat Restoration 

Updates & Events

February brought continued rain, snow, and our intrepid volunteers to the Refuge. Wednesday work parties suited up and waded through the rising waters of Gee Creek to perform planting maintenance duties on a new generation of trees and shrubs. When waters ran too deep, volunteers headed upland to cut back blackberries along the Oaks to Wetland Trail. We send a special thanks to the students from the Portland Jewish Academy who spent a rainy Friday morning hand pulling an old homestead invasive.

As the promise of spring approaches we prepare for the coming season with volunteer recruitment and training. On March 4^th we will participate in the Refuge’s Open House Event in Vancouver to talk about upcoming events and projects. Current and new habitat volunteers will need to watch the series of USFWS Wednesday afternoon volunteer training webinars during the month of March. On Saturday March 25^th, we will have a volunteer event finishing up this year’s planting maintenance schedule.

For questions or to sign up for a volunteer event give us a call at 360-877-3883 or email keith_rutz@fws.gov

(click this poster to view larger and download)

Questions? Contact Keith_Rutz@fws.gov for more information

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Header Photo Credit: Wiiliam Lee, 2010 Photo Contest Honorable Mention