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From the Contact Station
Favorite Spots
Many visitors enjoy a favorite spot somewhere on the refuge. It might be a place where you regularly see a favorite animal or where a big oak gently dominates the landscape, or it might be a place where you can quietly contemplate what floats through your mind while birds sing in the background. Wherever it is, you might sigh, take a deep breath and wonder at the beauty. One of my places is along the walk to the blind overlooking Rest Lake. A lake, by the way, that I am impatiently waiting to reappear with its winter swans now. Our First-Place photo contest winner for plants, Sachi Deshpande, captured a fall photo of this area beautifully...Keep Reading...
-Susan Setterberg, Contact Station Volunteer & Board Past President |
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Cathlapotle Plankhouse Updates & Events
Cathlapotle Plankhouse Seasonal Changes
Now that the Cathlapotle Plankhouse has closed for the season, you can keep an eye out for Carty Unit culural volunteers tending to the house and the surrounding native plants. If you are interested in joining us in tending the landscape around the Plankhouse, contact Cultural & Community Education Director, Juliet McGraw, at the volunteer email, CathlapotlePlankhouse@RidgefieldFriends.org to sign up!
Thank you to everyone who helped out and participated in the Cathlapotle Plankhouse Second Sunday Series this year. Next year's Series theme will be Indigenous Research, Scholarship, and Leadership. Please contact Juliet directly at Juliet_McGraw@fws.gov.
Cathlapotle Plankhouse, 28908 NW Main Ave, Ridgefield, WA 98642
Note: Main Ave will remain closed at Depot St. On the way to the Carty Unit, please follow detour signs to use Reiman or N Royle Rd. Detour Map found here.
 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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Habitat Restoration Updates & Events
Winter Restoration Brings May Flowers
Habitat volunteers in October spent most Wednesdays and Thursdays on the Carty Unit helping to clear logging debris, seeding native grasses, and clearing invasive plant species released along with the Oaks by the increased light energy.... Keep Reading...
 Habitat Restoration 9 am - 12:30 pm Wednesdays & Thursdays
(click flyers to view larger or download)
Make your own mark on habitat restoration efforts and support us today.
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Species Spotlight
Ruby-Crowned Kinglet
Regulus calendula
Some of you may have noticed this sometimes-brightly colored visitor showing up in your yards and local areas this time of year. Ruby-crowned Kinglets are a common backyard bird in the Pacific Northwest, and can be found year-round, but we do get an influx of seasonal migrants during their non-breeding season, usually from December to March. Another reason we notice them more as we descend into winter is ... Keep Reading...
Photo: Andy Reago & Chrissy McClarren |
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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! |
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Calling All Volunteers!
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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.
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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!
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Birding Enthusiasts
Check out what species are being seen on the Refuge here. |
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Ridgefield First Saturday:
Roaring 20's with Wine
November 2, 2019
A Roaring 20’s themed wine tasting and celebration with live music, a collection of wines from Ridgefield wineries, dance lessons, art activities and more! 20’s themed costumes are welcome and highly encouraged. This is a 21+ event, with an admission charge.
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