|
From the Contact Station
Change is Coming
This is the time of year I usually write about migration. It is so exciting to see new birds as we roll into September. We’ve already had Red-shouldered Hawks show up. They seem a couple of weeks early this year. Humm, interesting. We haven’t had a sighting of the Yellow-headed Blackbird for a few weeks. They have probably flocked up and moved out together. The Purple Martins, at least the ones using the gourds near the contact station, have not been heard in the last two weeks. We lament the leaving of favorites but eagerly await the arrival of the winter birds.
I spent some time recently going through Refuge reported birds for September via e-bird, the Cornell Laboratory listing site. Always a great site for information on what has been seen, or not. In the last five years, ...Keep Reading...
-Susan Setterberg, Contact Station Volunteer & Board Past President
Photo: Lyn Topinka |
|
Cathlapotle Plankhouse Updates & Events
Cathlapotle Plankhouse Second Sunday - Ancestors on the Water
This is our last official Second Sunday of the year, so you don't want to miss it!
Sept. 9th, 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.
1:00 PM Ancestors & Elders Join us as Vice-Chairman of the Chinook Indian Nation, Sam Robinson, discusses Tribal Canoe Journey, connection with the Ancestors, life with a Living Plankhouse, and more.
2:30 PM Naturalist-led Walk-n-Talk
Join USFWS Deputy Project Leader Eric Anderson for a habitat walk on the newly re-opened 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
Note: Main Ave is closed at Depot St. on the way to this unit, please follow detour signs to use Reiman or N Royle Rd. to access the unit. Detour Map found here.
(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
Falling into Fall
 August on the Refuge was a month of removal. Our Ricefield bulrush pulling events on Wednesdays and Saturdays continued with much searching and some pulling. Numbers of plants are down this year, but we also found plants in areas they had not been seen in for a few years so the work continues. It can sometimes be tedious, or dare I say boring work, compared to the joy and satisfaction of blackberry removal, but it is a priority invasive and we still depend on our volunteers' participation so a big thanks to all those who have joined us in this year’s efforts.
We also had an early bloom and increased numbers of purple loosestrife this year. Thanks to the visitors who turned in... keep reading...
Make your own mark on habitat restoration efforts and support us today.
|
|
Species Spotlight
Greater White-fronted Goose
Anser albifrons
The dusky and cackling geese at the Refuge get all the press, but have you ever seen or heard the Greater White-fronted Goose as it migrates through our area every fall?
From September through November, look for Greater White-fronted Geese foraging in agricultural fields or resting on lakes and ponds. This vocal species is often heard first by our Refuge Deputy Project Leader Eric Anderson, who has marked their arrival every fall since 1998, when he hears them over the Vancouver area as they arrive. He can always hear them, he says, because it’s the time of year when the windows are still open from the day’s heat, so it’s easy to “be awakened by these early migrants and their high pitched squealing.” ... 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!
|
|
|
|
|
Birding Enthusiasts
Check out what species are being seen on the Refuge here. |
|
|
Ridgefield First Saturday:
Multicultural Festival
September 7, 2019
The Second Annual
Multicultural Festival will showcase Ridgefield’s traditional heritage and rich cultural diversity and also introduce visitors to cultures from around the world through live music, dance performances, storytelling, cooking demonstrations, sporting events, kids activities and a wide range of ethnic vendors. The Festival will include a variety of multi-cultural entertainment from Native American, Asian, Hispanic, Latin, Jazz and African performers. (The Friends will be there!)
|
|
|
|
|
Ready to make a Difference?
