President's Perch

by Cheryl Hart, President

Did you vote?

I know, it’s only a primary election so not that important, right? Nothing could be further from the truth. Did you know that one of the most important things that Friends groups and Friends members can do is to lobby for our refuge and the refuge system at the local, state, and national levels? And to whom will we most likely be speaking when we do that lobbying? To our elected officials and their staffs. It is so much easier and nicer to speak to an official or staff member who understands the importance of the issues we lobby for and supports our position on the issues. So, who gets elected can make a huge difference in how much effect our lobbying has.

Because we have a Governor who has term-limited out and Oregon has a new legislative district (that will encompass some of the refuge and many of us Friends) there are an unusually large number of candidates in the Primary, so please take a little time to find out where candidates stand on conservation issues and consider supporting those who care about the same things that you do.

Please, if you haven’t already voted, pull that ballot out of the recycle bin, mark it, and deposit it in a ballot box or mailbox by 8:00 pm Tuesday, May 17.

One more political comment before I move on. If you are interested in learning more about the President’s Budget request and what it would provide for Fish and Wildlife Service, please join Coalition of Refuge Friends and Advocates (CORFA) and National Wildlife Refuge Association (NWRA) on Wednesday, May 18 at 10:30 am Pacific for a webinar chat with Chief of Refuges, Cynthia Martinez. You can register

https://bit.ly/3PdekDe

Now for the fun stuff. Have you been out on the new Chicken Creek Trail (the seasonal trail)? It opened on May 1. What a lot of work took place during the time that trail was closed, and it is so exciting to think about how it will continue to change our experience of the refuge. A huge thank you to everyone who has been involved in that project including FWS staff, partner organizations and refuge volunteers.

And, while you are at the refuge, don’t forget to stop in the Visitor Center and check out the new merchandise in our Friends Nature’s Overlook store. Love the store? Maybe consider signing up to become a store/visitor center volunteer.

I’ll see you at the refuge!

-Cheryl Hart

Focus of Friends

by Bonnie Anderson, Executive Director

 April Showers Bring May Flowers, But what do May showers bring? With record rainfall for the month of May, we are experiencing "High Water" on the newly open seasonal trail. I know this is disappointing to many visitors, as they are unable to traverse the several inches of standing water on the outer trail. I do recommend walking the shorter inner loop. This trail seems to be drier and will take you right past the Purple Matin boxes the Friends helped provide last year and will give you a spectacular view of the meandering Chicken Creek. You will see many of our refuge residents enjoying the unusual May showers!

The Friends were delighted to have nice weather for our two most recent events. On April 28th the Friends held the 2nd Annual Mini Bird Fest at Greenway Elementary School and on May 1st we welcomed the Oregon Chinese Coalition to the Refuge for a day of thanks and to celebrate the beginning of Asian Heritage month. Read more about these two events in the newsletter. 

It's always a busy time on the Refuge for the Friends! 

Hope to see you out on the trails 

-Bonnie Anderson