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Water reached The Narrows Wayside on EARTH DAY, April 22nd!
The last time water reached this region was in 2019 after which it lingered into 2020. We are thrilled for the opportunity to observe birds of all kinds from the Wayside. Congratulations to Donna Owens for the winning guess and thank you to everyone who made a donation and played along!
Photo of Sunrise over The Narrows by Teresa Wicks, Bird Alliance of Oregon
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My, oh May! What a spring we are having. The 2024 Harney County Migratory Bird Festival was a huge success. Volunteers at the Refuge are busily greeting visitors and checking task after task off of my ongoing to-do list!
Hang bat boxes? Check.
Walk and tidy the Refuge trails? Check.
Send off 200+ Thank you Letters? Check.
Tidy the Worthy Pollinator Garden? Check.
Edge the new rock garden? Check.
Prepare for upcoming school field trips... Organize for Dark Sky lighting compliance... Plan for fall conservation pruning efforts... Discuss Historic Registry of Headquarters CCC era buildings... and respond to the needs presented by ever constricting federal budgets that are meant to maintain our gem of a Refuge!
There is never a shortage of things to do with a list that expands and contracts on a near daily basis. Increasingly, we depend on our repeat volunteers who know the ins and outs of our organization and how we operate so that Jill and I can focus on even bigger picture things like the ongoing celebration of our 25th birthday.
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There are so many ways to join us in commemorating this Silver Anniversary!
Celebrating Malheur Speaker Series: TONIGHT May 2nd
Dominic Bachman, Malheur NWR Aquatic Biologist
4:00 PM over Zoom or at 484 N Broadway, Burns
REGISTER NOW!
Next Stewardship Weekend: May 17th-19th
FREE Housing at Malheur Field Station - Space is limited!
REGISTER NOW!
Migrate Through Malheur & Friends Community Picnic: June 1st
Migration begins at 9:00 AM
Picnic begins at 1:00 PM
Malheur NWR Refuge Headquarters
REGISTER NOW!
In A Landscape Concert: June 16th
Concert begins at 2:00 PM
Malheur NWR Refuge Headquarters
Tickets Available NOW!
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Whether as a volunteer or visitor, we hope to see you this year! And if you can't make it here in person to celebrate with us I would encourage you to send a Birthday Card for the wall in our Crane's Nest Nature Center & Store. If that Birthday Card included a gift of $25 or more in aid of our ongoing work, we would be beyond grateful for your continued support!
In Service to and Celebration of Malheur,
Janelle Wicks
Executive Director
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President's Note - May
Written by Wm. Tweed
As we all discover as we age, nothing is truly simple. Here’s an example from Malheur National Wildlife Refuge.
The overarching goal of the refuge, as we all know, is to provide protected habitat for wildlife. But, as federally managed public lands, the refuge has other goals as well. Among these is the preservation of our nation’s history. Read More
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Malheur Refuge Carp e-Barrier Project
Written by Peter Pearsall
A new carp removal project at Malheur Refuge will employ an electronic fish barrier (e-barrier), installed near the mouth of the Blitzen River, to assist the management of invasive common carp that are negatively affecting water quality in Malheur Lake and the Blitzen River.
During low-water years, which occur approximately every six out of 10 years, this barrier will be used to stop carp from 1) spawning in the river, which is their only viable location on dry years; and 2) using the river as a refugia when the lake water quality, depth, ice make it uninhabitable to carp. Read More
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Colony Connectivity of Colonial Waterbirds in the Harney and Columbia Basins Through PIT Tag Detections
Written by Helen Kreuger and Nate Banet
Biologists with Real Time Research
On a brisk and beautifully serene morning in late March, a Real Time Research biologist loaded survey gear in an airboat and was whisked away to Tern Island in the middle of Malheur Lake. The goal of this field outing was to investigate colony connectivity of piscivorous colonial waterbirds in the Pacific Flyway through the detection of fish tags.
Every year, a portion of fish in the Northwest are marked (tagged) with passive integrated transponder (PIT) tags, each with a unique code that corresponds to information on fish species, age, tagging site, and release location. These tags are extremely useful in understanding fish movement, survival, and sources of mortality, including predation. If you guessed that some of these PIT-tagged fish are consumed by fish-eating waterbirds and some PIT-tags are later deposited on islands like Tern Island for researchers to detect them, you are correct! Read More
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Fish Eye View
Written by Pete Baki and Tim Akimoff, ODFW
The native fish species in the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge have been isolated in the springs and waterways there since the Pleistocene era or around 11,000 to 13,000 years ago. Then, the remnants of large glacial lakes in the region subsided leaving behind a closed basin, or a basin that does not drain to the ocean.
That’s a long time to develop your own distinct personality if you’re a small fish. This isolation is something very attractive to fish biologists eager to learn more about how these fish have adapted to and continue to evolve in unique habitats. Read More
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Introducing FOMRs 2024 Bio Tech; Emilee Gooch!
Hello everyone!
My name is Emilee Gooch and I am this summer’s Wildlife Biology Technician at Malheur NWR with Friends of Malheur! I am thrilled to have been selected for this position and am so excited to learn everything this position has to offer. I am an incoming senior at Northern Michigan University, located in the beautiful Upper Peninsula of Michigan. I am expecting to graduate May 2025, with majors in both Environmental Science and Fish & Wildlife Management.
I am beyond excited to spend my summer in Oregon, especially in a landscape as gorgeous as Harney County. Read More
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Follow That Swan!
May Update by Gary Ivey, PhD.
We are still following the recent locations of seven Trumpeter Swans marked on Malheur Refuge’s Benson Pond in February 2023 with GPS-GSM neck collars to track their migration. Are you?!?
One of the collars (@19) has not transmitted data since late August 2023 when it remained on a small wetland in west-central Alberta, near Goodfare. Here’s a summary of the travels of the other 6: Read More
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The image above was taken on April 23rd and shows Malheur Lake to the right and Harney Lake on the left. At this point the lake was measuring approximately 40,000 acres and as April ended, we were hearing it is now over 43,000 acres! This is a substantial increase from 30,795 acres on March 19th. There is also water in Harney Lake visible from high vantage points, but not necessarily visible as you drive past on Double O Rd. As one might imagine, this is creating a rather busy spring for our Wildlife Biologist, Alexa Martinez. We are grateful to her for sharing this image and information. | |
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Species Spotlight: Cinnamon Teal
Written by Peter Pearsall
The Cinnamon teal (Anas cyanoptera) is a small, striking species of dabbling duck found in the Americas, easily recognized by the rich cinnamon coloration of the drake during breeding season. These ducks are part of the Anatidae family, which includes other familiar waterfowl such as mallards and wood ducks.
Cinnamon teal are primarily found in freshwater habitats across North and South America. They prefer shallow marshes, ponds, and wetlands with abundant emergent vegetation for nesting and feeding. During migration, they also frequent coastal marshes and estuaries. Read More
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Volunteering with Friends | |
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Stewardship Volunteering in 2024
MAY 17th - 19th: Spring Spruce-up REGISTER HERE
We will be tending to the young plants in our new rock garden, setting footings for a new pavilion and general groundskeeping support at Refuge Headquarters. There's a lot to do and FREE housing!
AUGUST 9th - 11th: Historic Sod House Ranch Stewardship
Help clean the grounds and set up this historic site for its annual public open season from August 15 - October 1.
SEPTEMBER 13th - 15th: Trail Stewardship
Assisting with the connection of the River Trail and the Restoration Trail for the improvement of the Blitzen River Trail from P Ranch north.
OCTOBER 18th - 20th: Work for the Wild
Walking for the Wild while you work! Barnes Springs Homestead clean-up and barbed wire removal.
Housing will be provided for FREE to volunteers at The Malheur Field Station or P Ranch.
Registration for these Stewardship Weekends will open in the months to come. In the meantime, if you have any questions please email friends@malheurfriends.org
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Crane's Nest Nature Store Volunteering
HELP NEEDED July and August!
Working in the Nature Store is an opportunity to share your love of Malheur as a primary contact point for visitors! Individuals OR couples are welcome. You would be able to stay at Refuge Headquarters in the Volunteer RV Park with your own full hook-up RV pad or stay in one of FOMR's trailers. You will work 3 days/wk and have 4 days off to enjoy exploring the Refuge and surrounding areas. Every new volunteer is trained by Janelle or Jill on visitor FAQs, point of sale operations, and daily responsibilities of volunteers. Occasionally, Nature Store volunteers are tasked with other duties in alignment with Refuge/FOMR needs and the individual's interest and abilities.
Interested? Want to learn more? Email Janelle at Director@MalheurFriends.org
Photo above of a young great-horned owl by Dan Streiffert during a 2023 Nature Store Volunteer assignment
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Events
Be sure to check out the incredible opportunities below and see our website's event calendar for more. Click on the images below to learn more about these programs and sign-up!
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Spring Friends Event | Saturday June 1st, 2024 | | |
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Please join us for this annual event! This is a casual opportunity to experience Malheur alongside knowledgeable volunteers who will be stationed at historical sites and birding hotspots.
Get a Passport - Have it stamped - Bring it to the FREE picnic and be entered for prizes!
Preregister to help us plan for Lunch!
If you have questions or want to volunteer as a docent or grillmaster please email friends@malheurfriends.org
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Do you live in Central Oregon?
Do you LOVE Malheur National Wildlife Refuge?
Do you get excited about EVENT PLANNING?
Yes? Yes? Yes?!? - We NEED You!
Our Fall Fundraising Event will be on Saturday October 5th, and we are putting together our planning committee now! If you are interested in helping us plan the official celebration of FOMR's 25th Birthday please email Janelle, friends@malheurfriends.org
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March's Most Popular
Every month there is excellent content on the Friends Facebook, Instagram and YouTube pages. Here we will feature the most popular post of the month.
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April 3rd, 2024:
“I believe in walking in a landscape of mirages because you learn humility.
I believe in living in a land of little water, because life is drawn together.
And I believe in the gathering of bones as a testament to spirits that have moved on.
If the desert is holy, it is because it is a forgotten place that allows us to remember the sacred.
Perhaps that is why every pilgrimage to the desert is a pilgrimage to the self. There is no place to hide and so we are found.”
-Terry Tempest Williams, “Refuge: An Unnatural History of Family and Place”(1992) Photo by: Alan Nyiri
#highdesert #oregondesert #greatbasin #friendsofmalheur
#malheurnationalwildliferefuge
Follow the Friends of Malheur on Facebook and Instagram at Malheurfriends!
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Membership Minute
The sustaining support of our members is more important than ever.
If you are unsure of your Membership status you can email us at friends@malheurfriends.org today!
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Current Membership Total: 1039
2024 New Members: 149!
Not a Member or need to RENEW?
Simply visit OUR WEBSITE!
Prefer to send a check? Easy.
Fill out THIS FORM and mail it with your dues to:
Friends of Malheur NWR
36391 Sodhouse Lane
Princeton, OR 97721
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The Sandhill Crane Society
Any supporter who contributes $1,000 or more through Membership dues and/or donations throughout the year will become a Member of this program.
Monthly giving makes becoming a Member easy! Set up a monthly donation of $85 and become a 2025 Sandhill Crane Society Member! Email Janelle, director@malheurfriends.org.
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Your Business can support Malheur NWR by joining our Business Alliance Program!
Questions? Email us. Friends@malheurfriends.org
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Crane's Nest Nature Center & Store
8:00 AM - 4:00 PM | 7 Days/Week
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If you are looking to be transported to Malheur through a magical musical experience - this is for you!
The Malheur Symphony USB is your ticket! This USB can be played from your computer, spart TV or any device with a USB port. Order online today!
The store has all your old favorites and a SLEW of new inventory. When you find yourself at Refuge Headquarters please stop in to check it out, say Hi to our Volunteers, and meet our Manager, Jill!
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Malheur HQ Visitor Center
8:00 AM - 4:00 PM | As Possible with Volunteer Support
The Refuge is in need of Volunteer Support in the Visitor Center for the months of June and July. If you are interested in this opportunity, please email Carey_Goss@fws.gov.
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