The Musings from Malheur!

October Malheur Musings

Rare bird alert! At Malheur Refuge Headquarters recently, Tye Jeske photographed this black and white warbler and chestnut-sided warbler, both considered vagrant migrants more commonly seen in the eastern United States.

Greetings Janelle,

Having a reason to celebrate is really something special. What an honor it is for me to be a part of this organization as we celebrate 25 years, a Silver Anniversary!

Twenty-five years ago, when conversations started up around the kitchen tables between friends or colleagues in Frenchglen or Hines who would have guessed what would become of their ideas? As they tell it, the folks involved from the beginning were simply hoping to formalize the efforts of those already supporting the Refuge in one way or another. Maybe, if they were lucky, they would be able to get small grants, organize impactful projects, and collect a few additional Stewards along the way.

In a recent conversation with Founding Member Gary Ivey I asked, 'Did you ever imagine that the Malheur Wildlife Association (as we were originally named) would eventually develop to a community of over 1,200 Members? Have seasonal Stewardship projects? and run a thriving Nature Store?' To say he responded with a twinge of pride and joy would be an understatement. Those involved from the beginning and everyone who contributed to the strength and stewardship of this organization over the years should rightfully be proud of what they have been a part of. It's an incredible story.

Looking back, reflecting on the past success and growth is wonderful but it is only the first half. The other half, the next chapter, must be looking ahead to the future - the next 25 years and beyond. It must in some ways be both philosophical; Who are we and why do we exist AND practical; What are we doing, how, and with whom?

The next 25 years are full of boundless potential. I'm excited to be a part of it - Are You?

YES? Consider these opportunities for the next chapter of YOUR Malheur Story.

* Increase your annual Membership to the next Level

* Set your Annual Membership to auto-renew

* Set up a monthly recurring donation

* Attend a Stewardship Weekend

* Join the Board of Directors!

If you have questions about any of these suggestions OR have an idea of your own, please reach out! I am always just an email away from your next 25 years with Malheur NWR.

In Service to and Celebration of Malheur,

Janelle Wicks

Executive Director

Conservation Corner

A Tribute to Joseph P. Mazzoni, Former Malheur Refuge Manager

Written by Gary Ivey and David Paullin

Sadly, one of our longtime Friends, former Malheur Refuge Manager, Joseph P. Mazzoni passed away unexpectedly on Saturday morning August 17, 2024, at his home in Rancho Murietta, California.

Joe Mazzoni worked for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in positions relating to the administration of National Wildlife Refuges from June 1957 through January 1997; nearly 40 years. Read More

Fall Birding at Malheur NWR

Written by Alan Contreras

Photo of American Avocet by Dan Streiffert

Any article titled “Malheur in Fall” should really be called “Malheur and Steens Mountain in Fall” because access to the mountain is the biggest difference between spring migration birding and the experience of autumn. In spring, we gaze longingly at the 9,000-foot snowy ridge of the massif; in fall we get to go there. But before we make the 25-mile uphill rumble on the gravel road to the summit, there are major differences to be seen in the Blitzen Valley birding sites as well. Read More

Bats, mussels, and more at Malheur!

Back in June I was sitting at home with no real plans for the summer when I saw in the FOMR newsletter that they needed a volunteer for the Crane’s Nest store for the month of July. Next thing I knew I was staffing the store on weekends and having such a good time I asked if I could stay through August. As it turned out there was a bat survey in the works in August and a mussel salvage project also happening that month. As a retired bat and mussel biologist for the Department of Interior, these two projects couldn’t have been more suited to my skills and interest. Read More

Malheur After Dark

Written by Janelle Wicks

Photo by Angie Drake

This annual event co-hosted by Bird Alliance of Oregon and Friends of Malheur NWR is in its fourth year and a great example of practice makes perfect. Forty people came out to Sod House Ranch the evening of August 31st with folks from all over the including many Harney County residents in attendance. It was great to see children of all ages from 2 to… well over, all enjoying the activities.

The evening starts with a welcome and snacks. The tradition for this event has become root beer floats! After which the crowd gathered with Teresa Wicks, Bird Alliance of Oregon’s Eastern OR Biologist, for a leisurely evening bird walk through the Sod House Ranch complex of historic buildings. Read More

Malheur Lake Update: 20,107 acres (9/22/2024)

Provided by Alexa Martinez, MNWR Wildlife Biologist

We already miss Emilee here at Malheur but are proud to be a part of her Conservation Career story. If you missed her monthly updates, you can find them on our BLOG. Click HERE.

If supporting the next generation of Conservation Professionals AND getting Malheur Refuge the seasonal help it needs matters to you please consider a donation to support our Seasonal Malheur Wildlife Technician position.

This program costs over $8,500 annually and YOU can help!

CLICK HERE TO DONATE!

Species Spotlight: Bufflehead

Written by Peter Pearsall/ Photos by Peter Pearsall

The bufflehead (Bucephala albeola) is one of the smallest diving ducks in North America. The name is short for “buffalo head,” referring to the puffy, rounded head of the male.

While buffleheads are most common at the Refuge during spring and fall migration, they can usually be found in small numbers at open bodies of water through the winter. The male’s plumage is a striking contrast of black-on-white, accented with purplish-green iridescence on the head; females are gray-brown overall with a white patch near the eye. Read More

Volunteering with Friends

LAST STEWARDSHIP WEEKEND OF 2024! OCTOBER 18th - 20th: Work for the Wild

P Ranch and Barnes Springs Homestead clean-up and barbed wire removal. Housing will be provided for FREE to volunteers at The Malheur Field Station.

If you have any questions or would like to sign up for this Stewardship Weekend, please email friends@malheurfriends.org

Outreach & Events

Be sure to check out the incredible opportunities below and see our website's event calendar for more. Click the links below to learn more about these programs and sign-up!

Upcoming Presentations

Click on each program below to sign up on Zoom.

RESCHEDULED October 10th: Batty for Malheur NWR!

Alexa Martinez, Malheur NWR Wildlife Biologist

At Malheur Refuge, we take part in the North American Bat Monitoring Program (NABat) to monitor bat activity as coordinated by Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife. NABat was created to assess continental-wide changes in distribution and abundance of bat species. While contributing to a larger data collection effort we also learn more about the diversity and abundance of bats that migrate to and breed at the Refuge. With Bat Conservation International's annual Bat Week coming up (Oct. 24-31) we hope you will join us in learning more about and celebrate bats at the Refuge!

Want to read up on bat survey efforts in advance of the program? Here is a FOMR BLOG article from June 2019.

November 7th: Program Title TBD

Diane Teeman, Burns Paiute Tribe Director of Culture and Natural Resources

December 5th: A Year of Friends - Recap & Social

Janelle Wicks, FOMR Executive Director

Watch this space, there is more to come!

For more Events and Programs Visit FOMR's Calendar

View presentation videos on FOMR's YouTube Channel

While FOMR celebrates 25 years one of our Founding Members, Alice, is celebrating 90! Our Fall Fundraising Event will be a Birthday Party to celebrate a shared legacy of conservation stewardship!

There are very few spots still available to attend the party.

Email Janelle, director@malheurfriends.org

September'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.

September 16th, 2024: A darner dragonfly (Aeshna sp.) hovers in place near the Double O region of Malheur Refuge. These agile hunters rely on their keen sense of sight to locate insect prey, which they often capture and consume in flight. Photo by Peter Pearsall

#aeshna #dragonfly #odonata #highdesert #oregondesert #greatbasin

#malheurnationalwildliferefuge #friendsofmalheur

Follow the Friends of Malheur on Facebook and Instagram at Malheurfriends!