Wild Goose Tales

You're Invited: July 2 at Ankeny Hill Nature Center!

It's A Bug's Life

Upcoming Events

at

Ankeny Hill Nature Center

Check out all the events at Ankeny Hill Nature Center: https://www.ankenyhillnaturecenter.org/

June 24 10 am - 2 pm Bees and Blooms

July 2 10 am - Noon It's A Bug's Life

Welcome Summer!

Notes from the Friends Board

Visitors to Ankeny Nature Explore Area during the Migratory Bird Day Celebration Event.

 Photo by Jill Scofield

From Jennifer, Board Member

The Friends Board of Directors have had an exciting 2023! Every year Damien Miller, Project Manager of the refuge complex, and his hard working staff, present a list of priority projects for the Board to consider. We take these requests seriously and always think of our members and contributors when selecting which projects to contribute to financially. We strive to keep in tune with the heartbeat of the refuges and the needs presented.

Though the board decided in the spring to provide funding support for refuge staff in the Streaked Horned Lark Nest Monitoring Project, the position was not filled for 2023 -- fingers crossed it will return in 2024! The streaked horned lark is a beautiful songbird with its little black horns and yellow and black face and is found only in Western Washington and Oregon. The breeding season in Oregon runs from late April into August.

In June, the Friends Board decided to contribute support for the purchase of a No-Till Seed Drill essential for native seed projects. The use of this type of seed drill reduces weeds and soil erosion by reducing soil disturbance and improves native seed restoration success.

Thanks to the support of Friends and volunteers, along with 29 partner organizations, the Winter Wildlife Field Day program was a HUGE success:

• Over 1,000 total visitors
• 16 in-person events in 4 counties
• A successful dine-out event sponsored by the Friends raised over $250!
• 10 youth volunteers
• Field stations had bilingual volunteers and online activities were fully remediated/accessible

Other exciting news -- Groundbreaking on the Dave Marshall Classroom is slated for late summer! Your contributions helped enable the success of this project.

The Board of Directors wishes to THANK YOU, our fellow conservationists, for supporting us with your volunteer time at The Wild Goose Nature Store, at Ankeny Hill Nature Center and by your donations and memberships. We could not do it without you.

Seeking Board Members!

We extend our invitation to you as active users of WVNWRC to consider this opportunity.

If you are interested, please contact Diane at secretary.friends@gmail.com

Friends Mission Statement 

Promoting the conservation of the natural resources of the refuge complex. Fostering awareness and appreciation of the complex through educational and recreational opportunities. Participating in activities that help the complex achieve its goals.

The Nature Explore Area sign is an example of refuge projects supported by the Friends. If you would like to participate in helping the refuges achieve their goals, considered joining our Board!

Sam Bartling, Visitor Services Manager for the Willamette Valley National Wildlife Refuge Complex next to Nature Explore Area sign funded by the Friends. Photo by Jill Scofield

Volunteers Make the Ankeny Hill Nature Center Sparkle!

During a company volunteer day more than 20 staff from the Underwriting Department for S|D|A|O (Administrators for SDIS, OPPA and PACE) performed many maintenance and program tasks. A part of the group shown here is watering and weeding in the Nature Explore Area

During June, two business groups brought more than 20 volunteers to the Ankeny Hill Nature Center. They watered, weeded, cleaned Gehlar Hall inside and out, built wire plant protectors, redid the volunteer parking area and more!

Other volunteers greeted visitors and shared the wonders of native plants and pollinators at two special events:

A first time Home School Day organized by Marion Soil and Water Conservation District and the second annual Bees to Blooms associated with pollinator week.

Want to volunteer? Reach out to Pat and Bobbie Allaire, Volunteer Coordinators at volunteers@ankenyhillnaturecenter.org or call (541) 760-3700.

THE WILD GOOSE STORE IS OPEN!

Photo by Lena Proebsting

Management at the Refuges: Spring Creek

Ankeny Hill Nature Center volunteers and refuge staff spent the winter months on a riparian zone restoration along Spring Creek. Nearly 5,000 trees and shrubs were planted along this area at Ankeny NWR. Non-native trees were removed from along the creek, and yellow willow saplings were planted.

From our refuge managers:

Spring Creek is a seasonal intermittent stream that drains the south Salem hills and flows through the Ankeny Hill Nature Center campus before its confluence with Peregrine Marsh. At some point prior to refuge acquisition in 1965 the stream was cleared and straightened. Today a few large cottonwoods and Oregon ash exist, but its riparian plant community is a fraction of what existed historically. Over the last few years refuge staff have controlled extensive blackberry that existed along the stream banks, removed non-native trees, and placed large wood within the stream channel.

One of the final large restoration components was planting native riparian species to begin the establishment of a gallery forest along the creek. The primary goal is native habitat restoration that improves water quality, provides shading and decreased temperatures, provides organic inputs and needed nutrients to the aquatic system, and to encourage natural stream development beyond its simplified and channelized state.

This winter, with the help of volunteer coordinators Pat and Bobbie Allaire, many other Ankeny Hill Nature Center (AHNC) volunteers, and refuge staff Shane Lyons, Aidan Frye and Jeremy DePiero, a large restoration effort was completed. First, residual blackberry that had been treated in fall and other undesirable woody vegetation was mowed and cleared. More medium and fine woody debris was added to the large debris clusters in the stream. Then, the real herculean effort of riparian planting began. Refuge staff collected thousands of native cuttings of black cottonwood, several species of willow, red osier dogwood, and Douglas spirea. Additionally, an AHNC volunteer donated dozens of potted trees and shrubs.

Over the course of two Saturday volunteer events in January and February and several days of staff time, approximately 4,000-5,000 trees and shrubs were planted along the entire reach and both sides of Spring Creek. If you see colored pin flags down by the creek they are marking the planting rows. Refuge staff will mow and control herbaceous vegetation around the new plantings for a few years before filling in between the rows and making everything look natural. Eventually, beavers will move in and all will be well with Mother Nature again.

Your Membership Matters!

Contribute Through BottleDrop to Support the Friends and your Refuges

Contribute through Bottle Drop

You can donate funds from your BottleDrop account balance to Friends of the WVNWRC account by logging into your account.

Log into your Bottle Drop account. Click Donate and search for Friends of the WVNWRC. Choose the amount from your balance that you would like to donate and Click on Donate Now!

If you don't yet have an account you can create one: BottleDrop

We are : Friends of the WVNWRC

Need Help Choosing a Refuge Trail?

The Friends present bilingual videos for viewing

Link to Friends Trail Videos

In 2021 the O’Brien prize, a $2,500 award offered by the NWRA board, went to the Friends of Willamette Valley NWR Complex for their project ‘Bilingual Trail Videos.’