Wild Goose Tales

October 12 is

World Migratory Bird Day!

News from the Board

Friends Annual Meeting

The Friends of the Willamette Valley Wildlife Refuge Complex had a successful annual meeting and board of directors election via Zoom. Four board members were approved for continuing one year terms -- Jill Scofield, Diane Young, Steve Suckow and Jennifer Butler. Ron Forrester and Erin Forrester are continuing their intial three year terms.

Meet the current board:

Willamette Valley Conservation Area

becomes the

 572nd unit of the National Wildlife Refuge System!

Excerpts from: https://www.doi.gov/pressreleases/interior-department-establishes-willamette-valley-conservation-area-oregon-conserving

Located in the heart of the Willamette Valley between Salem and Eugene, the acquisition of the Diamond Hill wetlands is the first purchase of the Willamette Valley Conservation Area. The 600-acre parcel just south of Brownsville, Oregon, is a step in a 10-year effort to permanently protect oak and prairie habitat for the benefit of five species listed under the Endangered Species Act, two candidate species and numerous other plant and animal species of concern. The conservation area will also provide habitat for migratory waterfowl, shorebirds, neotropical songbirds and iconic Oregon species such as the Western monarch butterfly, Western meadowlark and Oregon white oak. 

Conservation areas are a type of national wildlife refuge that consists primarily or entirely of conservation easements on private lands. These conservation easements support private landowner efforts to protect important habitat for fish and wildlife, and major migration corridors, while helping to keep agricultural lands in production.  

News from the Refuges

Cabell Lodge Prairie Restoration

Xaydwiind Magana, MIFP Fellow (Maintenance and Infrastructure Fellows Program) is working on prairie restoration at the former site of Cabell Lodge. Xaydwiind's work includes site and soil preparation and seeding with native wildflowers. The historic Cabell Lodge was destroyed in a fire in December 2023.

Photos from USFWS.

Learn about our Willamette Valley Refuges!

Visit the WVNWRC Friends

 YouTube Channel

The Friends present bilingual videos for viewing

Link to Friends YouTube Channel

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.’

Spotlight at the Ankeny Hill Nature Center

Salem Audubon Society volunteers, Ankeny Hill Nature Center Volunteers and Willamette Valley National Wildlife Refuge Complex staff informed and delighted hundreds of visitors at the Englewood Forest Festival in Salem in August. They shared the wonder of wild animal babies, the secrets of nesting birds and the down and dirty

story of moles!

Volunteers at Ankeny Hill Nature Center went all out in July and August removing innumerable bags of invasive plants and spreading wood chips! The native plants look better every day!

Now volunteers have turned their attention to October 12th ! A free public event at the Nature Center celebrating World Migratory Bird Day! The theme this year is ‘Protect Insects, Protect Birds!’ Learn more at https://www.ankenyhillnaturecenter.org/

Community Volunteer Days at the Ankeny Hill Nature Center

Where: Ankeny Hill Nature Center - 130 Ankeny Hill Rd. / Jefferson, OR 

When: Every 3^rd Saturday of the month from 10 am - 12 pm.  

What: No sign-up required and no experience or tools needed! We have all you need and plenty of projects we need help with. You'll help with everything from weeding, water and mulching to interpretation, brochure folding and event support.

Contact: volunteer_manager@ankenyhillnaturecenter.org

National Wildlife Refuge Week!

October 13-19, 2024

Photo credit: Ron Forrester. Pictured is the Banded Garden Spider, most frequently spotted in the month of October!

Fall is a great time to get out and enjoy our refuges!

In addition to the return of the Dusky Canda geese from their summer home in the Alaska Copper River Delta, our October dewy mornings and sunny afternoons create the perfect opportunity to see some beautiful spiders and their webs!

Refuge Poetry 

Where: Rich Guadagno Trailhead, Pintail Marsh, Turtle Flats and the Headquarters Building at William L. Finley NWR

What: Have fun finding and experiencing curated poems inspired by the Refuges and penned by local poets. They were written for the Refuges and are showcased at the Refuges. They are truly special. ENJOY.  

THE WILD GOOSE STORE IS OPEN!

Photo by Lena Proebsting

Join Us!

The Friends Board gathered for the Dave Marshall Classroom ribbon cutting in March 2024.

The Friends Board of Directors strives to maintain an inclusive and dynamic board. We have various positions open for a 3-year term.

Outreach Coordinator: Quarterly Outreach Events, Nature walks, Coordination of events with Outreach Committee, Webinars.

Membership Coordinator: Participate in researching ways to connect & grow our membership.

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

If you are interested in joining our board, please contact Ron Forrester at secretary.friends@gmail.com . I will send you a board member application packet and we will move on from there. We hope you consider this opportunity to help us maintain our mission statement.

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.

Thank you,

Ron Forrester, Secretary

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