Making Tracks

The Newsletter of the Friends of the Tualatin River National Wildlife Refuge Complex

Joyfully Connecting our Community with the Wonder of the Refuge

UPCOMING EVENTS

Monthly Board Meeting
October 26, 2021 6:30 PM
Monthly Board Meeting
November 23, 2021 6:30 PM

Take a look at our 2021 Annual Report. It is filled with all of the accomplishments the Friends have had over the past year. Your support through donations, membership and volunteering is the reason we can achieve so much.

We hope you enjoy this edition of Making Tracks. We will be happy to hear your feedback and what you'd like to see in the newsletter going forward.

Rebecca Gómez Chuck Selected as New Project Leader for Tualatin River National Wildlife Refuge Complex

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has selected Rebecca Gómez Chuck as the new Project Leader for the Tualatin River National Wildlife Refuge Complex in the Pacific Region. She will begin her new role in October 2021. "We are so excited to have Rebecca as the new Project Leader for the Tualatin River National Wildlife Refuge Complex," said Robyn Thorson, Regional Director.

Welcome Rebecca Chuck as our New Complex Project Leader

Rebecca Gómez Chuck has been selected as the new project leader for Tualatin River National Wildlife Refuge Complex. She will begin her new role October25, 2021. "I was so fortunate to be introduced to nature at a young age even though I lived in an urban area. It changed my life. I am looking forward to sharing my love of the outdoors and conservation with the community and helping to engage the next generation of conservation enthusiasts,” Chuck said.

Sept. 30, 2021 Reconnecting Chicken Creek at TRNWR

Water is Flowing In Chicken Creek

After restricting the flow of water for the restoration, water is once again flowing through Chicken Creek on the Tualatin River NWR. On September 30,2021 the barriers were removed to allow water to flow. The restoration work is starting to come to a close and plans are to have everything finished by early next year.

Tualatin River Environmental Education (TREE) Pilot Program

by Todd McKinney, Refuge Park Ranger

This year, the refuge’s Visitor Services Team set out on a new endeavor to build a program that does things a bit differently than in the past. Staff and volunteers are taking a community-focused approach to an aspect of the environmental education program that centers the needs of students, families, teachers, and school administrators. In this model, the refuge, staff, Friends and volunteers are a community asset, co-creating this program with local collaborators in order to support community identified needs.

Next week, the new TREE (Tualatin River Environmental Education) pilot partnership program kicks-off at Greenway Elementary School. Staff and volunteers will be co-leading a year-long program with the teachers, at the school. The focus of this year’s program is all about healthy water and lamprey. Through this approach, the refuge will have multiple interactions with these youth throughout the year. Not only will the students and teachers learn about conservation and the importance of protecting natural resources, they will also develop lasting relationships with the refuge through the continuous visits from those delivering the program.

Staff are very excited for this program to get underway. As the development of the pilot continues to unfold, the refuge has its eyes on scaling up and taking the model to other schools and classrooms in the future. This program brings with it a lot of potential to have incredible impacts on our local communities, which is very exciting. Stay tuned for more information to come as we embark on this project.

If you have any questions, or want to know any more details about this new program, feel free to reach out to the Visitor Services Park Rangers, Natalie and Todd. They are more than happy to discuss the program and share all the great things that are blossoming from its development.

natalie_balkam@fws.gov

todd_mckinney@fws.gov

Thank you to Marianne Bickett for sharing this beautiful poem about the Cackling Geese of the Tualatin River National Wildlife Refuge. Her Poem was published in the MAHB September online magazine

The Cackling Geese: Tualatin River National Wildlife Refuge - MAHB

First Autumn, 2020 We hear them before we see them rising from the mist of dawn from the tall and weathered straw-colored grasses of the wetlands. Their wings beat against their breasts as they cackle in cacophonic exultations, forming arrows pointing to an unseen destination across the autumn sky.

Welcome Back to Carly

I have returned to my position as a habitat restoration specialist for the Friends! Working this past summer as a seasonal biotech for the USFW Service was a wonderful experience! Although I was conducting all of the same types of duties that I do in my Friends position, I got to assist on some amazing projects that I won’t soon forget. This included a restoration study and mussel salvage on the South Fork of the John Day River, where I camped overnight with staff from other conservation organizations such as the Xerces Society and ODFW. I was also able to assist with a release of Oregon Silverspot Butterfly larvae on the top of Saddle Mountain, near the Oregon Coast. This project was a collaboration between USFWS and

the Oregon Zoo. Both of these experiences were extremely rewarding, as was getting to interact with fellow colleagues in the field and the wildlife! I am looking forward to continuing to support the Refuge’s mission as a Friends employee and appreciate the leave of absence that I was granted for this opportunity! a

Carly Silverspot placement Saddle Mt.jpg

Volunteers in the Welcome Booth

If you have been to the Refuge lately, were you surprised to find a greeting wave from the fee booth? The fee booth is the small building that you pass while entering the parking lot, and since the Refuge is fee free, there hasn’t been much use of it – until now! With the Refuge still operating under COVID-19 safety precautions, the fee booth was presented as a way to provide information to visitors safely. Volunteers Shelley and George piloted greeting visitors in the booth in September, which was of especial need to pass along information regarding the early seasonal trail closure this year. It went so well that Refuge staff decided to keep it going, adding more shifts and opening up the opportunity to more volunteers. So, make sure to mind your speed limit and stop for a quick ‘hello’ if you see someone in there on your next visit.

Nature's Overlook Store- Online

Online sales from our Nature's Overlook store support the work of the Friends. Please visit our online store and see our wide selection of nature related books, Friends and Refuge logo wear, jewelry and toys. Shopping with the Friends is the gift that gives twice. All proceeds go to the direct support of the work the Friends do on behalf of the Tualatin River National Wildlife Refuge Complex. Our online sales are an important means of support during the closure due to COVID-19. Items can be mailed or you may utilize our contactless pickup option.

And Remember- Friends receive a 10% discount - even online!

Friends of the Tualatin River National Wildlife Refuge Complex

19255 SW Pacific Hwy Sherwood, Oregon 97140

503.625.5944 x 15227

www.FriendsofTualatinRefuge.org