Wild Goose Tales

Volunteer Opportunities

Ankeny Hill Nature Center

We are pleased to welcome Pat (he/him/his) and Bobbie (she/her/hers) Allaire as Volunteer Coordinators for the new Ankeny Hill Nature Center. They are members of and/or volunteers for the Willamette Valley National Wildlife Refuge Complex (WVNWRC), Friends of the WVNWRC, and Salem Audubon – all organizations that have invested in the Nature Center.

There are volunteer opportunities for people with a variety of interests at the Ankeny Hill Nature Center. You can be involved with educational programming, lead nature walks, attend outreach events and do habitat restoration. All this while giving back to your community, meeting new people, contributing to wildlife conservation AND having fun!

For more information, contact Pat and Bobbie:

volunteer@ankenyhillnaturecenter.org. 

Your Membership Matters!

This year has been a challenging one and we miss seeing our members and visitors at the

monthly outdoor events, on the trails or browsing in the Wild Goose Nature store. The

importance of your membership dues, donations and shopping at the Wild Goose store from

our website this past year is not forgotten and greatly appreciated. It is your continued

support that helps the Friends support the projects at the Refuge Complex. We are proud of

what we’ve accomplished and you are part of it.

Please remember you can renew a membership and/or donate to the Friends on our website

friendswvnwrc.org. You can designate donations to go directly to the Ankeny Hill Nature

Center or in memory of a friend or loved one. New memberships are also important so please

mention us to your friends, family or even strangers you know who enjoy visiting the refuges

and want to support an organization that cares about our wildlife refuge complex! All dues and

donations are tax deductible.

Updates from 2021

New kiosk at Woodpecker Loop, pictured is Griselda Landa-Posas, Latino Engagement Coordinator. Photo courtesy of USFWS

The Friends funded three new kiosks, including Woodpecker Loop and Pintail Marsh. Photo courtesy of USFWS

Streaked horned lark nestling, photo by Aiko Goldston

Streaked horned lark nest, photo by Aiko Goldston

The Friends contributed funding for the Streaked Horned Lark Intern, Aiko Goldston. Aiko monitored nests and found 21 active nests over the season and approximately 43 breeding pairs.

.The Friends present our first 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.’

Friends 2023 Calendar

Your photos wanted!

Contribute photos to the 2023 calendar by submitting them to:

friendswvphotos@gmail.com DEADLINE: July 15, 2022



We are especially interested in photos that capture the seasons of the refuges.

In 2021, the Friends produced and printed a calendar that ended up being quite a showpiece of beautiful photographs from our National Wildlife Refuge Complex. The theme of the calendar was “The Faces of the Refuges”, and it featured an assortment of the faces of birds and animals that have been observed at one of our three refuges. I hope all of you had a chance to buy one when they were available, before they were all gone!.

In addition to providing beautiful, functional calendar that reminds us of the intrinsic beauty of wildlife at our local refuges throughout the year, the project had many additional benefits. It helped our organization to connect with the community of skilled wildlife photographers in our midst, and to share their skills and photographs with our members and supporters who truly appreciate their craft.

The calendar also attracted the unexpected attention of members of the broader conservation community, leading to new Friends memberships, donations, and recognition of the values and benefits of our local National Wildlife Refuges. It helped us to achieve our mission of fostering awareness and appreciation of our wildlife refuges and refuge system.

Finally, the calendars generated a profit from sales, which will fund future conservation-related projects. All of these benefits combine to result in a successful project.