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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
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President's Perch
by Cheryl Hart, President
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Autumn is always a busy time at our refuge and this year is no exception! As I write this, we are preparing for our Friends Membership Annual Meeting. This will be our first in-person meeting in three years, and we are so glad to be able to welcome our continuing and new members to a celebration of our organization. This year, if the weather only cooperates, we will provide protective eye wear for everyone to peek at the rare Annular Eclipse. Breakfast will be served, there will be a short business meeting during which we will elect Board members for the coming term. Please come and thank our current Board members for the time and skills, they devote to leading our organization and greet the new members of our Board. Following the meeting, members have a choice of three outdoor activities: a paddle on the Tualatin River, courtesy of Tualatin River Keepers; a native plant walk with Bella, our Friends Restoration Specialist; or a guided walk to the Heritage Pine lead by Board member Alan Christensen and courtesy of Metro. We are excited to welcome Erin Chen, an Aide for Congresswoman Andrea Salinas to the Refuge this month. It will be the first opportunity we have had to introduce her to the wonder of the refuge and tell her about why it is so important to us and the surrounding communities. As always, this is a joint activity of our Service Staff and Friends leadership. We are also, hoping that we may have an opportunity to meet with Aides of Senator Merkley, Senator Wyden, and Congresswoman Bonamici soon.
Bonnie Anderson, Executive Director, and I have started to meet with the students who are planning the 2nd Annual Youth Climate Summit at the Refuge. The date has been set for Saturday, April 20, and the students are already discussing great ideas of what will be included during this event. Everyone is welcome to come and participate in the activities, but we are especially interested in attracting as many students as possible so please spread the word. Several Refuge staff and Friends were able to attend the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde Culture and History Summit. This is a great learning opportunity for us and a time to become acquainted with Tribal members. We were excited to learn more about the Curriculum that has been created to introduce the Tribes’ Culture in schools and discover an opportunity to connect Tribal member students with the Youth Climate Summit planners. Fish and Wildlife Service presented a Refuge event for Hispanic Heritage month, Día de la Familia. This event was well attended and there were so many smiling faces on our guests as they became acquainted with the refuge. If that isn’t enough, there are more great up-coming activities like Creatures of the Night and Puddle Stompers that you can read about in this newsletter.
Thank you for your support of Friends. See you on the Refuge!
-Cheryl
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Focus on Friends
by Bonnie Anderson,
Executive Director
| The Friends were honored to be a part of the 2nd Annual el Tigre Festival put on by the city of Tigard to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month. Once again we interacted with hundreds of festival goers. Many of the people we talked with had never been to the Tualatin River NWR but were so excited to learn about it. Thank you to Bella and our fantastic Friends volunteer ambassadors that helped host the information table. |  |  | |
The Friends Annual Membership Meeting was held this past Saturday and attended by over 40 members - some that actually joined that morning. Although the weather didn't cooperate for us to enjoy the Annular Eclipse, we did have a great time visiting with each other and enjoying a wonderful breakfast pulled together by Board members Phyllis Millan. The members heard updates from Cheryl Hart, Rebecca Chuck and myself. We were honored to have two of our founders at our meeting and discussed many of the important projects the Friends have been a part of over the last 30 years. We welcomed two new Board of Directors, Laura Hart and Izzy Sigrist and re-elect four of our returning Directors. Each Director is elected for a three year term.
After the business meeting, Friends members enjoyed one of three planned activities. There was a walk to the Heritage Pine Unit with Alan Christensen, A canoe tour with the Tualatin Riverkeepers or a service project at the Dennis Unit. Here is a photo from my canoe. It is always a great day when you can get outside and enjoy nature!
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A special thank you to TRKs and Metro for their support
for our Annual Meeting.
See ya on the trails!
-Bonnie
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Please come enjoy the kick- off to our Fall/Winter Speakers Series:
Conservation Conversation with The Friends
OCTOBER 18th 7:00 PM
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Speaker: Dan Edge, Professor Emeritus of Wildlife Ecology, OSU
By Phyllis Millan
Do you picture Smokey the Bear trope , cautioning people to put out their campfires when you think about state and federal natural resources agencies and the people who work there? Although environmental education has been around for 100’s of years, the way to accomplish the mission has expanded and those working for these agencies have had to embrace the change beyond the ranger “hat”. Where herd management might in the past entail saddling up a horse and heading into the back country to count elk now drones conduct herd counts. Dan Edge will look at 40+ years of what biologist have been trained to do and the evolution and enhancements in the tools used by our environmental front line staff. He’ll share observations about changes in field skills and technology from radio telemetry to DNA, and recent changes in how fish and wildlife biologist are trained. Some things have never changed, the commitment of these individuals to the protection of the environment, and managing the human wildlife interface. How that happens has evolved and presents a fascinating look behind the scenes at what they really do.
Dan is Professor Emeritus of Wildlife Ecology at Oregon State University. Dan was an early adopter of distance learning technologies. His research was primarily focused on mammals in forest and agricultural ecosystems. Dan served as Department Head for 13 years and Associate Dean for seven years. He has served as President of the Oregon Chapter of The Wildlife Society (TWS) and President of the Northwest Section of TWS, as well as the NW Representative to TWS Council. He served on the Oregon Fish and Wildlife Commission for eight years including three years as Chair.
November 14-Samantha (Sam) Derrenbacher
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Biologist, Newport Field Office
The size of this comma: , . That is the size of a newly hatched Oregon silverspot butterfly (Speyeria zerene hippolyta) caterpillar. And as you can imagine, finding this tiny federally-threatened caterpillar in the wild would be next to impossible – the ultimate little brown needle in a giant meadow haystack. However, if we could find them, then a door will be opened to a previous unknown understanding of at-risk pollinator species and prairie habitats. A conservation team comprise of Federal, University, State, non-profit and private partners is making headway to start opening that door. Over the next ten years, we are developing methods in which we can consistently find wild caterpillars to monitor management effectiveness; tracking captive-reared and released individuals to enlighten the research and conservation community; and restoring native prairie habitat to support the butterfly and other native pollinators. Join us to learn more and hear about these conservation projects linked to your coastal Oregon and Washington backyard.
January—Tim Wood
Former head of Oregon State Parks. Oregon is blessed with numerous incredible state parks, and their development was no accident. The challenges of providing outdoor access while maintaining “nature” is a delicate balance.
February—Josh Kling
Project Manager for Western Rivers Conservancy. WR Conservancy; is a successful proactive river & land conservation group located in Portland. Our waters need protected but how to manage all the competing needs, Josh will share the challenges, failures, and successes.
March—Brian Staab,
Regional Hydrologist for the USFS in Portland. Following on our February we’ll dig deeper into the challenges that “water” management and its impact has on all of us
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Local Photographer Partners with the Friends
The Friends of the Tualatin River National Wildlife Refuge is excited to begin a partnership with
local nature photographer Charlie Sandbo. Struck by wanderlust from an early age, Charlie’s
travels have taken him to numerous national parks in North America, Europe, Australia, New
Zealand, and Costa Rica. In college, he naturally gravitated towards earning a degree in
International Studies from Willamette University where he focused on globalization and
development.
A longtime resident of Tigard, Charlie has spent countless hours wandering the Tualatin River
National Wildlife Refuge observing many of its furry and feathered residents. These lasting
interactions have led Sandbo to wonder what the future holds for many of Oregon’s remarkable flora and fauna as mankind continues to over consume its resources and the planet’s climate becomes less stable.
Wanting to make a difference, he started his LLC, Picture Greater, in August of 2023. His
organization’s mission is to mitigate climate change and environmental degradation by
supporting conservation efforts, providing education, ideas, and solutions to the public, and
addressing the socio-economic issues that prevent more people from being involved with the
wellbeing of their planet. He has since donated numerous pieces to auctions and raffles in
addition to dedicating 15% of all of his sales to partnering organizations that help to fulfill this
mission. You can see some of Charlie’s work on his website and can find some of his greeting cards in the Friends Natures' Overlook Store located within the refuge visitor center. Charlie's cards sell for $4.99 at Natures' Overlook.
Link To Charlie's Website
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Further Strides Towards Accessible Access to the Refuge
By Natalie Balkam, Park Ranger
Last month, the Pacific Region of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) hosted a training on the HETAP (High-Efficiency Trail Assessment Process) a methodology which collects important information on our trail conditions. This information is gathered with the intent to analyze our trails for accessibility and address the wide range of abilities and mobility devices that might be utilized on our trails. We will be gathering information on trail slope and cross slope, trail width
(average, as well as minimum and maximum), and any other specific trail elements such as bridges or intersections, among much more. It is important that we look at this data not only for making improvements to the trail, but so that we can continue to provide helpful information to visitors who are looking to plan their trip out to the refuge. For example, for someone who utilizes a wheelchair, they would be able to find detailed trail information on our website regarding the trail conditions and whether they might be able to access our site. While a handful of National Park Service sites have been analyzed using this process, this was the first-ever training for the USFWS. Refuge staff attended the training, along with other representatives from the region.
Training participants utilized a computer with sensors mounted on a cart to collect the data
|  | The first day of training was held at Tualatin River National Wildlife Refuge! |  | |
Some insight on the National Level
By D.C. Carr Division of Visitor Services and Communications
National Recreation Fee Program Coordinator
The Rehabilitation Act of 1973, of which Section 508 is a part, was a landmark in disability rights legislation. Over the last fifty years, government agencies and private entities alike have worked to provide better access to all Americans regardless of their abilities.
Section 508 is of growing importance today, as so much of this piece of legislation relates to digital communications and ensuring that people who have low vision or who are blind can still access the information and services that we provide. The work that federal agencies to do ensure compliance with Section 508 also ensures that people who use screen reader or screen magnifier technology can use those tools on websites and digital documents. By ensuring a logical metadata structure, by providing image alt-text, and by ensuring acceptable color contrast, digital content creators can give the best possible experience to the widest range of users.
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Calling All Photographers
By Phyllis Millan
Let’s share the beauty of TRNWR and other wild places through your pictures. Submit via email to FriendsPhoto@friendsoftualatinrefuge.org include your name, where the picture was taken and any pertinent information
Photo credit Roger Williams
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Waterfowl Hunt Opportunities
By Todd McKinney, Park Range
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Wapato Lake National Wildlife Refuge’s waterfowl hunt application is now open. This hunt is currently conducted in tandem with the restoration of the historic Wapato Lake lakebed. Waterfowl hunting at the refuge began in the 2020-21 season and provides waterfowl hunters with an opportunity that is easily accessible from the Portland metropolitan area. Hunting is allowed on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays within the Oregon state waterfowl season, beginning in December. The hunt area consists of 275-acres out of the close to 900 acres that makes up the refuge. For anyone interested, the link to find the lottery application is Wapato Lake NWR Hunt Website. Call the refuge at 503-625-5944, or email tualatinriver@fws.gov if you have any questions.
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This Week at Interior
October 13, 2023
Secretary Haaland and Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs Bryan Newland joined First Lady Dr. Jill Biden to visit the Menominee Nation in Wisconsin; the nation welcomed two new additions to the Refuge System during National Wildlife Refuge Week; Secretary Haaland made stops in Virginia and Tennessee to highlight the President’s Investing in America agenda; the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is funding up to $36 million for fish passage projects; the Bureau of Land Management is improving sagebrush habitat thanks to $4.5 million from the Inflation Reduction Act; the Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement has announced five states that will receive exemplary awards; the U.S. Geological Survey confirmed that early inhabitants and megafauna co-existed for several millennia before the terminal Pleistocene extinction event; the Paleontology Program at the National Park Service announced a new shark species has been discovered; and we’re celebrating Autumn with our social media Picture of the Week!
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Friends of the Tualatin River National Wildlife Refuge Complex
19255 SW Pacific Hwy Sherwood, Oregon 97140
503.625.5944 x 15227
www.FriendsofTualatinRefuge.org
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