Malheur Musings
September 2023
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“Remember that the yield of a hard country is a love deeper than a fat and easy land inspires...[this is] a stern and desolate country, a high bare country, a country brimming with a beauty not to be found elsewhere.”
-Bernard DeVoto, “The Year of Decision: 1846” (1942)
Photo of green meadow with Steens Mountain as backdrop by Dan Streiffert
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Seasons are such a beautiful concept. In these monthly updates I spend a lot of time reflecting on the environmental seasons as we, the wildlife, and the weather ebb and flow through them. With summer slowly creeping to a close we are watching the birds shift their behaviors. Ibis are swooping through the sky as they move throughout the basin and gather in growing flocks (pictured right). Bobolink have lost their breeding plumage and group together, visually incognito but audibly unmistakable.
It's also back to school season which brings with it a natural buzz in our small community along with the annual Harney County Fair and Rodeo. People are also coming together in ways that they haven't for a few months. Walking past the local elementary school I watched the children at recess, and they reminded me of birds staging, bursting with energy.
Today I noticed TWO Friends of Malheur NWR stickers on cars parked in the teacher lot. This got me thinking about the season of our organization and the possibility that we are also flowing through a transition of one season to another. In 2024 The Friends will celebrate 25 years of supporting Malheur National Wildlife Refuge and in this next season we are doing it with an increasing amount of support across the country from Maine to Texas but also right here at home.
Like the birds and the children, we don't know exactly what this next season has in store for us. We do know that it will require a lot of individual and collective energy, a lot of learning, and some reliance on our instincts!
Thank you, as always, for being a Friend.
Janelle L Wicks
FOMR Executive Director
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Written by Wm. Tweed
As you look through this month’s edition of the Musings, you’ll see that we have a busy fall season before us. Our small staff and essential cadre of volunteers have laid out a rich series of events that provide opportunities for you to get personally involved at our favorite wildlife refuge.
September and October will see a number of volunteer work events at the refuge. Autumn is a wonderful time to be at the Refuge, and there are few better ways to enjoy it than to sign up for one of our work party events. Read More
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It feels like I closed my eyes for two seconds and my last month at Malheur has already concluded. During these last few weeks, my main duties have included conducting submerged aquatic vegetation (SAV) surveys and duck banding.
Two technicians came from Camas National Wildlife Refuge in Idaho to conduct SAV surveys at East and West Knox. I accompanied them, and, while we had fun, it was a little cramped with three people in one canoe (pictured above)! Read More
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The Friends of Malheur NWR are proud to fund the Wildlife Biology Internship program which costs ~$8,500. |
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By Evan Heeb of Worthy Environmental
This fall, Wintercreek Nursery and Worthy Environmental will begin rebuilding the landscape around the Malheur Wildlife Refuge Headquarters. This project will begin with Phase 1: The portion of ‘lawn’ east of the Visitor Center deck that stretches from the deck to the public restrooms between the sidewalk and flower bed. You may have sat in this area on the bench beneath the hawthorn tree.
As the climate changes on a regional (and global) scale, land managers must adapt to drier conditions throughout the American west. Currently, Southeastern Oregon and the rest of the northern Great Basin consistently experience droughts that can last several years. Consequently, water is becoming a precious commodity throughout the region.
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Intermountain West Joint Venture Shorebird Surveys |
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By Teresa Wicks PhD
Portland Audubon's E. OR Biologist
In 2022, Point Blue Bird Observatory, National Audubon, and the USFWS proposed a reboot of shorebird surveys that were conducted in the 1990s. The impetus for this reboot was the extended drought that caused declines in water levels throughout the Intermountain West and the need to understand how shorebird populations may be affected by water declines.
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By Linda Craig, Volunteer
I was thrilled when Teresa invited me to help with the shorebird survey on Malheur Lake. We would travel by airboat, a new experience for me. Alexa Martinez, Malheur NWR Wildlife Biologist, was our expert boat captain. Our crew included Teresa, another volunteer Jody Golightly, and me. We set out along the Blitzen River, and soon we were in the vast expanse of the lake with birds EVERYWHERE!
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September update by Gary Ivey, PhD.
Three of the GPS collars of the 12 trumpeter swans marked in the study transmitted data during the month of August. All three were in Alberta.
Adult female with collar code @10 again remained sedentary in the same area she used in June and July on a small wetland just northeast of the small town of Chateh in extreme northwestern Alberta. She should be molting her flight feathers at this time of year. Read More
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How Big is the Lake? Starring Malheur Lake! |
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Welcome to another exciting episode of "How Big is the Lake?!"
The month of August has been a mix of temperatures from the 70s to mid 90's. Days are starting to get shorter and nights are getting longer. But it did bring us the peak of the Perseid meteor shower and the blue moon this coming Wednesday!
As of August 27, 2023 the lake is around 22,783 acres. I know you all were expecting the lake to reach the Narrows, but unfortunately it will not be reunited this year. Never fear, there is still much exciting news from the Lake! It has been host to an abundance of submerge aquatic vegetation, macroinvertebrate, and lots of emergent vegetation on the lake. We have also observed a great number and diversity of birds! If you look closely in the newest photo, you can actually see emergent bullrush and cattail represented by the dark green areas on the edges of the Lake. The lighter green is a mix of filamentous green algae and submerged aquatic vegetation.
Thanks again for tuning into this month's episode and stay tuned for more as we welcome fall migration!!!
~ Alexa Martinex, MNWR Wildlife Biologist
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By Janelle Wicks
Photos by Dan Streiffert
Marbled godwit (Limosa fedoa) is a large and unique shorebird, with their long, two-toned bill which is lightly upturned. These birds breed in the prairies of US states such as Montana and the Dakotas and central Canadian provinces. In the non-breeding season, they stick to coastal areas of the Americas. As they make the trip between their territories, they are a reliable, though not abundant, sight at Malheur during both spring and fall migration. Read More
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Volunteers are critical to helping us meet our mission of conserving the natural and cultural resources of the Refuge. YOU can join this work and help to restore the Crane Pond Overlook Trail!
VOLUNTEERS WILL:
- Cleaning entrance signs and interpretive panels
- Clearing, graveling, and maintaining the trailhead
- Cleaning the site of brush and debris
- Install new directional signage
- Conduct willow whip harvesting for future work party reconstruction of the Marshall Pond Trail Secrecy Fence
Housing at Malheur Field Station is being provided at no cost to participants, but sign-up soon as space is limited. For more information, please contact Alice Elshoff at calice58@gmail, with a cc to friends@malheurfriends.org
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With the support of Refuge staff the Friends of Malheur NWR are developing a Volunteer Campground at Refuge Headquarters! YOU can join this work and help create overnight accommodations for future volunteers!
This weekend our Volunteers will:
- Lay out weed barrier cloth at the campground
- Spread gravel over newly laid weed barrier cloth
- Assist with light groundskeeping around the Crane's Nest Nature Center & Store
- Use previously harvested willow whips for reconstruction of the Marshall Pond Trail Secrecy Fence
- SUNDAY Options:
- FOMR's Adopt-a-Highway Clean-up. Meet at 9am in the Headquarters visitor parking lot OR join the crew at the Frenchglen wayside at 10am.
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Headquarters Dry-Scaping Native Planting. Meet on the Visitor Center Deck at Refuge Headquarters at 9am. See this article from above for more information about this project.
Housing at Malheur Field Station is being provided at no cost to participants, but sign-up soon as space is limited. For more information, please contact Alice Elshoff at calice58@gmail, with a cc to friends@malheurfriends.org
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McMenamin's Old St Francis School - Bend, OR
TELL YOUR FRIENDS! We are kicking off National Wildlife Refuge Celebration Week with an evening of fun in honor of Malheur NWR and the mystical dark skies that blanket the Refuge. Did you know that Malheur NWR lies beneath the largest contiguous expanse of dark skies in the lower 48? This little known fact is gaining attention from scientists, naturalists, and creatives alike. Join us in honoring this with messages three such individuals!
Ellen Waterson, Award winning Poet, Author, and Writing Instructor
Scott Fisher, Pine Mountain Observatory Director
Bill Kowalik, International Dark Skies - Oregon Board Chair
Enjoy these passionate and knowledgeable speakers in addition to a silent auction, hors d'oeuvres, and one FREE drink ticket per attendee!
*If you have goods or services that would be suitable for the silent auction please contact Janelle, Friends@malheurfriends.org
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Wild for Malheur - Walk for the Big Day!
P Ranch - Frenchglen, OR
Wrapping up National Wildlife Refuge Celebration Week, October 14th is the confluence of many exciting opportunities to explore and celebrate natural spaces and wildlife at Malheur NWR. The October Big Day is an annual community science bird count to recognize the importance of monitoring fall migration. List and report your bird sightings while you Walk for the Wild! We will start the day with a morning bird walk at P Ranch before enjoying the view of the annular eclipse. Then choose one or more walking route options to get moving as part of the nationwide effort to Walk for the Wild!
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Reflections & Connections |
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Written by Linda Craig, FOMR Volunteer
Photos by Dan Streiffert
I’m at Malheur volunteering for the Friends of Malheur Refuge in their Crane’s Nest Nature Center and Store. Generally, I’m scheduled for three days a week, so I have time off to bird and explore.
Yesterday (8/2), I set out to check out the Center Patrol Road (CPR). It is a 42-mile gravel road that runs through the center of the Refuge’s Blitzen Valley from Headquarters to P Ranch, near Frenchglen. READ MORE
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Every month there is excellent content on the Friends Facebook, Instagram and YouTube pages. Here we will feature the most popular post of the month.
August 10, 2023: A flock of American white pelicans takes flight on wings that can span more than nine feet across. Photo by Peter Pearsall
Follow the Friends of Malheur on Facebook and Instagram at Malheurfriends!
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Membership Minute
The sustaining support of our members is more important than ever.
If you are unsure of your Membership status you can email us at friends@malheurfriends.org today!
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Current Membership Total: 928 |
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Not a Member or need to RENEW?
Prefer to send a check? Easy.
Fill out THIS FORM and mail it with your dues to:
Friends of Malheur NWR
36391 Sodhouse Lane
Princeton, OR 97721
Baltimore Oriole male adult seen at Benson Pond in June. Photo by Peter Pearsall
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Introducing the Sandhill Crane Society
Beginning this year, Friends of Malheur are welcoming the 17 inaugural members of the Sandhill Crane Society. Any supporter who contributes $1,000 or more through Membership dues and/or donations throughout the year will become a Member of this new program. Our depth of our gratitude for those individuals who support our mission at this level of ongoing support cannot be expressed, but we sure will try!
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Crane's Nest Nature Center & Store
7 Days/Week | 8:00 AM - 4:00 PM
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Malheur HQ Visitor Center
7 Days/Week | 8:00 AM - 4:00 PM
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Friends of Malheur National Wildlife Refuge
36391 Sodhouse Lane
Princeton, OR 97721
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