Malheur Musings
August 2020
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Yellow-breasted chat are the largest warbler of North America and is known to be... quite chatty throughout the spring, but largely silent outside of courting behavior. Thick riparian habitat is a favorite of these birds here on Malheur NWR where they nest and tend to their fledglings. In the next few months they will begin making their way south to wintering grounds in Central America
Photo by Dan Streiffert
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This year has been full of uncertainty and left many of us feeling disconnected from family, friends and the places we love so much. All of which we would typically be spending more time with than we have been able to in the last 5 months.
You Friends at Malheur NWR have been feeling this too. This is why we are so excited to announce a week long line-up of virtual events that are designed to connect you, our Friends with Malheur NWR. So, let's take a moment to celebrate... or how about a WHOLE WEEK?!?
The Friends of Malheur NWR's annual gathering is going virtual! As part of our ongoing Harney@Home campaign and in celebration of Malheur NWR we are bringing you a full week of events designed to engage and entertain you, our Friends!
Links to program details and to register for each individual event/program are available on our
WEBSITE
.
You will also find more information below in the Events section of this newsletter.
All events will be held over Zoom and are FREE with the occasional suggested donation of $10 for attendance. To make a donation for any of these programs click here:
https://bit.ly/2CzFNyr
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As always, Thank you for being a Friend.
Janelle L Wicks
FOMR Executive Director
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By Peter Pearsall
Malheur Refuge is celebrated for the incredible quantity and diversity of migratory birds that use its many habitat types through the seasons, but the Refuge is home to many year-round resident species as well. One such bird—commonly seen but seldom appreciated—is the California quail.
READ MORE
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By Peter Pearsall
Congratulations to Peyton Kreuger of Drewsey, OR, for being the 2020 recipient of our education award!
In the spirit of promoting the conservation and appreciation of natural spaces and public lands such as Malheur NWR, this $1,000 scholarship is available to any Harney County Resident seeking a degree in Conservation, Wildlife, Environmental Sciences, or Natural Resources related fields.
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By Teresa Wicks
Portland Audubon’s Eastern Oregon Field Biologist, Teresa Wicks, has been compiling a weekly bird list. We have been sharing that list on the @MalheurFriends Facebook page as a part of our collaborative Harney@Home campaign. For more of Teresa’s observations and field experiences you can follow @RestoreMalheur on Facebook and catch the occasional article from her in our monthly Malheur Musings newsletter.
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Presentation Details and Registration Links:
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Kenn Kaufman Presentations
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All of the graphics below are linked directly to their registration pages.
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Auction Contributors include:
Kaufman Field Guides
Artist Kathy Bowman
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While travel remains a risk for many we are committed to our #HarneyatHome campaign:
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Join other Friends members, National Wildlife Refuge Association, and Coalition for Refuge Friends and Advocates as we polish our advocacy skills to make sure our legislators heed our messages.
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NWRA and CORFA are hosting a webinar on:
- Tips to help keep your message in front of your legislators
- Latest updates on legislative issues
When: Wednesday, August 5th, at 2:00 pm eastern.
This session is the third in a three part series. New registrants will have access to the prior two webinars that dealt with critical issues impacting the National Wildlife Refuge System and preparing for your meetings with lawmakers.
Let’s make our voices heard across the country.
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By National Wildlife Refuge Association
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This week (July 24th) was a momentous week for wildlife conservation and wildlife refuges on Capitol Hill! From the protection of the Desert National Wildlife Refuge to funding for Refuge System Operations and Maintenance to the permanent funding of the Land and Water Conservation Fund, we thank Congress for their hard work to support our nation’s public lands.
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July's Most Popular
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.
Migrant Monday (7/13)
Photos by Loree Johnson
Migrant Monday: The first burrowing owls of the year typically arrive in Harney Basin by late March. They are capable of digging out their own burrows over the course of several days. They are likely to skip the extra work and utilize burrows dug by ground squirrels, badgers, marmots and kangaroo rats. When getting settled in they line the tunnel with manure which will attract insects to eat.
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Burrowing Owls incubate a clutch of 2-12 for 28-30 days and by mid June you can begin to see young owlets emerging from their burrows to explore their surroundings.
These long legged owls spend much of their time on or close to the ground. You may observe them scoping out the lay of the land from the perch of a fence post. If they are bobbing up and down jerkily you are likely too close or something else in the area has them on notice.
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In the last 50 years, burrowing owl populations have declined by ~33% due in large part to habitat loss despite total numbers remaining plentiful enough to keep them off of species of concern lists in the United States. Agriculture and development along with pesticide use and introduced predators such as domestic dogs and cats are primary causes of mortality for these birds.
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This post reached over 3,300 people through Facebook! Follow our page,
@Malheurfriends
, to see more great content like this!
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Membership Minute
The sustaining support of our members is more imoportant than ever.
If you are unsure of your Membership status you can email us at friends@malheurfriends.org today!
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2020 Membership Appreciation
All New and Renewing Members
will receive an exclusive FOMR Member 2020 clear decal.
Renewing Members
that
BUMP
up a Membership level will receive a new Malheur BUMPer sticker. (Pictured below)
New and Renewing Members
that sign up at the Patron ($200), Steward ($500) or Benefactor ($1,000) levels are eligible for specialty gifts! You can opt out of receiving your gift when you fill out your membership form online or in person.
Gifts will include Malheur specialty coffee roasted by Clawfoot Coffee Roasters in Klamath Falls and 1 or 2 FOMR hand-thrown ceramic Mugs by Deneen Pottery. Benefactor Members will also receive a copy of the Malheur Symphony on CD.
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Current Membership Total: 720!
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GIFT A MEMBERSHIP
to the Malheur enthusiast and Bird lover in your life! Membership is a great way to keep up with and support the ongoing work of our organization! All you have to do is fill out
THIS FORM
with the recipient's name and contact information and they will be informed of their Membership!
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We appreciate our Friends and know that much of what we accomplish in serving the Refuge can not be done without the physical presence of VOLUNTEERS.
Given travel and on-site work restrictions we have maintained a minimal presence at Refuge Headquarters since we closed the Crane's Nest Nature Center & Store on March 21st.
The value of committed Board Members, like Jerry Moore (left), who continue to support ongoing projects at the Refuge is immeasurable. Jerry has been diligently working on irrigation of the Worthy Pollinator Garden and Marshall Pond Trail habitat enhancement.
Last week Linda Hoffman and Jody Newman 'joined' Jerry with their masks and maintaining social distancing in order to install signs and add more flowers to the Worthy Pollinator Garden.
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A HUGE thank you is owed to
Linda Hoffman
who lead the charge and worked closely with
Lisa Sanco
in making the Worthy Pollinator Garden come to life. We are thrilled with the newly installed interpretive sign. We hope that you will enjoy the garden as much as the birds, butterflies, and bees!
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Crane's Nest Nature Center & Store
Unstaffed until further notice
The Online Nature Store is now operational and offering a selection of our favorite Malheur NWR and Friends of MNWR goodies*!
*Some product images are still being produced and will be posted soon
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Decorate your favorite field jacket, bino straps, tote bag, bucket hat... the possibilities are endless!
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These enamel pins are the perfect accessory for your gear or gift for someone special. We have 8 species available in our online Crane's Nest Nature Store. There are many more varieties available, so if you are looking for a critter that you don't see online send us an email to ask if we have it in stock, friends@malheurfriends.org
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Malheur HQ Visitor Center
Unstaffed until further notice
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36391 Sodhouse Lane
Princeton, OR 97721
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