Haigh! (Hi!)

My first few weeks here at the refuge have been very exciting. My first week was composed of new names and faces of the refuge staff and volunteers. We were fortunate enough to have an archaeologist with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife come by so we could check for any culturally significant artifacts at a few sites for new interpretive signs, bat condos, and other habitat enhancement projects. I also got the chance to go out on the airboat with Dominic, the aquatic biologist, and Kate, High Desert Partnership’s Technician. The water level for Malheur Lake is incredibly high this year, so we saw many fences half-submerged underwater. We also saw miles of nesting colonies for white-faced ibis and Franklin’s gulls. Dominic also showed me the fish traps we will be working with this summer, preventing invasive carp from traveling upstream.

While the work is grounded in field science, management plans, and regulatory protocols there is also an emphasis on public and community engagement. I staffed a ‘Hotspot location’ during the Migrate through Malheur event and got to meet some of the board members and volunteers that make up Friends of Malheur NWR. And during my second week, I had the joy of working with the local first graders as they had a field trip to the refuge. We played a game to learn about the food web, got to check out the George Benson Memorial Museum, and had them tell me what their favorite bird was.

Later that week, we teamed up with Oregon Fish and Wildlife to do some electrofishing at Krumbo Reservoir, targeting smallmouth bass that would be moved to Moon Reservoir. Oregon Fish and Wildlife brought their specialized boat that sends electricity into the water and stuns the fish so we could net them. After that work was done, our team spent time setting and checking the fish traps and getting familiar with IDing the native fish such as Redbrand trout, Bridgelip sucker, Redside shiners and Mountain white fish. I also had my first solo run of checking the fish traps and recording all the fish that came through the fish ladder. We also had our first set of invasive carp that came through the fish ladder, and I made sure to prevent them from going further upstream.

Thanks to the community of Refuge staff and Partners throughout Oregon, I was able to enjoy an extended weekend with the opportunity to stay at Klamath Marsh NWR and visit Crater Lake. The lake was absolutely stunning, and getting the chance to see it before its temporary closure was very special to me.

I’m having such a great time out here at Malheur NWR, and I’m very excited for what’s to come as my summer here continues.

Slan go foill (Bye for now)

Lisa

Photo above of Lisa with largemouth bass from Krumbo Reservoir during ODFW relocation effort. 
Greeting and farewell in Gaelic