It will come as no surprise to those who know Malheur to be reminded that our refuge exists as a part of a larger world. Malheur is, after all, a sanctuary for migratory birds, creatures that move across the landscape in a ceaseless symphony of adaptation.

The National Wildlife Refuge System recognizes this fact. This is why places exist like the six refuges of the Klamath Basin National Wildlife Refuge complex and the multiple refuges of the Sacramento Valley of California. Here in Oregon, desert lakes like Summer and Abert also play an important role for migrating waterfowl and shorebirds. Other native species rely on the protected expanses of Hart Mountain and Sheldon national wildlife refuges, the two enormous reservations near the desert corner where the boundaries of Oregon, Nevada, and California come together.

I bring all this up now because, beginning with this issue, our Musings newsletter is going to begin sharing information with you about the neighboring places that both support Malheur’s wildlife and depend upon Malheur to do the same for them.

Traditionally, the Friends of Malheur has been an organization that has focused solely on the Malheur Refuge and its many needs, and that remains a goal we take very, very seriously. But in these troubled times, we are keenly aware that if Malheur is to be successful, in its own mission, it must have healthy neighboring refuges. As had been said many times, “The Birds don’t care where they land as long as they find what they need.”

With these thoughts in mind, our organization has already provided technical assistance to the small friends group at Hart Mountain National Antelope Refuge, and we have met informally with managers at Lower Klamath NWR, a refuge that does not currently have a friends group but badly needs one.

All these places share the same current challenges of federal budget cuts and job vacancies, and all are increasingly dependent upon volunteers to sustain visitor programs. These are situations that are unlikely to change anytime soon.

For our organization this situation is both a challenge and an opportunity. Malheur needs all the assistance we can focus upon it, yet it is ultimately no stronger than the refuges that form its neighbors. No easy answers here.

In the meantime, while we ponder these questions, we start sharing information here about these important neighbors. 

– W. Tweed