After a long and quiet winter, the natural world is stirring. Migratory birds – waterbirds and songbirds alike – are surging northward toward their summer breeding grounds after wintering in relatively mild places like California’s Great Central Valley. Some species traveled as far south as Central America to avoid the cold. Throughout April, flocks of numerous species will arrive at Malheur to feed and rest.
Over the course of a couple weeks, Carey, Karen, and I rolled into K-8 classrooms with carefully packed tubs loaded with art supplies, educational charts, and George, a Great Horned Owl, who since meeting his demise lives on as an ambassador of refuge educational programs, flying into the heart of every Harney County student he meets.
A new book just out from Oregon State University Press includes several chapters that mention Malheur and its environs. Edited by FOM board member Alan Contreras and two other leading Oregon bird observers, it covers early bird-related explorations beginning with the Lewis and Clark expedition and continuing through the mid-20th Century.
Arborist Jon Brown arrived on September 15 to assess the wind-damaged tree. The front side of the trunk was completely dead and disconnected from the living back portion and the ground. He determined that height reduction was the first step and used a pole saw to reduce and/or remove the live branches that were tall enough to strike the Nature Store in the event of the whole tree failing.
“This was definitely my most memorable moment…the tenderness of the parents towards their young, the little ones energy and eagerness all backdropped by a beautiful sunset…it was a heartfelt scene to say the least, that touched me so deeply I drove away crying, tears of beauty, tears of gratitude.” – Calley Lovett
Friends of Malheur National Wildlife Refuge was formed in 1999 and is an independent non-profit 501(c)(3) corporation.
Tax ID #: 93-1261322
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