Guided Hike Opportunities on the Refuges

Refuge volunteers will be leading guided birding hikes at Steigerwald Lake and Pierce Refuges this spring. Join us for some great birding opportunities. See our news page for details.

Volunteers Needed for Summer Wildlife Habitat Projects

Planting season is over, but the upcoming field season brings with it opportunities for volunteers to help with wildlife habitat projects. These will include things such as maintenance on our new plantings (cutting tall grass to reduce competition and straightening plant tubes), invasives control, improving brush pile habitats, and new planting survivorship surveys.

Hours for Gibbons Creek Wildlife Art Trail Gate

As of 5/7/2012 the automatic gate at the Gibbons Creek Wildlife Art Trail parking lot will open at 6:00 AM and close at 8:30 PM.

Closed Section of Steigerwald Lake Refuge Trail will be open May 1st

The north branch of the Gibbons Creek Wildlife Art Trail will be opened on the morning of May 1st.

Refuge manager Jim Clapp also wants to remind visitors that bicycles, dogs, horses and joggers are not allowed to use the trail. These prohibitions are to protect wildlife and prevent any conflicts between pedestrians using the trail to enjoy the surrounding habitat and the wildlife using it, and these other uses.

Welcome

The Columbia Gorge Refuge Stewards are a group of volunteers who help the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service preserve and maintain the three National Wildlife Refuges in the western Columbia River Gorge, in western Washington State. These Refuges are:

• Steigerwald Lake National Wildlife Refuge - 1,049 acres near Washougal
• Franz Lake National Wildlife Refuge - 590 acres near Beacon Rock
• Pierce National Wildlife Refuge - 329 acres near Beacon Rock

Our Mission

Our mission is to preserve and enhance the native species of Steigerwald Lake, Franz Lake and Pierce National Wildlife Refuges through public education, advocacy and habitat restoration.

We do this by:

• Recruiting, training & leading volunteers in support of the Refuges through habitat restoration, citizen science, environmental education and other efforts.
• Making the public more aware of the Refuges through personal contacts, presentations, the media, community events, and the Internet.
• Serving as advocates for the Refuges.
• Introducing young people to the habitats and inhabitants of the Refuges.

Our projects include:

• Restoring habitat by planting and maintaining native shrubs and other vegetation and removing blackberries and other non-native species
• Coordinating public outreach and environmental education programs in local communities to generate awareness and support
• Monitoring water quality and coordinating with state and local agencies and the public to improve water quality of streams impacting the Refuges
• Developing or improving public use facilities
• Raising funds to support these projects

We are a newly developing group, so some of these projects await additional members and volunteers to be fully implemented. As the Refuge Stewards organization grows, we will be able to expand our active project list and accomplish more for these valuable wildlife oases.

Thank you for visiting our site. Please take a moment to look around by following the links at the top of the page.