NOTICE - TEMPORARY PARTIAL CLOSURE OF GIBBONS CREEK TRAIL

The portion of the Gibbons Creek Wildlife Art Trail between the north end of the Gibbons Creek bridge and the south end of the Redtail Pond boardwalk is planned for closure on Wednesday, September 1, 2010. Refuge volunteers will be planting native trees and shrubs in that area during the coming winter months,and in preparation for those activites, the non-native reed canarygrass and Himalayan blackberry along both sides of the trail between those structtures will be sprayed with an herbicide by a certified spraying contractor. The closed segment of the trail will reopen on the morning of Thursday, September 2. This is, of course, dependent on the weather, and could change. Signs will be in place at the entrances to the trail and at both entrances area to be closed when the closure is actually in effect. The rest of the trail will be open to visitors for hiking, widllife observation, and photography. For additiional information, please contact the Refuge office at (360) 835-8767.

Fall Guided Hikes Scheduled

A number of guided hikes have been scheduled for the Steigerwald Lake and Pierce refuges. Please see the calendar page for dates, times and registration information.

Hours for Gibbons Creek Wildlife Trail Gate

As of 8/26/10 the automatic gate at the Gibbons Creek Wildlife Trailhead parking lot will open at 6:00 AM and close at 8:00 PM.

Portion of Steigerwald Lake Refuge Trail Closed 10/1-4/30 to Protect Wintering Wildlife

The north branch of the Gibbons Creek Wildlife Trail will be closed from Oct. 1 through April 30 in order to protect wintering wildlife.  The remainder of the trail, from the trailhead parking lot south over the footbridge to the Columbia dike trail, is open year round.

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.

3rd Saturday Work Parties

For the convenience of our volunteers, we are scheduling regular work parties at Steigerwald Lake NWR the third Saturday of each month, rain or shine. Work parties will be from 9:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. They may involve planting native trees, shrubs and plants; removing invasive species such as blackberries or ivy; or other hands-on, habitat restoration projects. Later, we will probably schedule work parties at Pierce NWR. We’ll let you know when those opportunities arise.

For more details see the calendar page.

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 promote public awareness, appreciation and active support for Steigerwald Lake, Franz Lake, and Pierce National Wildlife Refuges.

We do this by:

• Educating people of all ages about the purpose and benefits of the Refuges and the opportunities for non-consumptive recreation on them (e.g., bird watching, nature photography, hiking)
• Supporting the operating activities of the Refuges
• Advocating for the Refuges to the community, news media, and government officials
• Encouraging people to volunteer their time and talents for the benefit of the Refuges
• Recruiting Refuge Stewards members and volunteers

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.

Our largest project to date has been habitat restoration on the Steigerwald Lake Refuge. Last winter, some 2,000 trees and shrubs were planted by teams of volunteers, including Scouts and school groups. In the past, volunteers have worked on Pierce Refuge, removing non-native False Indigobush plants. Volunteers have just started periodic cleanups of the interpretive site at Franz Lake Refuge. In addition to work projects, naturalists lead nature walks at the Pierce and Steigerwald Lake Refuges several times during the year.

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