Volunteers Needed for Habitat Restoration

Planting season is here, and we have 3,200 plants to put in the ground by the end of March. We are continuing eastward from the planting we did last winter. See our news page for details.

Hours for Gibbons Creek Wildlife Art Trail Gate

As of 11/8/11 the automatic gate at the Gibbons Creek Wildlife Art Trail parking lot will open at 7:00 AM and close at 5:00 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.

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.