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Ongoing
Projects | Accomplishments |
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Ongoing
Projects
 Clone
Bed Nursery: MWA maintains a clone-bed nursery, propagating plants
for restoration projects on the Refuge and adjoining watersheds. Volunteers
gather and outplant native plant materials such as willow, cottonwood, and
red-osier dogwood. (2 photos)
 John
Scharff Migratory Bird Festival: Representing Malheur National
Wildlife Refuge, MWA organizes and leads birding tours for the annual
John Scharff Migratory
Bird Festival. The popular Birds and Brunch Tour includes birding
in the Harney Basin and brunch at refuge headquarters.
 Fence
Removal: Volunteer work parties continue to remove obsolete
barbed wire fences that pose a threat to wildlife.
Walking
Trails: MWA volunteers are working with refuge staff to create
and improve walking trails on the Refuge. Ask at Refuge Headquarters about our new Crane Pond Overlook Trail.
 Annual
Litter Clean-Up: Volunteers come together each spring
to pick up trash along five miles of Highway 205 north of Frenchglen and
Steens Mountain Road to Page Springs.
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 Blitzen
River Riparian Restoration: A fast-learning, hard-working crew
of volunteers from the Central Oregon Flyfishers (COF), organized by Jen
Bock, ODFW-STEP Biologist, and Gene McMullen of the COF, planted hundreds
of willow, dogwood, and elderberry cuttings raised in the MWA clone bed
along two miles of the Blitzen River. The goals are to restore native
riparian vegetation to one of Southeast Oregon's treasured redband trout
streams and provide high quality woody and herbaceous shrubs to benefit
numerous wildlife species. (3 photos)
 Auto
Tour Route: The auto tour route along the 34-mile Center Patrol
Road is now complete. Nineteen signed stops mark the way and are interpreted
in a script available at Refuge Headquarters or on-line. The script touches on the
natural and cultural history and geology of the area, provides information
about the plant and animal life found on the Refuge, and highlights current
refuge management.
 Fencing
at Sod House Ranch: A small crew of "lady power," assisted by one
gentleman on the chain saw, built an attractive rustic fence at the historic
Sod House Ranch in preparation for opening the ranch to the public. Sod
House Ranch was the northern-most outpost for the huge Peter French cattle
empire. Several of the original buildings are intact at the site. Sod
House Ranch is open to the public and available for tours from August
15 through October 31.
 New
Sign Guides Visitors: With help from PRIDE (Positive Results from
Innovation, Determination and Energy), a local grass roots organization
dedicated to improving the local community, MWA designed, purchased, and
presented to the Refuge a large new sign along Hwy 78 near the Poison
Creek Grange Hall. The sign, with sandhill cranes pointing the way, invites
visitors to "discover Malheur National Wildlife Refuge."
 Microscopes
For Educational Programs: MWA presented three new microscopes to
the Refuge for use in student education programs. One of the microscopes
is digital and connects to a computer so images can be stored and projected
for easy viewing.
Narrows Parking Area: MWA was the catalyst
in bringing together refuge staff, the Oregon Department of Transportation,
County Transportation Commission, Harney County Court, and the Harney
County Chamber of Commerce to secure safe off-road parking at the Narrows
for wildlife viewing. This project is possible because of time, equipment,
and dollar donations from the above participants as well as dedicated
funds from the John Scharff
Migratory Bird Festival. The new parking area was completed in October
2003, and interpretative panels were installed in spring 2007. (3 photos)
Local Lodging Options for
Refuge Visitors: Perhaps you wish to join the fun but don't know
where to stay. Here are several options.
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