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Connecting Power of Community with Passion for Nature

Happy New Year!

We kicked off 2018 with a bang with our First Hike on January 1st.  Over 70 people joined our Volunteer Coordinator, Jared, to walk the Gibbons Creek Art Trail and enjoy great views of eagles, swans and much more!  We are also excited that our social media footprint continues to expand - this Facebook Event reached 11,000 people!!!!  We also now have over 600 followers on Facebook and 150 followers on Instagram! Keep sharing, liking, and commenting on our posts to help get the word out about the work we do.   We hope to reach more social media milestones in 2018 as we have a lot of exciting things planned!
Join us for our Annual Meeting on Tuesday, February 13th, at 6:30 pm

One of our first exciting ventures of 2018 is our new partnership with 54-40 Brewing Company in Washougal! They are creating a special beer just for us - the "Restoration Bock" - and to help launch the beer, we will be hosting our Annual Meeting at 54-40.  Join us on Tuesday, February 13th to hear updates about the work we did in 2017, our plans for 2018, and from our guest speaker from Friends of the Columbia Gorge on Steigerwald Shores and the Towns to Trails project.  We will also provide the latest information on the Steigerwald Floodplain Restoration Project being led by the Estuary Partnership.  Light hors d'oeuvres will be provided and the taproom will be open to purchase beer/cider/non-alcoholic beverages. For all the details, see our Facebook Event.  Event is open to the public!

 
Thanks to the 20 Volunteers who came out and planted over 100 trees for our MLK Day of Service Event! Here are more ways to get involved coming up:

3rd Saturday Work Party - January 20th from 9:00 am-12:00 pm.  You know the drill - bring your family and friends and help us with a restoration project. Meet at the Trailhead at Steigerwald Lake NWR.

Youth Photo Contest Display - The winning photos from the 2017 Youth Photo Contest are on display at the Cascade Park Community Library for the month of January, and move to Columbia Credit Union in Washougal for February. 

Volunteer Naturalist Training-  Are you interested in connecting the community with nature out at Steigerwald Lake or Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge?  Our free Volunteer Naturalist Training is a great place to start!  It will be each Saturday in April from 10 am -3 pm and topics will range from Oak habitat to wetland environments and everything that lives there.  Locations vary between Ridgefield and Steigerwald. Contact jared_strawderman@fws.gov for more information or to sign up.

Photo courtesy of Jared Strawderman
Spring Migration Comes Early This Year!
 
Our Refuge Biologist has indicated that spring migration may already be underway.  While you never know what you might see on the trail (except you can nearly always count on seeing our resident Harrier), be on the look out for Cinnamon Teal, Wood Ducks, and possibly swallows on warmer days as a result of the early migration.  Our new website, launching soon, will also have current sightings, so you can keep up to date on what the migration is bringing to the Refuge, as well as other animals visitors have spotted while enjoying the trail.  We also love to see your photos, so don't forget to share what you've seen with us on Facebook!

Photo courtesy of Brette Greenwood-Wing
Copyright © 2018 Columbia Gorge Refuge Stewards, All rights reserved.


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