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Cold Springs
National Wildlife Refuge
Loop Road, 6 miles east of Highway 395, near Boardman, Oregon.
Boardman, OR   
E-mail: mcriver@fws.gov
Phone Number: (509) 546-8300
Visit the Refuge's Web Site:
http://www.fws.gov/coldsprings/
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  Overview
Cold Springs National Wildlife Refuge
In the arid and seasonally-cold desert of northeastern Oregon, an oasis for wildlife has appeared where water and desert mingle. The 3,117 acre Cold Springs Refuge consists of rich and diverse wetland habitats surrounded by upland habitat of big sagebrush and native steppe grasses.

A riparian component of willow and cottonwood provides refuge for birds, mammals, and other animals in this unique desert environment. Located in Umatilla County near Hermiston, Oregon, the refuge was established in 1909 as a preserve and breeding ground for native birds.

Management has broadened to include conservation and restoration of native habitat and species characteristic to this desert ecosystem. Refuge wetlands support large numbers of wintering waterfowl while adjacent riparian habitat supports a rich abundance of songbirds and healthy populations of western mule deer and desert elk. Refuge visitors have easy access to this popular refuge for hunting, fishing, and wildlife watching.


Getting There . . .
From Highway 395 in Hermiston take Highland Hills Road east, which turns into Loop Road. The refuge is approximately 6 miles from Hermiston.

Get Google map and directions to this refuge/WMD from a specified address:

Your full starting address AND town and state OR zip code


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NOTE: When using this feature, you will be leaving the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service domain. We do not control the content or policies of the site you are about to visit. You should always check site policies before providing personal information or reusing content.

These driving directions are provided as a general guide only. No representation is made or warranty given as to their content, road conditions or route usability or expeditiousness. User assumes all risk of use.

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Wildlife and Habitat
The refuge overlays Cold Springs Reservoir, the primary source of water for local agriculture. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service manages the lands, while the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation manages the reservoir's water levels. Full pool occurs in May with 1,550 acres of open water. By late August, an average of only 200 acres of water remain. Although the water levels drop drastically in the summer, Cold Springs Refuge attracts a variety of wildlife throughout the year.

Learn More>>


    Recreation and Education Opportunities
Fishing
Hunting
Photography
Wildlife Observation
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Managment Activities

To help wildlife, we use a variety of habitat management techniques to maintain, recover, or enhance wildlife values in the shrub-steppe and other habitats. We use controlled burning, mowing, experimental biocontrol insect releases, and seeding to help native plants in the shrub-steppe recover. We plant willow and cottonwood saplings to expand and strengthen wildlife in the riparian zones.

We carefully monitor and control water levels to foster desired plant growth or inhibit weed growth in seasonal wetlands; we manage three wetland impoundments totaling approximately 100 acres as moist soil units, drawing them down in late spring and flooding them in the fall. Sometimes we close sensitive areas to the public so that the land can recover more quickly.