The extension is being granted because the Post Office was unable to deliver to the address printed in both the Oregon and Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife hunting pamphlets. Hunters who have received returned applications should resend them to the address below.

DIRECTIONS
Located southeast of Pasco off U.S. Highway 12 just south of the Snake River.  Refuge Visitor facilities are a quarter mile east of Highway 12 on Maple Street.

PRIMARY WILDLIFE
McNary NWR is primarily a resting and feeding area for up to 100,000 migrating waterfowl, although many other species of wildlife also use the Refuge habitats.  Most common species are Canada geese and mallards.

HABITAT
Originally established at 3,600 acres, the Refuge now encompasses over 15,000 acres of backwater sloughs, seasonal wetlands, shrub-steppe uplands, irrigated farmlands, river islands, delta mudflats, and riparian areas.  The Refuge also includes riverine wetlands and shoreline bays that serve as an important nursery for developing fall chinook salmon.

RECREATION AND EDUCATION

• Wildlife observation, study, and photography.
• Self-guided Nature Trail, 1.9 miles - begins at the Refuge Environmental Education Center and winds around part of the Burbank Slough.  Interpretive signs and a photo/birdwatching blind are located along the trail.  The first 700 foot section of the trail is paved and accessible to wheelchairs, as is the blind itself.
• Environmental Education Center staffed by refuge employees and volunteers, open 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. most weekdays, call (509) 543-8322.
• Waterfowl and upland bird hunting.
• Fishing for largemouth black bass, catfish, crappie, steelhead, and trout.

VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES
Volunteers are an important part of the McNary Refuge program.  To volunteer your time, please call the refuge office or Environmental Center, or mail a volunteer application to the refuge office.

WILDLIFE
McNary NWR wildlife throughout the seasons:
Fall and winter:  Large concentrations of migrating waterfowl can be seen from October through February,  usually peaking in December.  Canada geese, mallard, American wigeon, northern shoveler, canvasback and redhead ducks are other common species present in Refuge marshes and croplands.  Since large numbers of waterfowl feed away from the Refuge, magnificent flights of ducks and geese can commonly be seen departing or arriving at the Refuge during the morning and early evening hours.  American white pelicans, double-crested cormorants and great blue herons are among the variety of other bird species present during the fall and winter.  Bald eagles also are regular visitors to refuge marshes.

Visitors may also see red-tailed, sharp-shinned and Cooper’s hawks, and northern harriers.   Peregrine falcons are occasionally seen, particularly around the basalt cliffs in the Stateline and Juniper Canyon Units.

Spring / Summer:  As winter gives way to spring, most of the waterfowl and songbirds depart the Refuge for northern nesting grounds.  Those that stay to nest at McNary are joined by birds that have wintered further south.  Nesting species include mallard and redhead ducks, Canada geese, pied-billed grebes, burrowing owls, marsh wrens, and yellow-headed blackbirds.  The Columbia River islands are host to a great blue heron rookery, as well as nesting colonies of cormorants, black-crowned night herons, Caspian terns, and white pelicans.  The Walla Walla River delta is a productive area for viewing thousands of migrating shorebirds and wading birds in early spring and late summer.

The white pelicans are a familiar spring and summer sight in the Burbank Slough Unit.  Also common are American avocets, killdeer, osprey, and great blue herons.   Northern harriers, red-tailed hawks, and American kestrels are commonly seen hunting over Refuge fields in the summer.

Visitors to the Stateline and Juniper Canyon Units can view hawks and other cliff dwellers around the basalt cliffs where they nest and hunt.  Mule deer are also common, and a variety of songbirds use the canyons and riparian zones for their summer activities.

HUNTING
Hunting opportunities for waterfowl, ring-necked pheasants and several other wildlife species on the refuge units are in accordance with State (Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife - State Regs) and Federal regulations.  The refuge also has special refuge-specific regulations.  Descriptive leaflets are also available from Refuge headquarters.  Several disabled-accessible blinds Accessible Blinds are available on a permit basis.

FISHING
Our fishing information page is under construction.  For State fishing regulations see State Fishing Regs.

VOLUNTEER
We hope to have a volunteer form on this webpage in the future.  For now, please see our Volunteer's Corner.

ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION CENTER
The McNary Environmental Education Center (MEECe) (Click Here to Go to MEECe Website) is located at headquarters, across the parking lot from the refuge office (at the corner of Lake Road and Maple Street).  The Center is open to the general public.  It is available for wildlife interpretive programs and provides materials for conducting educational activities.   Teachers are encouraged to use the Center and the Refuge as an outdoor classroom.

A teacher accreditation program is held each year by volunteers and refuge staff.  These teacher workshops were designed to supplement science and nature classwork for teachers and youth leaders, and to attract public interest.  Contact the Center at (509) 543-8322 for more information.

Active partners in the McNary Environmental Education Center include:

• Lower Columbia Basin Audubon Society - Audubon Refuge Keepers
• The Nature Conservancy
• Chinook Council of Campfire Boys and Girls
• Columbia - Burbank School District
• Mid-Columbia Girl Scout Council
• Blue Mountain Boy Scout Council
• Washington Ornithological Society
• National Wildlife Federation
• Regional Youth Service Corps
• Benton-Franklin Volunteer Center