Get Some Nature in Your Kids at William L. Finley NWR Open House
When: Saturday, March 12, 2011
Where: William L. Finley National Wildlife Refuge
26208 Finley Refuge Road
Corvallis, Oregon 97333
Time: 10:00 a.m. until 3:00 p.m.
Cost: FREE
Join us at William L. Finley National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) on March 12th in recognition of National Wildlife Week with a day full of adventure and activities. Come celebrate the anniversary of the National Wildlife Refuge System, dedicated to the diversity and resources set aside for fish, wildlife and their habitats. In March, the wildlife variety and viewing opportunities abound at Finley Refuge as song birds and waterfowl migrate through, fields start greening up, raptors start "mousing", and elk become more active.
Start your journey at the Complex Headquarters near Bellfountain Road, or from the east entrances at Prairie Overlook or McFadden's Marsh near Hwy. 99W. Pick up your Wildlife Passport and continue through the designated stations earning your stamps. Learn how fire can help wildlife. Take a guided Behind the Scenes tour with Refuge staff at 10:00 a.m. or 1:00 p.m. (registration required - sign-up ahead of time by calling 541-757-7236). Look back to a time before Oregon became a state with a tour of the historic Fiechter House. Learn about local wildlife from the Audubon Society of Corvallis. See how experts take photographs of wildlife! Watch how horses are used to remove logs in sensitive areas on the Refuge. Catch a glimpse of waterfowl in the wetlands or raptors above the open fields. Restroom facilities and light refreshments (while supplies last) will be available. Present your stamped Passport book, and select from several mementos to take home. Keep a look out for the Blue Goose!
On March 14, 1903, President Theodore Roosevelt signed into existence the first federal bird reservation, Pelican Island, in Florida. This was the first federal Wildlife Refuge; today there are more than 550. William L. Finley National Wildlife Refuge is named for an early conservationist and wildlife photographer. He persuaded President Roosevelt to set aside the first National Wildlife Refuge (Three Arch Rocks, on the Oregon Coast) west of the Mississippi River. On February 19, 1963, the Migratory Bird Conservation Commission (MBCC) authorized the establishment of the Willamette Valley Refuges at areas to be located at traditional Canada goose concentration points in the Willamette Valley. Lands for the Refuges were purchased by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service under the wetland loan fund, against revenue from the future sales of duck stamps, under authorization of the MBCC and the Migratory Bird Treaty Act.
Sponsors for the event include the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Friends of the Willamette Valley NWR Complex, Audubon Society of Corvallis, Emerald Photographic Society, Preservation WORKS, and Benton County Historical Society. The Refuge is locate approximately 8 miles south of Corvallis off Hwy. 99W and 35 miles north of Eugene. Turn west at the brown and white entrance sign onto Finley Road. For more information, contact William L. Finley NWR staff at 541-757-7236, Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m.
Where: William L. Finley National Wildlife Refuge
26208 Finley Refuge Road
Corvallis, Oregon 97333
Time: 10:00 a.m. until 3:00 p.m.
Cost: FREE
Join us at William L. Finley National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) on March 12th in recognition of National Wildlife Week with a day full of adventure and activities. Come celebrate the anniversary of the National Wildlife Refuge System, dedicated to the diversity and resources set aside for fish, wildlife and their habitats. In March, the wildlife variety and viewing opportunities abound at Finley Refuge as song birds and waterfowl migrate through, fields start greening up, raptors start "mousing", and elk become more active.
Start your journey at the Complex Headquarters near Bellfountain Road, or from the east entrances at Prairie Overlook or McFadden's Marsh near Hwy. 99W. Pick up your Wildlife Passport and continue through the designated stations earning your stamps. Learn how fire can help wildlife. Take a guided Behind the Scenes tour with Refuge staff at 10:00 a.m. or 1:00 p.m. (registration required - sign-up ahead of time by calling 541-757-7236). Look back to a time before Oregon became a state with a tour of the historic Fiechter House. Learn about local wildlife from the Audubon Society of Corvallis. See how experts take photographs of wildlife! Watch how horses are used to remove logs in sensitive areas on the Refuge. Catch a glimpse of waterfowl in the wetlands or raptors above the open fields. Restroom facilities and light refreshments (while supplies last) will be available. Present your stamped Passport book, and select from several mementos to take home. Keep a look out for the Blue Goose!
On March 14, 1903, President Theodore Roosevelt signed into existence the first federal bird reservation, Pelican Island, in Florida. This was the first federal Wildlife Refuge; today there are more than 550. William L. Finley National Wildlife Refuge is named for an early conservationist and wildlife photographer. He persuaded President Roosevelt to set aside the first National Wildlife Refuge (Three Arch Rocks, on the Oregon Coast) west of the Mississippi River. On February 19, 1963, the Migratory Bird Conservation Commission (MBCC) authorized the establishment of the Willamette Valley Refuges at areas to be located at traditional Canada goose concentration points in the Willamette Valley. Lands for the Refuges were purchased by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service under the wetland loan fund, against revenue from the future sales of duck stamps, under authorization of the MBCC and the Migratory Bird Treaty Act.
Sponsors for the event include the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Friends of the Willamette Valley NWR Complex, Audubon Society of Corvallis, Emerald Photographic Society, Preservation WORKS, and Benton County Historical Society. The Refuge is locate approximately 8 miles south of Corvallis off Hwy. 99W and 35 miles north of Eugene. Turn west at the brown and white entrance sign onto Finley Road. For more information, contact William L. Finley NWR staff at 541-757-7236, Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m.
