My Tualatin River Refuge

Welcome to My Tualatin River Refuge! I am a Volunteer Naturalist at the Tualatin River National Wildlife Refuge (TRNWR). The refuge is run by the US Fish and Wildlife Service, but we volunteers help stretch the resources of the staff at this busy place.

Volunteer Naturalists learn about the birds, wildlife, plants and sub-environments on the refuge.  We host and guide school classes and other groups, represent the refuge at community events, and help stage educational activities that the refuge hosts throughout the year.

I have lately become involved with community outreach for the Friends of the TRNWR. I interact with community groups in the Portland vicinity to spread the word about how beneficial the refuge system is. That activity has taken on greater salience to me with the recent occupation of the Malheur NWR in eastern Oregon. We must have support for the refuge system nationwide.

There are about 200 bird species, 50 mammal and 25 reptile and amphibian species that have been seen at the refuge plus many plant species. I hope to have something about most of them…eventually. Here’s how this site is organized:

• POSTS — pictures and remarks from my experiences on the refuge
• BIRDS, BIRDS, BIRDS — a multi-layered index of the birds that visit and something about them
• WILDLIFE — photos and information about the other critters that live in the refuge
• PLANT LIFE — trees, bushes, grasses, and plant-like things that live on the refuge
• REFUGE ACTIVITIES — snapshots of the many activities that volunteers and staff do to serve the public
• THE REFUGE & ENVIRONS — pictures that show the scenery of the refuge as well the surrounding Willamette Valley
• REFUGE ISSUES — social and political issues related to the refuge and its vital role in nature conservation