Dancing Sandhill Crane

Just thirty miles south of Burns, the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge is a hotspot for hiking, fishing, and birding. Established by President Theodore Roosevelt on August 18, 1908 this refuge has served “as a preserve and breeding ground for native birds” for over a century.^[1] At the time of its founding, the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge was not only the nineteenth nationally created refuge and third refuge in Oregon, but it was only one of six refuges west of the Mississippi.

Visitors who are willing to explore the Refuge will gain the opportunity to over 320 species of birds, as well as fifty-eight species of mammals. Among these animals are the Lesser and Greater Sandhill Crane, pelicans, pheasants, Northern Pintail, Tundra Swan, antelopes, and deer.^[2] The Malheur Refuge is also one of the larger and most extensive freshwater ecosystems in the Western United States.^[3]

When visiting the Refuge, visitors should prepare for their visit. Aside from being considered a remote land of sagebrush, marshes, and rimrock with a 4,100 ft. elevation, radical weather is a common occurrence in the region. Lightning storms, along with intense cold and heat, have been known to occur quickly.^[4]

Hours of Operation

Visitors can expect the Refuge to be open every day from dawn until dusk, with the visitor center at the Refuge Headquarters open from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. each day beginning in March.

Contact Information

Malheur National Wildlife Refuge

36391 Sodhouse Lane, Princeton, Oregon 97721

(541) 493-2612

Notes

^[1] U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, “Malheur National Wildlife Refuge,” last modified 2014, http://www.fws.gov/malheur/. 

^[2] U.S. Geological Survey, “Malheur National Wildlife Refuge,” last modified 2014, http://geonames.usgs.gov/apex/f?p=gnispq:3:0::NO::P3_FID:1123711.

^[3] Kathie Durbin, “Ranchers arrested at wildlife refuge,” High Country News, October 3, 1994, 2.

^[4] U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, “Malheur National Wildlife Refuge.”