At Malheur and across the National Wildlife Refuge System there has been much ado about a lot these days. Those of us in leadership positions with Refuge or Hatchery Friends groups have been closely monitoring the communications and guidance related to Director’s Order 230, which is likely to mean nothing to most people if not everyone reading this newsletter. But this, after all, is one of the many reasons I find producing this newsletter to be so valuable.
ECBA News >
Wildflowers: Missing Link in Sage Grouse Conservation?
Josh Collins, ECBA member of our Conservation & Science Committee works with Stu Garrett’s group of enthusiastic and hard-working volunteers on our Greater Sage-Grouse Project. Josh recently gave an excellent talk on Wildflowers and Greater Sage-Grouse Conservation in Central Oregon. This talk was given by Josh for the Bird Alliance of Oregon as part of their Nature Night speaker series.
January’s Malheur Musings
Greetings! The beginning of a new year is often a time for retrospection, and this January is no exception.
Osprey Watch
OSPREY WATCH is a global community science project that tracks osprey nesting activity over time. Think Wild is leading local efforts here in Central Oregon with participation from ECBA volunteers. Observing, monitoring nests, and submitting data on a regular basis contributes to a much larger data base that is growing all the time.
Sevilla Rhoads, First place winner of December 2025 OBA Contest
I was in the Sisters school parking lot taking photos for a student group that needed photos of White-headed Woodpeckers and Pinyon Jays for a presentation to the school board about a conservation-friendly ‘fuel reduction’ of the Trout Creek Conservation Area. I was lucky. Not only did two White-headed Woodpeckers turn up, but also a flock of Pinyon Jays and they were fighting over a puddle of water!
