Nestucca Bay Wildlife Refuge

It's that time of year again.  Every night just after sunset the skies are full of migrating geese.  We have a local gaggle that hang around all year, but now, I'm talking a ton of geese.  They fly over the house, squawking at each other.  That is how they keep in contact in the dark.  They are flying back to  The Nestucca Bay National Wildlife Refuge after a day of flying and munching on their way South for the Winter.  Started in 1991, the refuge provides a sanctuary for a portion of the declining Dusky Canada Goose population and for the endangered Aleutian Cackling Goose. The Refuge has seen many changes over the years, including the recovery of the Aleutian Cackling Goose, Bald Eagle, and Peregrine Falcon, and the restoration of 82 acres of tidal marsh and 50 acres of forest land.  It was just for the birds, but now, they have developed it for people to visit too.

In 2004 the Oregon Dept. of Transportation awarded a grant to the USFWS to design and construct visitor facilities on the Nestucca Bay Refuge. The completed project includes two parking lots; a paved, wheelchair-accessible trail that leads to an elevated viewing deck; road improvements; interpretive panels; and a single vault restroom. The paved Pacific View Trail and Deck, perched atop Cannery Hill, affords visitors a sweeping view of the Pacific Ocean, Oregon Islands National Wildlife Refuge (Haystack Rock at Pacific City), Nestucca Bay Refuge, the Coast Range, and the Pacific Coast Scenic Byway, US 101.

Next weekend will be the Grand Opening!  The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, in partnership with the Pacific City Arts Association, will host a celebration of Wildlife and the Arts on Saturday, Oct.11.

The refuge will open at 9 a.m. Refuge staff will be around until 2:00 p.m. to answer questions and guide you through the area.  This is going to be exciting, there will be a ribbon-cutting ceremony at 10:45 a.m. Guided walks around the site will be from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Here is your chance to explore the new Pacific View Trail. 

Beginning at sunrise, the Lincoln City Chapter of the National Audubon Society will sponsor “The Big Sit,” a nationwide bird-a-thon, where the object is to tally as many bird species seen or heard during a 24-hour period while those recording sit in a 17-foot circle.

Here are some events that will take place next door to The Craftsman B&B at the Nestucca Valley Presbyterian Church (if their construction is done in time).  Most likely at The Bible Church next to the Post Office.

Beginning at 2 p.m., Roy Lowe, Project Leader for the Oregon Coast Refuge Complex, will present the “Natural History of Nestucca Bay Refuge." This visual presentation will include an historical background of the new refuge and why it is important to wildlife.

At 3 p.m. Jeni Foster, a lecturer on the Chautauqua circuit, will present “BirdSong: Birds as metaphors in American folk music,” a performance/lecture sponsored by PCAA. Foster will explore the symbolism of birds within the rich heritage of American folk music and illustrate how the dynamic language of metaphor is essential to poets and songwriters.

Numerous galleries, restaurants and businesses throughout Pacific City will be showcasing wildlife works of art. Enjoy touring all of them throughout the day beginning at 11 a.m.

The refuge is located on the west side of Highway 101, approximately six miles south of Pacific City. To visit the refuge, turn west off of Highway 101 onto Christensen Road and proceed a half mile to the parking lot. 

So make a weekend of it.  Stay with me, I don't think I'll ever get to go out to the Refuge, I don't think dogs, especially bird dogs are allowed.