On the Refuge

Public use facilities (trails, parking lots, and restrooms) and access to those facilities at Steigerwald Lake NWR are CLOSED during the Steigerwald Reconnection Project.

Construction at the Steigerwald Reconnection Project has ramped up to full capacity this summer, and the team recently surpassed several big milestones! The dike trail along the Columbia River has been lowered completely to the natural levee height, the diversion structure near Hwy 14 has been removed, the east and west set-back levees are nearly complete, and fish salvage in the old Gibbons Creek has started in preparation for the creek/lake/river reconnection in September.  

Keep up to date on all the incredible stories coming out of this project by following, us (@refugestewards) and the Lower Columbia Estuary Partnership (@estuarypartnership) on Instagram and Facebook, and also following the Refuge2020 Blog.

Slides from Annual Meeting 4/16/2019

Thanks to all who attended our annual meeting at 54-40 Brewing Co in Washougal.  Here are the slides from the meeting:

Steigerwald Floodplain Restoration Project

2019 Annual Meeting

From Our Volunteer Coordinator

We continue to function on a limited volunteer basis to complete mission critical habitat restoration projects including the western pond turtle upland habitat restoration at Pierce NWR and some work at the new Steigerwald Oaks Parcel off of Gibson Rd North of Hwy 14.  Keep an eye on our newsletter, social media, and our website for future opportunities planting at Steigerwald with winter.  

During this long hiatus from larger volunteer projects, we have been busy developing new policies and manuals for a more inclusive and safe program, creating a new volunteer database, and talking with partners on how to collaborate on projects. We are really looking forward to Spring of 2022 when Steigerwald Lake NWR opens and we are able to re-engage our community with the Refuge and nature. Thank you for your support and patience as we all get through this together.