Conboy Lake NWR Conboy Refuge actively manages the land and its resources to improve habitat for wildlife. One resource that is carefully managed is water. Balancing human and agricultural use with wildlife requires cooperation between the refuge and its neighbors. Refuge water management mimics the natural cycle of flooding and drying that existed prior to attempts to drain Conboy Lake. The main goal is to hold enough winter water for late summer wildlife needs.The location, depth, and timing of water distribution is important. Migrating mallards, pintail, teal, and swans need shallow water for rest, food, and safety. Receding water creates mud margins utilized by killdeer, spotted sandpipers, and other shorebirds. Wading birds, like great blue herons, work the shallow waters for young fish and invertebrates. Irrigated meadows stimulate new plant growth, or browse, for migrating Canada geese.Water management is combined with other habitat management practices. A combination of haying and flooding provides foraging for cranes, especially colts. Flooding previously hayed fields also looks promising for enhancing spotted frog breeding habitat.The refuge uses many other management practices. Prescribed burning improves soil conditions and checks the spread of pines into the meadowlands. Planting native plants supports animals by making the plant community more diverse. Sometimes sensitive habitats are closed to minimize disturbance or promote natural recovery.Settlers began arriving in the area during the 1870s. The Whitcomb-Cole hewn log house near refuge headquarters is an example of the homes they built, and is one of the few pioneer log homes still standing in Klickitat County. Built in 1891, this house originally stood 2 miles across the lake. The house was abandoned in the late 1950s and fell into disrepair. In 1987, it was put on a truck and moved to its current location where it could be protected, restored, and enjoyed by visitors. Today the house is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Conconully Lake/Conconully Reservoir Conconully Dam and Reservoir, features of the Okanogan Project, are on Salmon Creek. The dam was originally completed in 1910. Both the lake and reservoir are located in an area of steep-sided hills that have open forests of coniferous and deciduous trees. The reservoir area is especially popular with picnickers. Both water bodies total 760 water surface acres. Anglers will find rainbow trout, cutthroat trout and smallmouth bass.
Copalis NWR Copalis Refuge consists of a portion of 870 islands, rocks, and reefs extending for more than 100 miles along Washington's Pacific coast from Cape Flattery to Copalis Beach. These islands are protected from human disturbance and predators, yet are close to abundant ocean food sources. They are a vital sanctuary where 14 species of seabirds nest and raise their young. During migration the total populations of seabirds, waterfowl, and shorebirds may exceed a million birds. Sea lions, harbor seals, sea otters, and whales may also be seen around the islands. Most of the coastal islands are designated as wilderness.
Desert Wildlife Rec. Area This area includes Winchester Reservoir, Winchester Wasteway, Frenchman Hills Wasteway, and numerous small ponds and marshes. Fishing is year-round for yellow perch, crappie, largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, and rainbow trout. Access is limited in some areas. Boat motors are prohibited seasonally on Winchester Wasteway. Some sites have restrooms and boat ramps.
Douglas Creek In the dry sage-steppe uplands of Eastern Washington, Douglas Creek forms a unique riparian oasis. In the basalt canyon, songbirds and raptorsperch in cottonwoods, and the road paralleling the creek passes beaver ponds and cascading pools.
Dungeness NWR Dungeness NWR is located along the northern coast of the Olympic Penninsula in Washington. The refuge hosts the world's longest natural sand spit, which softens the rough sea waves to form a quiet bay and harbor, gravel beaches, and tideflats. Here, eelgrass beds in the bay and harbor provide food for Pacific black brant and a nursery for young salmon and steelhead. Tideflats teem with migrating shorebirds in spring and fall; flocks of waterfowl find food and rest in these protected waters during the winter. The refuge provides habitat for a wide diversity of wildlife species. Over 250 species of birds and 41 species of land mammals have been recorded on the refuge along with eight species of marine mammals. Approximately 8,000 black brant stage in the area during April. Shorebirds and waterbirds feed and rest along the water's edge and about 600 harbor seals haul out to rest and have their pups on the end of Dungeness and Graveyard Spits.
