Bird Refuge: What is that?
Students may already be feeling the stress of excess amounts of homework and reading. Need to relax? If so, there is one place where many individuals go to sit among the marshes and arid desert lands, and watch wildlife in its natural habitat. It is the Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge.
The bird refuge lies in northern Utah and is found where the Bear River flows into the Great Salt Lake, west of Brigham City. It covers approximately 75,000 acres and is the largest freshwater component of the Great Salt Lake.
“We are just one of 458 national wildlife refuges in the United States,” said Betsy Beneke, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s outdoor recreation planner. “At Bear River, we are here to provide breeding, feeding and resting places for wild birds. The refuge consists of open water, marsh, upland habitats and mud flats that offer habitats and all those activities for birds.”
The refuge is a nesting area to 72 species of birds, and approximately 212 species make it a home for resting, feeding and nesting. According to National Wildlife Services, the refuge provides a critical habitat for migrating birds from both the Pacific and central flyways of North America.
Beneke said many hunters take advantage of these migrating birds by hunting in the designated areas.
“We are a migration stopover for birds that are migrating north and south.” Beneke said. “There are millions of waterbirds that nest or migrate through the region each year.”
One type of the migrating bird colonies is the American White Pelican, whose colony in the Great Salt Lake is one of the three largest in North America. According to a U.S. Nationla wildlife Service information pamphlet the population of the American White Pelican can exceed 55,000 at times. The pamphlet also states the Great Salt Lake often hosts the Red-necked Phalarope, whose population can exceed 100,000 birds. Bear River Refuge also hosts the Tundra Swans each fall and winter with anywhere from 40,000 to 60,000 birds.
If students are interested in bird watching or even just spending a day outdoors, the bird refuge may be an excellent option.
“When students first come to the refuge, they need to stop by the Wildlife Education Center,” Beneke said. “Come to the refuge, look at the exhibits. We have a short 11-minute video we like to show people to tell them a little bit more about what a national wildlife refuge is for and what we do. Then if they would like, they can drive, walk or bicycle a 12-mile tour looping around the refuge.”
Aside from tours, the refuge also provides viewing decks which are strategically placed to help assist guests in watching the wildlife. The refuge also hosts several special events during the year.
USU English professor, Maria Melendez, said she assigned her class to read the book “Refuge” by Terry Tempest Williams. This book recognized the bird refuge as a place for finding serenity during a troubled time.
“I took my class on a field trip to the refuge,” Melendez said. “I took them there so that my students could see the area that they were reading about.”
Williams is a Utah naturalist writer who wrote the book to record her mother’s death and the flooding of the bird refuge in the 1980s.
“The bird refuge is a great resource of premier bird area in the world. It has a large visitor center and is great because it allows you to see many of the beautiful acres of wetland.” Melendez said.
Beneke said keeping up the refuge is quite the job.
“Our first priority is to provide a habitat for birds.” Beneke said. “But we also want to educate the public. We have a wonderful, new multimillion dollar wildlife education center, which also functions as our visitors center.”
The James V. Hansen Wildlife Education Center, which is part of the refuge, offers many activities, including interactive exhibits, displays featuring information on birds and the wetlands. The center also includes an observation deck that has a unique parabolic hood that enhances the sounds of wildlife from the marsh. And just outside the center, a half-mile walking trail allows guests to explore the wetland habitat.
The center is open to the public six days a week, although Beneke said the refuge is closed on federal holidays.
“We take reservations from school groups, ages kindergarten through college, and we have classrooms and an auditorium,” she said. “We can do presentations and tours for whomever. However, reservations must be made for these type of things.”
To reach the refuge, take the Forest Street exit (Exit 363) from I-15 at Brigham City, and turn west. The Wildlife Education Center is located one block west of the interstate. To reach the main portion of the refuge, continue driving west on Forest Street for approximately 12 miles.
The Bird Refuge is open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. and on Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.. For more information, call 723-5887 or visit the refuge’s Web site at http://bearriver.fws.gov