The Willamette Valley National Wildlife Refuge
Complex (NWRC) has an active prescribed burning program. The objectives of
these burns are to restore and maintain native prairies and oak savannas,
enhance populations of threatened and endangered species, improve food crops
for Canada geese, and reduce the risks for severe wildfire. Most burning takes
place in the late summer or early fall.
Through cooperative agreements
with local farmers, refuge fields are planted to grow ryegrass, fescue, corn and
pasture mixes. These crops are the preferred food for wintering Canada geese.
During the winter months thousands of geese feed on the crops planted by
farmers. These farming operations help reduce off-refuge crop damage by
migratory birds. Learn More...
Control of non-native, invasive
weeds is an important management operation. Weeds present the single most
significant threat to native plant communities and rare species. The refuge
uses a combination of mowing, burning, slashing, hand pulling and herbicides to
keep weeds in check.
Throughout the refuges, former
croplands are in different stages of being restored to native habitats. This
process, which takes a number of years, includes clean-up of the fields of
weeds and residual crops, site preparation for planting of native species and
maintenance of the developing habitats.
Seasonally flooded wetlands
require continual management to produce plants favored by waterfowl and other
water-birds. Water levels are usually “stage-flooded” in the fall and winter
using water control structures that allow variable levels. This helps maximize
the food availability for migrating waterfowl. Managed levels are also
important in the spring to prevent the establishment of undesirable non-native
plants, like reed canary-grass. In the summer, most managed impoundments are
dry, a natural cycle that native plants have adapted to.
The suppression of fire
following European settlement in the Willamette Valley has dramatically altered
oak woodlands and savanna. The refuge complex is selectively restoring these
areas by removing invading Douglas fir trees that will eventually overtop and
shade out the oaks. In addition, oak trees and shrubs are thinned in order to
maintain an open grassland understory. Management of these sites is
accomplished in concert with adjacent prairie habitats and benefits rare
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Did you know Finley NWR was established to protect dusky Canada goose winter habitat? Learn how we manage land for geese.