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Upcoming events

  • Parker Slough Exploration

    • July 27, 2024
    • 10:00 AM - 1:00 PM
    • Follow 67th Place east from Sandridge Road in Long Beach to the parking area at the end
    • 8
    Register

    Please join us for this lovely free hike with Rebecca Lexa, Master Naturalist, at the Parker Slough trail. This moderately difficult 1.5-mile trail connects the Porter Point Loop to the South Bay trail and winds through a marsh restoration and cedar and spruce forest. 

    You will have stunning views of Willapa Bay and large flocks of migratory shorebirds and waterfowl. You may also spot bald eagles, northern harriers and American kestrels and the occasional river otter, elk, and black bear. 

    Follow 67th Place east from Sandridge Road to the parking area at the end. We will enter the trail through pedestrian gate to the east. Please register here, attendance is limited: 

    https://friendsofwillaparefuge.org/Events/

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  • Long Island Barge Trip

    • August 24, 2024
    • 2:15 PM - 6:45 PM
    • Cutthroat Creek, 3888 US-101, Ilwaco, WA north of mile marker 24 on U.S. Highway 101
    • 47
    Register

    Saturday, August 24, 2024, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, together with Friends of Willapa National Wildlife Refuge, is hosting a free guided hike through the Don Bonker Cedar Grove Trail on Long Island. The largest estuarine island on the Pacific Coast, this coastal temperate rainforest features an ancient grove of western red cedars, some almost 1,000 years old.

    Participants meet at Cutthroat Creek at 2:15 PM to board the barge. After a 45-minute ride, hikers reach the island where guides will lead groups to the old-growth cedar grove. The hike is two miles round trip and rated as moderate to difficult in some areas due to uneven terrain and exposed roots. Participants will return on the barge to Cutthroat Creek by 6:45 PM.

    While on the barge all participants must wear a Personal flotation device (PFD). If you do not have a PFD, we will loan you one. We recommend wearing all-weather clothing and appropriate footwear. We recommend you bring water, snacks, binoculars, a camera, and insect repellant. If weather or other conditions require organizers to cancel this event, they will notify registered attendees as soon as possible.

    SPACE IS VERY LIMITED SO BE SURE TO REGISTER HERE! ONLY PEOPLE WITH TICKETS CAN BOARD THE BARGE.

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Northern Harrier in flight photo by George Gentry USFW


Upcoming Adventures

Here are some dates for field trips this summer. Details will be upcoming on this event page and our Facebook and Instagram pages. We look forward to seeing you at one or more of these informational and fun walks.

Saturday, July 27, 10am - 1pm: Parker Slough

Saturday, August 17, 10am - 1pm: Leadbetter beach loop

Saturday, August 24, 2:15 to 6:45pm: Long Island Trip

Sunday, September 8, 10am - 12pm: Tarlatt Overlook Hike

September 20 - 22 Wings Over Willapa Festival

Sunday, October 6, 10am - 12pm: Porter Point

Fun at March Tracking Events!

The Friends sponsored two free educational and fun events celebrating nature on Friday, March 7, and Saturday, March 8. The first, at the Salt Hotel and Pub in Ilwaco, featured Kristi Freese, a Professional Level IV Tracker, who gave an engrossing presentation on the basics of the skill of tracking. Kristi has studied internationally with a variety of mentors, courses, and other resources. She shared the international standards for tracker skill evaluation and its history beginning in southern Africa. 

The next morning Kristi guided a group along the shoreline of Willapa Bay at Leadbetter Point to identify tracks of birds and mammals. She found some amazing tracks that included otters, birds, crabs, and even one of a coyote (below). She even pointed out the bear sign (below) where they had been chewing on our shorebird interpretative sign! We learned how to read tracks and even the best way to view them. Kristi demonstrated how to tell if animals are running or walking by the way their tracks are grouped. Kristi is an amazing naturalist and instructor, and we hope she will conduct another field trip during our Wings Over Willapa Festival on September 20 - 22, 2024.

We are planning more events for 2024 so come back soon. Our popular Wings Over Willapa Festival will be September 20 - 22, 2024.

Here are some photos from some of our events in 2023.



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