Community Spotlight: A fall afternoon at Ankeny National Wildlife Refuge, south of Salem (Nov. 6)
Quick Read
Ankeny National Wildlife Refuge, about 12 miles south of Salem near Jefferson, was established in 1965 as overwintering habitat for dusky Canada geese and other migratory birds.
The 2,796-acre refuge is free and open from dawn to dusk, with wetlands, cropland, prairie, oak savanna and riparian habitat.
Ankeny Hill Nature Center at 130 Ankeny Hill Road SE is a partnership of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Salem Audubon Society and Friends of the Willamette Valley National Wildlife Refuge Complex.
Overlook signs describe Oregon white oak communities and Kalapuya fire stewardship of Willamette Valley prairies and savannas.
By the Willamette News Community Desk. Edited by Channing Webb.
JEFFERSON, Ore. - On a gray November afternoon south of Salem, the overlook at Ankeny Hill Nature Center looks out over restored prairie, farm fields managed for wintering geese and a low line of autumn color toward distant hills. The view is the point of Ankeny National Wildlife Refuge: a place set aside for migratory birds that also invites people to learn how this valley once looked, and what it takes to put pieces of it back.
Why the refuge is here
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service established Ankeny National Wildlife Refuge in 1965 near the confluence of the Willamette and Santiam rivers. Its primary job is to provide high-quality wintering habitat for geese, especially the dusky Canada goose, and for other migratory waterfowl.
The refuge covers about 2,796 acres of cropland, wetlands, wet prairie, upland and riparian habitat, matching the figure on the refuge welcome kiosk photographed Friday. Through cooperative farming, fields grow forage preferred by wintering geese. Wetlands are managed with water control structures. Staff also restore prairies and oak habitat with prescribed fire, mowing and weed control.
Ankeny is part of the Willamette Valley National Wildlife Refuge Complex with Baskett Slough and William L. Finley national wildlife refuges. More than 230 bird species have been recorded on the refuge, according to the Service.
Ankeny Hill Nature Center
On the north end of the refuge, the Ankeny Hill Nature Center spans about 25 acres as an environmental education hub for the mid-Willamette Valley. It is a partnership among the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Salem Audubon Society and the Friends of the Willamette Valley National Wildlife Refuge Complex.
Visitors will find Gehlar Hall (indoor and outdoor classrooms), the Nature Explore Area, picnic spaces, a pollinator garden, education nodes along accessible paths, and the David B. Marshall Outdoor Classroom overlooking Peregrine Marsh. The Little Loop and Big Loop trails start near Gehlar Hall. The Nature Center is free and open dawn to dusk, the same hours as the refuge.
What the overlook signs say
From the brick plaza, interpretive panels put the landscape in context. One, titled "Community Living: The Story of the Oregon White Oak," notes that a single Oregon white oak can support up to 250 species from canopy to roots. It also says only about 3% of the Willamette Valley's original oak savanna and upland prairie remain. Spotlights on the panel include acorn woodpeckers, voles, oak galls and other oak-dependent life.
Another panel, "A Glimpse Into the Past: Restoring Native Habitats," describes the Willamette Valley as the traditional homeland of the Kalapuya, who maintained prairies, oak savannas, wetlands and streams with fire. Euro-American settlement in the mid-1800s stopped those annual burns and shifted land to intensive cultivation. The land in front of visitors, the sign says, is a restored former grass-seed field planted with a mix of about 25 native wildflowers and bunchgrasses, and it continues to be managed with prescribed fire, weed control and mowing.
The Nature Center's own materials put it plainly: this is Kalapuyan land. Kalapuya descendants today include members of the Confederated Tribes of the Grand Ronde and the Confederated Tribes of the Siletz Indians.
The view from the hill
Friday's overcast light flattened shadows across the dry prairie in the foreground and the green winter fields beyond. From the overlook, visitors look across the refuge toward tree lines in fall color and, on clearer days, the faint blue of distant mountains.
How to visit
The refuge is open every day from dawn to dusk and is always free, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Take Interstate 5 exit 243 (Ankeny Hill), about 12 miles south of Salem or about 10 miles north of Albany.
Ankeny Hill Nature Center: 130 Ankeny Hill Road SE, Jefferson, OR 97352.
Refuge mailing and complex office address: 2301 Wintel Road, Jefferson, OR 97352.
Phone: (541) 757-7236.
Online: fws.gov/refuge/ankeny and ankenyhillnaturecenter.org.
Trails and viewing areas are reached from Ankeny Hill Road, Buena Vista Road and Wintel Road. Year-round options include the Pintail and Egret Marsh boardwalk and several overlooks. Seasonal berm and loop trails generally run April 1 through Sept. 30. As of Friday, the Service's Ankeny page said the Rail Trail boardwalk is closed until further notice; the Pintail-Egret Marsh boardwalk remains open year-round.
Pets are not allowed on refuge trails. Leashed dogs are permitted only in designated parking areas. Collection of plants, animals, minerals, antlers or artifacts is prohibited. The Nature Center welcome panel also asks visitors to walk rather than bike or jog on trails, skip souvenir collecting, and leave drones, fires and camping at home.
Binoculars help in winter, when dusky Canada geese and other waterfowl concentrate on the refuge. Cell service can be limited, so plan ahead. For current alerts, check the Service's Ankeny pages before you go.
Photos by Phil Harpster.
Sources
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service: Ankeny National Wildlife Refuge
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service: Visit Us
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service: Ankeny Hill Nature Center
Ankeny Hill Nature Center: Visitor information and Kalapuya land acknowledgment
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