![]() | MalheurBlitzen Valley Auto Tour Route |
Brochure of Blitzen Valley Auto Tour Route at Malheur National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) in Oregon. Published by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service (USFWS).
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
This interpretive tour was written by Alice
Elshoff who has been visiting the Refuge since
the 1960s, first birding and then volunteering.
She is a retired teacher who enjoys sharing
her love of wildlife with visitors of all ages. She
believes deeply in the mission of the National
Wildlife Refuge System, which sets wildlife
conservation as its primary purpose and preservation and restoration of biological diversity and
environmental health as its main goal.
Alice plays a large role with the Friends of
Malheur National Wildlife Refuge (FOMR), a
non-profit group whose purpose is to support the
goals of the Refuge. With the help of the FOMR,
this interpretive tour and the numbered signs
for the auto tour were made possible.
FRIENDS OF MALHEUR NATIONAL
WILDLIFE REFUGE
Friends of Malheur National Wildlife Refuge
was formed in 1999 and is an independent nonprofit 501(c)(3) corporation.
FOMR promotes conservation and appreciation
of natural and cultural resources at the Refuge
through education, outreach, advocacy and onthe-ground stewardship.
To learn more about FOMR, please visit
malheurfriends.org.
Malheur National Wildlife Refuge
36391 Sodhouse Lane
Princeton, OR 97721
541/493-2612
Malheur National Wildlife Refuge
www.fws.gov/malheur
July 2019
U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service
Malheur
National Wildlife
Refuge
Blitzen Valley
Auto Tour Route
Self-Guided
Interpretive Tour
This 42-mile self-guided auto tour showcases the
scenic Blitzen Valley, from the Refuge headquarters of Malheur National Wildlife Refuge south to
historic P Ranch. The full tour requires at least two
hours to complete, depending on the frequency and
length of any stops you make. During the peak of
spring bird activity, you should allow at least a
half-day to cover both the upper and lower portions
of the valley.
Wright’s
Point
Ruh-Red Road
The auto tour route primarily follows the historic
Center Patrol Road (CPR) built by the Civilian
Conservation Corps (CCC) through outstanding features of historical, geological, and biological interest.
The diversity and abundance of wildlife you see will
depend on the season, the time of day, your speed of
travel, and your observation skills. Please take care
not to disturb wildlife along the way.
TO START
Stop #1 begins just above Refuge headquarters.
Begin the auto tour by driving up to the signed
Malheur Lake Overlook.
To Lava Bed Road
13 miles
Historic Sod House Ranch
Malheur Field Station
Peter French
Round Barn
Restrooms located at Refuge
Headquarters, Buena Vista
Ponds and Overlook, Krumbo
Reservoir, Historic P Ranch
Bridge Creek
Trail
Hiking Trail
River Trail
Historic P Ranch
te
Auto Tour Rou
Before you begin, please review the map provided
in the back of this guide. The auto tour can generally
be driven in two sections, the north auto tour route
and south auto tour route, and it lies almost entirely
on gravel roads. Numbered signs with the symbol
below identify the stops and correspond to places
of interest described in this interpretive tour, which
was made possible with the help of the Friends of
Malheur National Wildlife Refuge.
Lawen Lane
INTRODUCTION
Undeveloped
Area
East Canal Road
(Includes part of
Desert Trail on Refuge)
Frenchglen
Barnyard
Springs
Footpath
East Canal Road
Steens Mountain
Loop Road
Page Springs
Campground
STOP #1: Malheur Lake Overlook
We begin the tour here at the northwestern corner
of the Great Basin, overlooking Malheur Lake with
Mud Lake to the west. Harney Lake is just beyond
the sand dunes visible on the western horizon. Lake
levels can vary dramatically according to the annual
winter snowpack in the Blue Mountains to the north
and Steens Mountain to the south. At water levels
low enough for emergent plants to grow, Malheur
Lake becomes one of the largest inland marshes in
the west. At high water levels, such as those that
occurred in the 1980s, Malheur Lake floods into Mud
and Harney Lakes, becoming Oregon’s largest lake.
From the overlook, scan Malheur Lake for seasonal
concentrations of American white pelicans or tundra
swans, and watch overhead for soaring raptors.
Brewer’s sparrows and sage thrashers nest in the
surrounding sagebrush, and Refuge headquarters
below you can be teeming with songbirds during
both spring and fall migrations.
To continue the auto tour, cross the paved Sodhouse
Lane and enter the auto tour route.
American White Pelican, Barbara Wheeler USFWS Volunteer
STOP #2: Sod House Ranch and
Malheur Field Station
Looking to the west, you can see the buildings and
cottonwood trees of the historic Sod House Ranch.
Established and managed by Peter French for
Dr. Hugh Glenn in the 1880s, Sod House Ranch
was the northern headquarters for this 140,000acre livestock empire. Eight of the original ranch
buildings are still standing, including the restored
barn. Many of the original corrals also remain
intact. The cottonwood trees were planted in the
1890s and provide nesting habitat for colonial
waterbirds, especially great blue herons and doublecrested cormorants. The ranch is open to the public
from August 15 through October 15, and Refuge
volunteers are on hand to interpret local history.
This is also a perfect time to scour the cottonwoods
and willows for migrating songbirds. The remainder
of the year, the ranch is managed for wildlife
habitat.
The buildings beyond the ranch comprise the
Malheur Field Station. Once a Job Corps center,
the station is now a residential visitor center
administered by the non-profit Great Basin Society,
which was founded in 1985. In summer, many
swallows can be viewed at close range nesting under
the eaves of the buildings, and the station hosts
northern flickers and California quail year-round.
South Coyote Butte, south of the station, supports a
small nesting population of black-throated sparrows.
STOP #3: Wright’s Pond
General George Wright led some of the earliest
troops in settling the west. It is not certain whether
Wright actually visited the Blitzen Valley, but in 1865
he died in a shipwreck off the California coast. His
name is memorialized in at least two notable Harney
County landmarks: Wright’s Point on Highway 205
and Wright’s Pond, which is before you now.
The Blitzen River flows northward from Steens
Mountain to Malheur Lake, making Wright’s Pond
one of the last ponds to receive water in the spring.
From May to October, however, the pond supports a
broad diversity of herons, ducks, and grebes.
Historic Sod House Ranch, Barbara Wheeler USFWS Volunteer
Watch for black terns flying low over the water
to catch insects, and listen for some very vocal
marsh-nesting songbirds, such as the common
yellowthroat, marsh wren, and red-winged and
yellow-headed blackbirds. From fall through spring,
search the dried marsh vegetation for resident song
sparrows. Northern harriers hunt low over the
marsh and grasslands throughout the year.
STOP #4: Basin-and-Range Geology
At this point, you are within the geological province
known as the Brothers Fault Zone, a narrow and
highly fractured area between the still-spreading
Basin-and-Range province to the south and the
older, more stable mountains to the north. Look
around at the isolated buttes and flat-topped ridges.
These fragments of the originally contiguous landscape have been separated by faulting and subsequent erosion. Before you finish this auto tour, you
will pass from the Brothers Fault Zone into true
Basin-and-Range topography.
Look to the south, up the Blitzen Valley. To the left is
Steens Mountain—a single 35-mile-long fault block
and the headwaters of the Blitzen River. As tectonic
movement stretched the land between the Rocky
Mountains and the Sierra Nevada and Cascades
in an east–west direction, long north–south faults
appeared. These breaks in the Earth’s crust
separated great blocks of land, tilting them as
steep as sixty degrees.
Steens Mountain, with a summit approaching
10,000 feet, is a classic fault-block mountain, gently
sloping on its west side, but dropping vertically a
mile to the Alvord Desert on its east side. Snow
melt from the broad western face is carried downhill
by five major streams, which eventually merge to
become the Blitzen River. Over the eons, the river
has deposited many feet of sediment on the valley
floor. These fertile soils, combined with the waters of
the Blitzen River, provide an optimal foundation for
the marshes and wet meadows of the Refuge.
Steens Mountain East Rim, Stephen Shunk
STOP #5: McLaughlin Slough
Many homesteaders settled across the Blitzen
Valley, but most of their stories have faded with
history. One, however, has persevered—that of
pioneer mother Nettie McLaughlin. Born in 1852,
she was first married to a Mr. Brown at age 17. With
him, she bore three children and began raising them
at their homestead near this tour stop. Brown soon
died, leaving Nettie to raise her family alone. She
later married Mr. McLaughlin just one year before
her death at age 35. Her grave site remains preserved on the Refuge just a few miles south of here.
At this site on the auto tour, you can glimpse remnants
of the old Blitzen River channel with its deeply
incised curves typically formed when water moves
across sedimentary soils. During prehistoric periods
of low water, the Blitzen River meandered around
this curve. However, when the river flowed high, it
created the bench that is exposed when the high
waters recede. These actions created braided
channels, which in turn became the sloughs and
wetlands that are now used to deliver water to
various parts of the Refuge. Adjacent canals and
ditches, dug by early ranchers to drain the wetlands,
are now being used to create more wet meadows.
McLaughlin Headstone, USFWS
STOP #6: First Residents
Rattlesnake Butte, which appears to your left,
has been important to people since prehistoric times.
Nearby, a rocky ledge extends across the Blitzen
River providing the only natural crossing for miles.
This point of access, along with the availability of
water and a butte from which to survey the
surrounding land, made this an important place for
bands of Northern Paiute people who first occupied
the Blitzen Valley as early as 9,600 years ago.
By 3,500 years ago, small villages were built
around the marshes and along the river.
Excavations show the people who lived here
harvested waterfowl, rabbits, fish, and large game
animals, as well as grass seeds and roots. They
built wickiups of bent willow branches covered with
brush, cattail mats, or animal skins. These people
were known as the Wada’tika or Wada Eaters. Wada,
today known as seepweed, was a highly valued plant
that grows well in alkali soils. Because of their long
connection to the region, modern-day descendants of
these people continue to collect and use plant materials on the Refuge, and they occasionally assist with
habitat management projects.
STOP #7: Meadow Lands
Along the auto tour, you may have noticed rows
of old juniper fence posts. Volunteer groups have
contributed hundreds of hours removing the old
wire fences that were hazardous to wildlife. Many
posts were left in the ground as perches for raptors,
which you may see hunting over the meadows. In the
wetlands, these posts are often used by gulls and
terns, and you may be lucky enough to spot a willet
or wilson’s snipe on one.
You will also notice that the Blitzen River has been
straightened and channelized along this stretch.
This was done by private landowners beginning in
1910. As part of the Swamp Act, landowners drained
the meadows to create areas for grazing and haying.
This channelization is currently used by the Refuge
in managing wetlands, but it provides challenges for
the native redband trout (a subspecies of rainbow
trout), which has inhabited the Blitzen River since
the last Ice Age. The Refuge is developing a
long-term plan to make the river more habitable
for these specially adapted fish. Watch for some of
the sophisticated fish passage structures at various
points along the river.
To continue the auto tour, proceed down the auto
tour route and turn at the signed right turn to
Buena Vista Overlook.
Northern Paiute Tule-mat Dwelling
From “The Great Basin” by C. Melvin Aikens
and Marilyn Couture, in The First Oregonians
(1991) Oregon Council for the Humanities
STOP #8: Buena Vista Ponds
The Buena Vista Ponds are managed for nesting and
migrating waterfowl. In some years, they also serve
as nesting habitat for trumpeter swans. In the fall,
sandhill cranes loaf here at night as they stage for
their southbound migration.
As you look at Steens Mountain from this angle,
you will see what looks like a rugged chasm on the
north side. This is the famous Kiger Gorge, a classic
U-shaped valley carved by ice-age glaciers. Although
the continental ice sheet did not reach this far south,
Steens Mountain was high enough to develop its own
glaciers, which left the mountain with five U-shaped
gorges. Kiger and McCoy Creeks drain from the
north side of the mountain, entering the Refuge
through the Diamond Valley, the wide gap in the
rimrock to your left.
As you drive along the ponds, watch for black and
forster’s terns feeding over the water, and keep
your radar on for the elusive American bittern,
occasionally seen on the opposite side of the road.
STOP #9: Buena Vista Trail and Overlook
From here you may either drive 3/4 of a mile on the
gravel road or walk the 1/4-mile trail to the Buena
Vista Overlook, which offers a stunning panorama
of the Blitzen Valley. Combine the two on foot for an
excellent one-mile birding hike.
The rimrock surrounding the overlook offers one
of the best places on the Refuge to get up close and
personal with canyon and rock wrens. Watch for
cliff and violet-green swallows nesting along the cliff
faces and for bullock’s orioles and western kingbirds
near the lower trailhead. In the sagebrush flats
behind the overlook, listen carefully on early spring
and summer mornings for the sweet songs of the
sage and black-throated sparrows.
To continue the auto tour, retrace your route back to
the auto tour route and continue south.
STOP #10: Diamond Lane
In the field across the paved road, post-breeding
sandhill cranes begin congregating in August to
prepare for their southerly flight. Up to 250 pairs of
cranes nest on the Refuge, but as many as 3,000 may
pass through on yearly migrations, stopping at the
Refuge to rest and refuel. The eastern edge of this
field is often a good place to see pronghorn, a unique
North American mammal in its own family related
to other ruminants. As the fastest land animal on
the continent, pronghorn can run 45 miles/hour for
several miles.
A left turn here would take you on a side trip to
the Diamond Valley and Diamond Craters, as well as
the historic Peter French Round Barn, another relic
of the Glenn/French cattle empire.
To continue to the southern portion of the auto
tour, turn right here and then left onto Highway
205. Continue about six miles south and turn left at
Krumbo Lane, just after milepost 47. Drive about
¼ mile to Stop #11, passing the entrance to the
southern portion of the auto tour route, to
which you will shortly return.
Greater Sandhill Crane, Roger Baker USFWS Volunteer
STOP #11: Crane Pond
If you wish to take a break from your vehicle, park
on the right side of the road and hike the primitive
1/2-mile trail to Crane Pond Overlook. Crane Pond
represents the delta of Krumbo Creek. In breeding
season, watch for mated pairs of sandhill cranes and
their colts, or juveniles. You might see a brewer’s or
lark sparrow along the trail, and watch for American
bushtits in the juniper trees.
Krumbo Reservoir lies four miles farther down this
road. As the deepest water on the Refuge, the
reservoir hosts good numbers of diving birds. It
is an especially good place to find common loons
(in migration), double-crested cormorants, diving
ducks such as goldeneye, bufflehead, and scaup,
and up to five grebe species from spring through
fall. Because it is large enough to remain ice-free
for much of the year, the reservoir offers important winter habitat and it is the only location on the
Refuge for flatwater fishing and recreational boating
open to the public.
To continue the auto tour, back-track a few hundred
yards to the northern entrance of the south auto
tour route.
STOP #12: Blitzen River Willows
The willow thickets are particularly dense along this
section of the auto tour. Although they block the view
of the Blitzen River and certain fields, they host a
wonderful variety of migratory songbirds, including
warblers, flycatchers, sparrows, vireos, and finches.
Black-headed grosbeaks, yellow warblers, and
willow flycatchers typically nest in this habitat.
A banding project here revealed that one willow
flycatcher had successfully made its annual
round-trip to Central America ten times, returning
to the exact same spot to nest each summer. Not bad
for a six-inch bird weighing less than an ounce! This
discovery changed our understanding of this species’
life expectancy, and it emphasized the importance of
banding birds. It also heightened our awareness that
conservation must transcend political borders.
STOP #13: Benson Pond
George M. Benson served as the Refuge Game
Warden, and later agent, beginning in 1918.
Preferring the title of “Refuge Protector,” Benson
not only enforced hunting and trapping laws at
Malheur, but he also banded many waterfowl, often
with the help of local children. With is wife Ethel,
Benson eventually moved into the old ranch house
that once stood in the large cottonwood grove at
the end of this road. The small stone building that
remains in the shade of these cottonwoods was first
a well house 1930s and 1940s, when the CCC was
planting willows and excavating what would eventually become Benson Pond. The building then served
as a hunter check station in the 1950s and 1960s.
Look for resident great horned owls as you walk
beneath the giant willows along the dike. In spring
and summer, the trees around the first bridge can
be a fun place to study up to six swallow species as
they alternately perch and feed nearby. In summer,
search the exposed branches for roosting common
nighthawks, which perch parallel to the branches.
The pond itself is a good place to see swans. During
spring and fall migrations, tundra swans use the
Refuge as a refueling stop, and resident trumpeter
swans typically nest here, protected in the tall
marsh vegetation, such as cattails and tules.
Trumpeter Swans, Barbara Wheeler USFWS Volunteer
STOP #14: Dredger Pond
Dredger Pond is named for the steam-driven
dredge that was eventually abandoned here after
once being used to channelize the Blitzen River.
The surrounding marsh vegetation, mostly hardstem
bullrush, or tule, provides excellent nesting habitat
for redheads, mallards, Canada goose, and northern
harriers. Behind Dredger Pond and nestled in the
small basin to the east is Boca Lake, an important
nesting site for multiple grebe species.
As you proceed along the auto tour, look for the
occasional breaches in the dike on the opposite side
of the Blitzen River. These are natural attempts by
the Blitzen River to break from its constraints and
return to historic channels. The Refuge no longer
repairs these openings, instead allowing the river
to have its way.
STOP #15: Knox Ponds
The two large ponds here are good examples of
wetlands that are managed to improve the survival
of young waterbirds. Periodically, both West Knox
and East Knox Ponds are drained and planted with
grain for forage. Once dry, they can be excellent
places to look for mountain bluebirds, American
pipits, and horned larks.
Proceeding south on the auto tour, you may notice
fire-scarred willow remnants. Fire is a natural part
of the valley’s ecology, and controlled burning is
an important management tool for keeping certain
habitats in healthy condition. When burning is not
an option, haying and rake-bunch grazing may be
utilized to emulate the effects of fire on vegetation.
All of these practices benefit native bird species.
STOP #16: Cottonwood Pond
The lone cottonwood tree that gives this pond its
name is one of many roost sites for bald eagles that
overwinter on the Refuge. Other large raptors may
also roost in this sentinel tree, including resident
red-tailed hawks and golden eagles or overwintering
rough-legged hawks.
The riparian, or streamside, habitat in this area has
hosted yellow-billed cuckoos in repeated years, a
species of great interest to birders. This bird, once
seen more frequently along Oregon waterways,
needs a complement of cottonwood for feeding and
willow for nesting. Perhaps as we begin the process
of restoring healthy riparian systems to our western
rivers, these birds will once again grace us regularly
with their presence.
STOP #17: Bridge Creek
This is another good place to get out and stretch
your legs. You are standing at the confluence of
Bridge Creek and the Blitzen River. The dam you
see on Bridge Creek (on the east side of the road)
had for years presented a barrier to the redband
trout traveling up to spawning grounds in the upper
reaches of the creek. In an ongoing plan to improve
conditions for fish, the Refuge is installing screens,
which prevent the loss of fish to the meadows, and
fish ladders, which improve passage around dams.
The fish ladder you see here has made it possible
for the “redbands” to once again reach their ancient
spawning grounds.
Bridge Creek Solar-powered Fish Screens, USFWS
Just across the bridge and downstream from the
confluence, walk the short trail to the Blitzen River.
Management efforts are aimed at restoring the
natural stream channel and flooding regime to the
Blitzen River system, and this site has received
treatment.
As you continue south on the auto tour, you may
notice that the road climbs gently, with a notable
change in vegetation. These dunes were formed
from blowing glacial soils deposited in times when
the basin was dry. The very tall bunch-grass is
Great Basin wild rye, an important grain for the
Paiute people. Together with the sagebrush, rabbitbrush, and other native bunch grasses, these rye
patches provide premium habitat for grassland
sparrows and cottontails.
STOP #18: Bobolink Alley
From here to historic P Ranch, the auto tour could
be called “Bobolink Alley,” at least from late May
through July, when breeding pairs are present. Male
bobolinks are most visible from late May into early
June, when they are actively singing and displaying
among the willows and tall grasses, often perched
along the road. Look for their striking pied plumage—generally black with bold white patches and a
cream-colored skull-cap—and listen for their
whimsical, tinkling song from among the willows.
Bobolink, Barbara Wheeler USFWS Volunteer
Once the young bobolinks fledge, the adults become
harder to find, but concentrations of birds can
sometimes be found in August and early
September along fence rows or across dry ponds in
the upper Blitzen Valley. The Refuge hosts the
greatest abundance of bobolinks in Oregon, and
these fields represent the western extremity of the
species range in North America, the bobolink
generally favoring inland short-grass prairies east
of the Rockies.
To continue with the auto tour, proceed along the
auto tour route until you cross a bridge over the
Blitzen River. Turn right immediately under the
large cottonwoods into the historic P Ranch.
STOP #19: P Ranch
In 1872, backed by California industrialist Dr.
Hugh Glenn, Peter French headed north from
California with a few vaqueros and 1,200 head of
Glenn’s shorthorn cattle. They sought land for
grazing and livestock production, and once French
entered the lush Blitzen Valley, he knew his search
was over. The Glenn/French dynasty, through some
legitimate and some devious practices, eventually
controlled the entire valley, with outposts at Buena
Vista, Sod House Ranch, and Diamond. We observed
the historic Sod House Ranch at our first stop on
the auto tour, and we close the tour at the historic
P Ranch Long Barn.
When French arrived in the region, many
homesteaders had already settled parts of the
Blitzen Valley. The old Porter homestead, for one,
comprised a land claim where the historic P Ranch
now stands. At some point, Mr. Porter decided to
abandon his homestead, and he soon met French in
the Catlow Valley. French offered to buy Porter’s
claim along with his few head of cattle, and Porter’s
“P” brand was retained in naming the P Ranch.
Eventually, the Refuge acquired the land, and
during George Benson’s time, horses were the
transportation of choice. These horses were the last
known stock to bear the famous “P” brand.
Though not part of the original P Ranch home, the
red-brick chimney marks its location. This site is
now a residence for Refuge volunteers, interns and
collaborative partners.
As you explore this historic property, keep your
binoculars handy! Good birding can be had along
the River Trail, where bullock’s orioles and willow
flycatchers nest annually. Cedar waxwings, western
tanagers, and other migrating songbirds frequent
the large cottonwoods and orchards at the ranch.
Red-naped sapsuckers that nest in the aspens on
Steens Mountain stage here prior to moving upslope;
they can also be found here after breeding. The old
lookout tower provides a roost site for dozens of
turkey vultures on summer evenings, and fall and
winter are prime seasons to observe raptors roosting
in the cottonwoods.
Western Tanager, Erwin Weston USFWS Volunteer
This brings a close to the interpretive tour!
We hope this information has increased your
enjoyment of Malheur National Wildlife Refuge
and encouraged you to think about the importance of
conserving our natural heritage of wildlands and the
wildlife with which we share this beautiful planet.
Please do what you can to support the National
Wildlife Refuge system, and please come again.
This 42-mile self-guided auto tour showcases the
scenic Blitzen Valley, from the Refuge headquarters of Malheur National Wildlife Refuge south to
historic P Ranch. The full tour requires at least two
hours to complete, depending on the frequency and
length of any stops you make. During the peak of
spring bird activity, you should allow at least a
half-day to cover both the upper and lower portions
of the valley.
Wright’s
Point
Ruh-Red Road
The auto tour route primarily follows the historic
Center Patrol Road (CPR) built by the Civilian
Conservation Corps (CCC) through outstanding features of historical, geological, and biological interest.
The diversity and abundance of wildlife you see will
depend on the season, the time of day, your speed of
travel, and your observation skills. Please take care
not to disturb wildlife along the way.
TO START
Stop #1 begins just above Refuge headquarters.
Begin the auto tour by driving up to the signed
Malheur Lake Overlook.
To Lava Bed Road
13 miles
Historic Sod House Ranch
Malheur Field Station
Peter French
Round Barn
Restrooms located at Refuge
Headquarters, Buena Vista
Ponds and Overlook, Krumbo
Reservoir, Historic P Ranch
Bridge Creek
Trail
Hiking Trail
River Trail
Historic P Ranch
te
Auto Tour Rou
Before you begin, please review the map provided
in the back of this guide. The auto tour can generally
be driven in two sections, the north auto tour route
and south auto tour route, and it lies almost entirely
on gravel roads. Numbered signs with the symbol
below identify the stops and correspond to places
of interest described in this interpretive tour, which
was made possible with the help of the Friends of
Malheur National Wildlife Refuge.
Lawen Lane
INTRODUCTION
Undeveloped
Area
East Canal Road
(Includes part of
Desert Trail on Refuge)
Frenchglen
Barnyard
Springs
Footpath
East Canal Road
Steens Mountain
Loop Road
Page Springs
Campground
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
This interpretive tour was written by Alice
Elshoff who has been visiting the Refuge since
the 1960s, first birding and then volunteering.
She is a retired teacher who enjoys sharing
her love of wildlife with visitors of all ages. She
believes deeply in the mission of the National
Wildlife Refuge System, which sets wildlife
conservation as its primary purpose and preservation and restoration of biological diversity and
environmental health as its main goal.
Alice plays a large role with the Friends of
Malheur National Wildlife Refuge (FOMR), a
non-profit group whose purpose is to support the
goals of the Refuge. With the help of the FOMR,
this interpretive tour and the numbered signs
for the auto tour were made possible.
FRIENDS OF MALHEUR NATIONAL
WILDLIFE REFUGE
Friends of Malheur National Wildlife Refuge
was formed in 1999 and is an independent nonprofit 501(c)(3) corporation.
FOMR promotes conservation and appreciation
of natural and cultural resources at the Refuge
through education, outreach, advocacy and onthe-ground stewardship.
To learn more about FOMR, please visit
malheurfriends.org.
Malheur National Wildlife Refuge
36391 Sodhouse Lane
Princeton, OR 97721
541/493-2612
Malheur National Wildlife Refuge
www.fws.gov/malheur
July 2019
U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service
Malheur
National Wildlife
Refuge
Blitzen Valley
Auto Tour Route
Self-Guided
Interpretive Tour