Malheur National Wildlife Refuge Festival
Located in Southeast Oregon near the city of Burns, the Malheur Refuge is one of the premier wildlife and birding areas in America. During spring migration the varieties of bird species are in the hundreds in this high desert area of lakes and marshlands. bobcats, coyotes mule deer and badgers are also to be seen. However, at the turn of the 19th century the birds at Malheur were not protected and plume hunters came to this area to kill swans, egrets, herons and grebes for feathers for the millinery trade. An ounce of feathers actually sold for more than an once of gold at that time. To stop the slaughter, President Theodore Roosevelt established the Lake Malheur reservation in 1908. The Refuge has grown. 187,00 acres of bird habitat and wetlands along the Pacific flyway make this an area not to be missed.
The John Schaff migratory Bird Festival is coming up soon. Registration begins February 4 for the festival at Burns. Oregon. Check out www.migratorybirdfestival.com for more information
