JULY 2009 e-NEWS From Friends of Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge Web Site:www.ridgefieldfriends.org. Email: rfriends@pacifier.com  To keep current on what's going on at the Refuge – view the 2009 event calendar on our web site.  Check out the July Plankhouse Newsletter in PDF format. Beach BBQ for members and volunteers!  July 18,  4:00 pm:  You are invited to join us for a special treat - a picnic on the Bachelor Island beach!  It's our way of thanking everyone who has contributed so much to the Friends and the Refuge this year.  We will supply BBQ essentials and everyone please bring your favorite side dish. RSVP to Josie_Finley@fws.gov Did you know that a female mosquito lays between 100 and 250 eggs in her life? Reminder about the Photo Contest:  Entries are due August 1st so please look at the Friends' website for information about the contest!  There is also a youth contest!  Thanks to Pro Photo Supply for sponsoring the contest- information is also available on their website.  Scenery photos are welcome. Roger's Refuge Ramblings…. (See the latest bird report at  www.ridgefieldfriends.org/WildlifeReport.html ) Have you seen it? A Barn Swallow nest right outside the Visitors Station window!  Looking outside the window, I am able to see, not more than five feet away, the barn swallow nest that, although added to each year, has been there for a number of years.  It is built on a roof rafter with the top of the nest less than two inches from the roof.  Many visitors, as they come to the station, have noted the barn swallows and their nesting activity while an equal number have not, even though the swallows are frequently flying around them.  Currently the barn swallow parents are working on the second brood for this season.  Barn swallows are very interesting birds and are quite common in many parts of the country.  While barn swallows once nested in natural surroundings, they now, for the most part, use man-made structures, generally choosing a horizontal shelf for their open half-cup-shaped nests.  The nests are made of mud pellets with straw, lined with feathers.  They are sturdy structures (one nest was noted to still be in use 20 years after construction). Generally the four to five eggs laid in the nest takes about two weeks to hatch. In another three weeks it is time for fledging.  It is about that time and a little before that you can look at the nest and see it bulging with wide-mouthed youngsters waiting for a bite from mom or dad. Barn swallows are one of the most wide-spread species of birds on earth.  The North American barn swallows winter in the southern hemisphere, primarily in South America.  In fact, some of these barn swallows have the longest migration route of any North American land bird, traveling 7,000 miles from the Yukon to Brazil and Argentina. Since barn swallows use the same nest year after year, we assume that the current occupants of the nest outside our refuge window have been here before and will probably be here next year.  Next time you are at the River "S" unit of the refuge, come up to the window of the Visitor Station and turn around.  It is there you will see the nest, and if you hurry, you will probably see the young just before they leave their nest. Some of the unusual birds seen over the last month include: American White Pelicans, Wilson's Phalarope, Bonaparte's Gull, Yellow-breasted Chat, Lazuli Bunting, Semipalmated Sandpiper, Pectoral Sandpiper, and Western Sandpiper.  As Rest Lake gets shallower we are also beginning to see  back with us Green Heron, Least Sandpiper, Long-billed Dowitcher, and Greater & Lesser Yellowlegs.  Teen Photo Workshop a Huge Success! On Monday, June 29 15 teens gathered in the Plankhouse. Their mission:  to learn how to take nature pictures using digital cameras.  Thanks to some fantastic mentors and staff from Pro Photo Supply, those students accomplished that mission most successfully.  In spite of heat and mosquitoes, each of the students brought back some really wonderful pictures, and the enthusiasm as students downloaded and viewed each picture was contagious.  They were so proud of their work!  We asked them to fill out evaluations, and without exception the students expressed their gratitude and appreciation for this wonderful program.  One student observed that the workshop taught her "How to not just look for big things, but to look at the small things, too".  Another, when asked to rate the workshop on a scale from one to ten, offered 1000000000000000 !  Another student, when asked if she found the workshop worthwhile, responded "Oh my god yes –it was very fun!"  One of the really interesting benefits of this workshop was that it taught the students that in order to photograph animals, you need to learn to be still and quiet, and very observant.  Hopefully they will take these skills with them.  Most of these kids have never had an opportunity like this one, and it was clear at the end of the day that they came away with a greater appreciation for and understanding of nature. Job Opportunity at Refuge: The Refuge is seeking applicants for two positions to assist with the Refuge's education, interpretation, and habitat restoration programs!  The Refuge has two AmeriCorps positions to fill by the end of July.  These positions are announced with the Northwest Service Academy and can be found at www.nwserviceacademy.org.  This is a great opportunity to discover the Refuge, work with visitors, and gain experience in the habitat and recreation programs of the Refuge.  AmeriCorps benefits include a monthly living allowance, an educational award, medical insurance, child care allowances, and professional development opportunities.  Please share these opportunities with any potential candidates.                   Habitat Restoration For those of you who were admiring the beautiful yellow iris on the auto tour route in May and June -  they are no more.  Highly invasive, yellow water iris (the Fleur-de-lis symbol of European monarchies, especially the French) has overrun native wetland habitats on the Lower Columbia River and now occupies hundreds of acres (look along Hwy 4 the next time you drive to the coast from Longview).  Floating seeds and a mat-forming character have allowed iris to spread in the Pacific Northwest in lakes, streams, and river.  As part of the Refuge's Early Detection/Rapid Response approach to prevent the spread of this plant,  volunteers dug nearly 4 pickup loads of iris from Bower Slough down to Schwartz Lake during work days in May and June.  Digging is an effective approach to remove  yellow water iris, especially smaller scattered patches.  Many thanks to the volunteers who dug in to get this job done. Volunteer habitat restoration work days in July and August are every Wednesday and Saturday, 9am-1pm.  We are working on pulling ricefield bulrush and we will dig some more iris as summer moves into fall.  Questions? Contact Lynn Cornelius:  lynn_cornelius@fws.gov, 887-3883 x 14. Friends member action needed- a request from the President, Russ Roseberry: The Friends of the Ridgefield Wildlife Refuge have been advocating over several years for needed improvements that would correct deficiencies to transportation and facilities on the Ridgefield Refuge.  Refuge Friends organizations that have been successful in advocating for their refuge have involved their membership in the process.  The Refuge staff and the Friends have painfully inadequate work space.  An office/environmental education center is necessary to replace the current portable office located on the Carty Unit.  The current office provides for a maximum of five employees with no room for the Friends office, volunteers, visitors or space to provide education for groups.  While there were hopes that the funding for an office/environmental education center would come through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (Stimulus) it was dropped from the list at the last minute. The Ridgefield office/environmental education center is now number four nationally on a Fish and Wildlife list for future funding.  It is important to keep it at the very least number four (4) on the list.   This is where the members of the Friends come in.  Please provide a groundswell of support for the Ridgefield Wildlife Refuge office/environmental education center by contacting representatives in the congress and the senate.  In writing or on the phone thank them for their support in the past, ask them to support the Office/Environmental Education Center on the Ridgefield Wildlife Refuge.  Sending a FAX works better than US Mail because security delays the delivery of the mail. Main contacts are: Senator Patty Murray 173 Russell Senate Office Bldg Washington, DC 20510 Phone: 202-224-2621    FAX:  202-224-0238 Toll free:  866-481-9186 Senator Maria Cantwell 511 Dirkson Senate Office Bldg Washington, DC 20510 Phone: 202-224-3441 FAX:  202-228-0514 Congressman Brain Baird 2350 Rayburn House Office Bldg Washington, DC  20515 Phone:  202-225-3536 FAX: 202-225-3478 Congressman Norm Dicks 2467 Rayburn House Office Bldg Washington, DC 20515 Phone:  202-225-5916 Fax:  202-226-1176     Don't forget to glance at the Refuge calendar, your one-stop shop for fun activities "The Friend's mission is to support, protect, and enhance the Ridgefield Wildlife Refuge and its wildlife habitat, and to broaden public awareness and participation in its environmental, cultural, and educational opportunities."