![]() Because of their need for a quiet resting area, the majority of the refuge interior is closed to public entry while the geese are in residence, from October 1 through April 30. During the winter of 2001, a survey found a total of 35,988 geese, swans and ducks in the refuge.īy resting in undisturbed areas on the refuges, wintering geese regain energy reserves required for migration and nesting. Dusky Canada geese usually appear at the Refuge in the fall and use it as their last stop before starting the spring journey back to their Alaska nesting grounds. Habitat loss, predation, and hunting caused a decrease in their population. They nest on Alaska's Copper River Delta and winter almost exclusively in the Willamette Valley. Unlike most other Canada geese, dusky Canada geese have limited summer and winter ranges. occidentalis), so as to ensure healthy, viable goose populations while minimizing goose browse damage to crops on private agricultural lands. The valley is now a mix of farmland and growing cities, with few areas remaining for wildlife.Īs with the other refuges within the Willamette Valley National Wildlife Complex, the primary management goal of Baskett Slough National Wildlife Refuge is to provide high quality wintering habitat for geese, especially the dusky Canada goose ( Branta canadensis subsp. The valley was once a rich mix of wildlife habitats with extensive wetlands, meandering stream channels and vast seasonal marshes. The Willamette Valley, with its mild, rainy winter climate, is an ideal environment for wintering waterfowl. Situated in open farmland near the eastern foothills of the Oregon Coast Range with the broad Willamette Valley and the Cascade Range to the east, elevations range from 185 to 414 feet (56 to 126 m) MSL. Fish and Wildlife Service, an agency of the U.S. In 1965, Baskett Slough National Wildlife Refuge was created to help ensure some of the original habitat remained for species preservation. The Refuge consists of 1,173 acres (4.75 km²) of cropland, which provide forage for wintering geese, 300 acres (1.2 km²) of forests, 550 acres (2.2 km²) of grasslands, and 500 acres (2.0 km²) of shallow water seasonal wetlands and 35 acres (0.14 km²) of permanent open water. Baskett Slough NWR has the largest known remaining population.īaskett Slough National Wildlife Refuge is in northwestern Oregon, 10 miles (16 km) west of Salem in Polk County. Fender's blue butterfly is an endangered butterfly species. Northern pintail, Baskett Slough National Wildlife Refuge White-fronted geese ( Anser albifrons) with Cackling Geese ( Branta hutchinsii) congregate on the refuge.
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