Rare Gems: Volunteers Help Make Little Pend Orielle NWR Sparkle
Our dedicated U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service 9,242 volunteers in the Pacific Region gave an incredible 197,917 hours of their time to conservation in 2017. That is the equivalent of 24,739 eight-hour work days and 95 full-time staff members! These incredible folks deserve a huge thank you and during National Volunteer Week (April 15-21) we are aiming to do just that. This is part of a series of articles about U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service volunteers and projects. Share your story of service or honor an outstanding volunteer by telling us about it with #iServeBecause and #volunteer on Facebook or Twitter.
By Brent Lawrence, public affairs officer for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Pacific Region based in Portland, Oregon
Tucked into the far northeast corner of Washington State, the 40,198-acre Little Pend Orielle National Wildlife Refuge is a gem hidden between the foothills of the Cascades and the Rocky Mountains.
It’s a tranquil spot with many more moose, white-tailed deer, elk and black bears roaming the forest than people.
That remote location, however, also has its challenges for a staff of six people, with three of them dedicated to fighting wildfires for half the year. Once the snow melts, trails constantly need repair, buildings require maintenance, and wildlife habitat needs improvement. There’s always something to be done.
But Refuge Manager Jerry Cline has, luckily, found his version of a gold mine – some top-notch volunteers. Among them are Dan Price and the husband-and-wife team of Bob and Krysti Stengle.
“We couldn’t get by without our volunteers,” Jerry said. “If we didn’t have some hands picking up the slack, there’s so much that would not get done. What makes them priceless is that they don’t require direct supervision. They know their way around here so well. They know what needs to be done and how to do it. Getting volunteers like that … it’s like finding gold.”
For nine months a year, Dan serves as president of Friends of Little Pend Orielle NWR. Then he steps away from the Friends group to work as the Youth Conservation Corps leader, where he helps direct four students who work at the refuge.
“He’s our year-round go-to guy. He’s our super volunteer,” Jerry said of Dan, who has been volunteering at the refuge for 11 years. “Anything and everything we need done, he’s out there covering for us almost year around.”
Dan keeps coming back because he’s a big believer in the refuge’s mission.
“I like getting out and promoting the refuge by talking with people,” Dan said. “I’m a walking and talking advertisement for the refuge system by letting people know what’s going on. I show people what the staff has done in habitat restoration. We do a lot of thinning and prescribed burning at the refuge. People are always interested in why we’re doing it. I explain they see more animals due to the work. One hunter says he sees more of everything now.”
Bob and Krysti, who stay at a refuge campsite in their motorhome, bring a different facet to this jewel of a refuge. Krysti works in the refuge’s office, doing everything from paperwork to answering the phone and greeting visitors.
Bob spends his time – up to 50 hours a week – working from heavy equipment with the refuge’s maintenance staff. Bob is a retired truck driver, and he has been certified by the Service to operate heavy equipment such as backhoes, tractors and excavators. Bob was able to get a temporary 6-month job at the refuge this year, helping with maintenance.
The prospect of a job, however, isn’t what brought them back from their regular home in the Spokane, Washington, area.
