Baskett Slough National Wildlife Refuge

To enter Baskett Slough National Wildlife Refuge I turned onto Coville Road and drove on a gravel road for miles. Birds of all sizes danced in the sky as I slowly weaved my way through the nature sanctuary. I have driven by her hundred's of times and this is the first day I was lucky enough to explore the interior. I will be back another day to do the hike as the rain was rather wet on this pass.

Explore more at fws.gov … Established in 1965 as part of the Willamette Valley NWR Complex, the Baskett Slough National Wildlife Refuge’s primary management goal is to provide wintering habitat for dusky Canada geese. Unlike other Canada goose subspecies, duskies have limited summer and winter ranges. They nest in Alaska’s Copper River Delta and winter almost exclusively in the wetlands of the Willamette Valley—much of which was drained to provide open fields for agriculture and pasture during the 19th century European settlement. With the extensive habitat restoration projects at work on all 2,492 acres of the refuge, it makes driving through like taking a step back into the natural history of the Willamette Valley.