JAMES JOHNSTON
BY JAMES JOHNSTON
An oak savannah sprouts
spring wildflowers
LANE COUNTY PUBLIC HEALTH SERVICES
♥ FREE or low-cost exams
♥ Birth control supplies
for men and women
♥ Pregnancy counseling
and testing
♥ STD exams
♥ HIV counseling and testing
♥ Immunizations
♥ WIC
Confidential Services – Se habla español
Eugene - 682-4013
WIC - 682-4202
Florence
997-8217
Oakridge
782-4218
Cottage Grove
942-5555
Noisy Nature
The William Finley Wildlife
refuge is for the birds.
F
olks who aren’t skiers or snowshoers
can get restless in the winter months
because they don’t know about the
incredible hiking opportunities right here in
the Willamette Valley. In the early spring
when the Cascades are usually quiet and still
under a deep blanket of snow, the William
Finley Wildlife Refuge south of Corvallis is a
riot of sights and sounds. A number of easy
hikes, tons of wildlife, and a short drive (just
about 30 minutes) make this a great destina-
tion for people with kids. And if you’re a bird
watcher, you’ve found paradise.
mile loop will take you through a bog, oak
woodlands, and grassy meadows filled with
flowers to an observation deck built around a
giant Oregon white oak with views across the
Willamette Valley to the Cascades beyond.
Other loops will take you from 2 to 4 miles
over much of the rest of the refuge, which
consists of former agricultural lands man-
aged to produce food for migrating water
fowl, oak savannahs, bottomland ash forest,
some second-growth Douglas fir, old-growth
big leaf maple and the largest tract of native
Willamette Valley wet prairie left in the state.
On a good day you’ll see herds of Roosevelt elk,
bald eagles and western meadowlarks.
The Finley Refuge is peaceful, but it’s not quiet.
Directions: Take Highway 99W north from
Eugene for approximately 25 miles. Right
next to milepost 93, take a left onto a gravel
road at the sign for the refuge. Drive 1.3 miles
and take another left on Finley Wildlife
Refuge Road. On this road, it’s another mile
and a half to the refuge headquarters. From
here you can make up your own tour traveling
along the refuge’s road system (there’s no traf-
fic). Major attractions are Cabell Marsh,
Cattail Swamp and the Beaver Pond.
There are three major recommended hikes
that are described in brochures you can pick
up at viewing areas on your drive in. If
you’ve been to Finley before, you’ll notice
that a number of new viewing areas, educa-
tional panels and other recreational facilities
have been added in the past year.
The Woodpecker Trail begins less than a
mile past the refuge headquarters. This 1.2
Almost all of this type of habitat has been
paved over or converted to agricultural uses
over the past century. Finley, along with the
Ankeny and Baskett Slough refuges near
Salem, are some of the only real estate left
that harbor endangered species like Fender’s
blue butterfly, Kincaid’s lupine, Willamette
daisy and Bradshaws lomatium. A particular
focus at Finley is providing habitat for
Canadian dusky geese, which are notable for
their narrow range — they summer only in
the Copper River Delta, and winter exclu-
sively in the Willamette Valley.
On a good day you’ll see herds of
Roosevelt elk, bald eagles and western mead-
owlarks. The Finley Refuge is peaceful, but
it’s not quiet. Honking geese and shrill song-
birds are ubiquitous. Most days this time of
year, it’s one of the noisiest and most exciting
places in the valley.
ew
funny?
Do you think you can sing?
Do you think you’re pretty
All Performers Welcome
OPEN MIC
IS NOW
★★★★
TUES. NITE
$ Prizes • 8-12pm
W E D . - C O Y O T E U G LY
THURS. - GIRLS GET WILD
FRI. - GUYS GET WILD
S A T. - K A R A O K E
32 APRIL 17, 2003
I-5 COBURG EXIT ★ 686-8686