McNary National Wildlife Refuge - Burbank, WA - National Wildlife Refuges on Waymarking.com

The McNary National Wildlife Refuge is a welcomed respite for migratory birds, native plants, and human visitors alike. Extending along the east bank of the Columbia River in southeastern Washington, from the confluence of the Snake River to the mouth of the Walla Walla River, and downstream into Oregon, the McNary NWR is located in rural Burbank, but very close to the rapid development of the Tri-Cities (Kennewick, Pasco and Richland).

Established in 1956, the McNary NWR was created to replace wildlife habitat lost to construction of the McNary Dam downstream. The 15,000 acres of sloughs, ponds, streams and islands-riparian and wetland habitat-as well as upland shrub-steppe and cliff-talus habitat are important to migratory waterfowl, shorebirds and songbirds. Few areas in North America support such dense concentrations of waterfowl; more than half the mallards in the Pacific Flyway overwinter at some time in this portion of the Columbia River Basin.

Year-round Activities:
* Interpretive Nature Trail
* Wheelchair accessible portion
* Education Center

Seasonal Activities:
* Hunting and fishing (designated areas)
* Boating
* Horseback riding
* Camping (Hood Park and Madame Dorion Campground)

The McNary Environmental Education program is a grassroots labor-of-love effort created in the 1990s by dedicated and caring volunteers interested in connecting children to nature. These volunteers have become the Friends of the Mid-Columbia River Wildlife Refuges and they continue to coordinate, organize, and host an outdoor classroom at the McNary National Wildlife Refuge. Each year, approximately 2,000 students participate in hands-on experiential learning stations, including aquatic insects, shrub-steppe habitat, invertebrates, birds, and more.

Friends of Mid-Columbia River Wildlife Refuges assist the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in Connecting People With Nature by offering environmental education programs at McNary National Wildlife Refuge and in the community-at-large.

A typical school day program introduces students to the biodiversity, life histories, and ecology of native plants, wildlife, and habitats through experiential and hands-on learning activities. Students also explore the significance of National Wildlife Refuges and the value of conservation. The programs are designed to be sensitive to the cognitive abilities and emotional development of participating students. The programs emphasize scientific understanding, sensory awareness, and creative expression.
Scientific understanding

Students gain scientific understanding of the natural world through exploring, examining, questioning, and observing. Volunteer educators share their knowledge, identify and describe aspects of nature, and encourage curiosity and inquiry.

Opportunities to touch, listen, see, and smell while in nature sharpen students’ senses, improve their observation skills, enhance their experience of the natural world, and promote healthy emotional development. According to Robin Moore of North Carolina State University, "Children live through their senses. Sensory experiences link the child’s exterior world with their interior, hidden, affective world."

As part of the environmental education programs, volunteer educators encourage creativity through the visual arts, writing, drama, music, or movement. This helps students creatively express their experiences and understanding of nature. Artist and educator, Tony Angel, states, “Since the Stone Age, one culture after another has contributed to a continuous outpouring of artistry focusing on nature. Most suggest a powerful search for kinship with other life.”

Volunteer educators have a special role to play in educating the students who visit the Refuge. Not only do they share their knowledge of nature, but they also inspire in students curiosity, wonder, joy, and love. They engage students in age-appropriate activities that reinforce State academic standards as well as encourage meaningful connections with nature. They introduce students to diverse habitats and wildlife and they perform an array of duties such as collecting samples of wetland water, peering through microscopes, observing wildlife from the bird blind, using a compass or GPS unit, examining native plants, storytelling in the teepee, listening to birdsong, and examining animal bones and tracks.

NWR or Protected Planet Website: [Web Link] Point of Interest (POI): Visitor Information

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