Southeast Idaho National Wildlife Refuge Complex

05/20/2026

Looking for a weekend road trip? Spring and early summer are the best times of year to visit Grays Lake NWR for viewing wildlife and colorful blooms straight from your vehicle.

Moose, elk, sandhill cranes, long-billed curlews, white-faced ibises, cinnamon teal, northern shovelers, mountain bluebirds, and American kestrels have been some of the most commonly sighted critters at the refuge these past few weeks. The best times of day to view wildlife are around sunrise and sunset, though all of these species could be spotted throughout the day as well.

If you're looking for beautiful blooms, the meadows are already dotted yellow with buttercups, dandelions, and canary violets. Camas, northern mule's ear, and many other species are just around the corner!

04/29/2026

On Thursday, May 14th, the Shoshone-Bannock Tribes and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will hold a public dedication ceremony for the new interpretive and wayfinding exhibits at Camas National Wildlife Refuge. The ceremony will take place from 11:00 am to 11:30 am, followed by an open auto tour from 11:30 am to 12:30 pm.

Visit the link below to learn more about this event and the story behind the new exhibits!
https://www.fws.gov/event/new-exhibit-dedication-camas-national-wildlife-refuge

📸Image of one of the new exhibits by Emily Rabus/USFWS

04/17/2026

Minidoka National Wildlife Refuge is in the process of creating a 3D model of the cliff faces along the southern Snake River corridor in order to establish a baseline for erosion control.

Technicians took an early morning back in March to set ground control points along the cliffs for use by the drone flight in generating georeferenced Digital Elevation Models. In the grand scheme of things, we are hoping this project will inform Minidoka NWR if restoration efforts, in the form of planting native flora, are needed to stabilize and reduce cliff erosion.

📸 Photos of Snake River cliffs and control point sites by Hailey Jacobson

04/13/2026

We will be at the Marshall Public Library in Pocatello tomorrow night at 7:00 pm to talk "owl" about one of our favorite groups of birds and dissect some pellets! We hope to see you there!

Join us for our April STEAM night on Tuesday, April 14th at 7pm! We will be dissecting owl pellets with special host Dana Duran wildlife refuge specialist. We can’t wait to see you there!

In accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, it is the policy of the City of Pocatello to offer its public programs, services, and meetings in a manner that is readily accessible to everyone, including those with disabilities. If you are disabled and require an accommodation, please contact Skyler Beebe with two
(2) business days’ advance notice at [email protected]; 208.234.6248; or 5815 South 5th Avenue, Pocatello, Idaho. Advance notification within this guideline will enable the City to make reasonable arrangements to ensure accessibility.

03/31/2026

Buoy oh buoy, we can't believe it's boating season at Minidoka NWR already! 🚤

Boating season on Lake Walcott is April 1 - October 31. Due to extreme winds, the buoys marking the "No Boating" and "Slow Wake" zones will not be deployed in time for the opening. Even when not marked with buoys, these zones are still in effect, so please continue to respect them as they provide true "refuge" areas for wildlife.

The "No Boating" areas are marked with signs on the riverbank, and areas closed to boating are also detailed in the refuge brochure. Brochures are available at the main offices for the Refuge and Lake Walcott State Park. Thank you for your understanding and cooperation as we wait for an appropriate window to deploy our buoys.

📸 USFWS staff deploying buoys last spring by Jaime Allen/USFWS

03/20/2026

It's the first day of spring, and what better way to celebrate than by supporting wildlife habitat?

For the past few years, we have been working to make room for native vegetation, improve public fishing access, and reduce wildfire risk at Minidoka NWR by removing invasive Russian olive trees along the banks of the Snake River. This spring, we are excited to begin introducing some native trees and shrubs to the site! Staff have been hard at work cutting cottonwood branches and clippings of chokecherry, hawthorn, and silver buffaloberry. Once the water is up, we will be planting the cottonwood. The other plant clippings are currently planted in the greenhouse to help them root before planting them back onto the refuge.

📸 Cottonwood and shrub clippings by Hailey Jacobson/USFWS

03/18/2026

This week, our prescribed fire crew burned the buildup of vegetation in water delivery ditches at Camas NWR 🔥

Tumbleweeds and woody debris tend to accumulate in these ditches due to wind and will clog water control structures during early spring creek flows, creating significant obstructions and damaging infrastructure. It sure warmed our hearts to see them go!

03/12/2026

We are excited to announce that we are hiring for a Biological Science Technician at Grays Lake NWR! Please see the link below to learn more and apply. This announcement closes on Tuesday, March 17th.

https://www.usajobs.gov/job/860698100

📸 Wildflowers at Grays Lake by Dana Duran/USFWS

03/12/2026

Drier than usual conditions are predicted to exist this water year at Camas NWR, which may negatively impact your wildlife viewing experience. For more details, please visit the refuge webpage:
https://www.fws.gov/refuge/camas

02/23/2026

Thank you to everyone who came out to Camas NWR on Saturday for Come to Roost!

It was a great evening with some light snow on the ground, hot chocolate galore, and people connecting over something we all love dearly: birds! Despite the warmer than average winter conditions this year, our group counted 18 eagles roosting in the cottonwoods by the time the sun set.