USFWS Oregon Fish and Wildlife Office

06/02/2026

It has been 10 years of successful reintroduction of Fender’s blue butterflies at William L. Finley National Wildlife Refuge and we are celebrating! - Join us for a Celebration Event on June 27th, 10:00am to 3:00pm

In 2016 the Oregon Fish and Wildlife Office and William L. Finley National Wildlife Refuge, in partnership with the Institute for Applied Ecology, completed a 3-year project to reintroduce Fender's blue butterfly to the Refuge. Combined with work at multiple other locations throughout the Willamette Valley, this reintroduction effort helped support our ability to downlist the butterfly in February 2023 from Endangered to Threatened.

This year we are celebrating the 10th wild generation at the Refuge. Light snacks will be provided, as well as activities and tables from local Benton County area partners working on Fender's blue butterfly conservation.

Please join us and help spread the word!

06/01/2026

This is "INCREDIBLE" news indeed, news we've all been waiting for! For the first time in over 100 years, a California condor has flown free in Oregon. Congrats to everyone involved! May there be many more in the years to come...

05/26/2026

We are looking forward to joining this gathering with our in-house Education Specialist staffing an education booth. Mark your calendars and please join us in celebrating the importance of Pacific lamprey to Pacific NW ecosystems and Tribes.

We are excited to announce the 2026 Yakama Nation Willamette Falls Lamprey Celebration. The event will take place on Thursday, June 25, from 10:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. at Clackamette Park in Oregon City, OR.

We gather to honor Asum (Pacific Lamprey), one of our sacred first foods. The celebration is held near Willamette Falls—derived from our traditional Sahaptin name, Wilumpt—to honor our ancestors who have harvested at these falls since time immemorial. We also recognize the past leaders who fought to retain our harvest rights and the tribal members who continue this traditional practice today.

The celebration will include cultural dance performances; speakers from our tribal leaders and guests; a boat tour to Willamette Falls as well as a complimentary salmon & lamprey meal!

*Please scan the QR code on our flyer to RSVP for a meal ticket or visit https://yakama-lamprey-celebration-2026.eventbrite.com

05/20/2026

We’re celebrating the incredibly hard-working mason bee on Word Bee Day! 🐝
These early spring hatchers are some of the most effective pollinators with a 95% pollination rate. We can thank mason bees for our State’s agricultural industry that provides us with delicious apples, pears, cherries, plums, blueberries, and so many other early blooming food crops that grow so well in Oregon.

Unlike honeybees, these non-aggressive, gentle little workers don’t live in hives — they nest in small holes and work tirelessly in early spring, even in cool or rainy weather to lay their eggs and collect pollen and nectar to feed their babies.

Learn how you can nurture mason bees in your backyard by providing them with a home: https://extension.oregonstate.edu/catalog/pub/em-9130-nurturing-mason-bees-your-backyard-western-oregon

Every garden that welcomes mason bees becomes part of a bigger network keeping our state’s natural beauty alive and our ecosystems healthy and thriving. Let’s give these tiny pollinators the love they deserve! 💛🐝
Learn how you can help mason bees and other pollinators: https://www.fws.gov/story/2021-09/backyard-insects-and-pollinators



Photo: A Mason bee feeds on nectar from a blueberry flower. Credit: USFWS

05/19/2026

Spring has sprung and it's that time of year when baby animals are everywhere. Give baby elk a helping hand by following these recommendations.

05/18/2026

The Oregon Fish and Wildlife Office believes nature is for everyone!
We are committed to ensuring that people of all abilities can experience the beauty of Oregon’s outdoors. From improving trails to hosting inclusive, adaptive events, we’re working to remove barriers and create opportunities for the disability community to connect with nature.

Learn more about our efforts to create accessible outdoor spaces across Oregon: https://www.fws.gov/story/2026-05/nature-everyone-creating-accessible-outdoor-spaces-oregon



Photo: A child in a wheelchair smiles while holding a fishing rod. Credit: Erin Foster Abernethy, PhD/USFWS

05/15/2026

On Friday, May 15th, we celebrate Endangered Species Day. It’s been twenty years since Endangered Species Day was established and the Senate passed a resolution encouraging “the people of the United States to become educated about, and aware of, threats to species, success stories in species recovery and the opportunity to promote species conservation.”

05/15/2026

Learn more about California's newly released statewide plan for western monarch conservation: https://nrm.dfg.ca.gov/FileHandler.ashx?DocumentID=243893&inline&fbclid=IwY2xjawR0HjlleHRuA2FlbQIxMABicmlkETFJNjZDRFVrWm5NUmFzZXpYc3J0YwZhcHBfaWQQMjIyMDM5MTc4ODIwMDg5MgABHg4_OA5uDcFZHQA4ylmQOYrZpdf9w7S9ANOZGyWFqKFTvd-CRuzy1yGvWV_O_aem_Z41asmYFN73dh6NlLTfkBw

California agencies unveil statewide plan for western monarch conservation.

“Pollinators are essential to California grown foods like strawberries, grapes and almonds and agricultural production across the country. This report supports voluntary, science-based conservation across the landscape with a variety of partners — from national wildlife refuges and state parks to highways, farms and ranches. We are committed to working with the State of California and local communities to identify innovative opportunities that advance pollinator conservation, including for the iconic monarch butterfly." - Paul Souza, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Pacific Southwest Regional Director.

Read more about the 2026 "Conservation Priorities for Western Monarchs in California" report in our comments.

Photo by Mike Glenn/USFWS

05/12/2026

Community Science helps conserve birds! Inspired by Migratory Bird Day, we’re sharing this Webinar series aimed at empowering everyone to get involved in bird conservation through becoming a Community Scientist.

Migratory birds travel across mountains, oceans, and international borders, facing threats such as habitat loss, urban development, pollution, and collisions. Because of the vast distances they cover, scientists cannot monitor them alone. Community scientists play an important role in filling these gaps.

Learn how to get involved through a Webinar series titled: “How to Use Community Science Apps for Bird Conservation”

The first Webinar is May 21 at 12 PM MST and is all a part of World Migratory Bird Day festivities. This session features a panel of speakers who will share practical guidance on how to use a variety of Community Science platforms.
Register here: https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/o7OUhjQuT2qb3SqYIm5f9g #/registration



Photo: Two barn swallows roost on a branch with a yellow background. Credit: Barbara Wheeler Photography, USFWS Volunteer

05/11/2026

We’re swooping into Migratory Bird Day (May 9th) a little late, but it’s never too late to celebrate our feathered friends!
Every bird counts and every effort to conserve them matters. We need everyone involved in observing, monitoring, protecting and creating healthy, safe habitat for birds:

💙 Community science helps birds! - Ranging from backyard bird counts to large-scale coordinated surveys/schemes, all provide needed information on species distribution, abundance trends, migration timing, and breeding success. Learn more about community science Bird Counts and ways to get involved: https://www.birdcount.org/

💙 We all can make our homes, neighborhoods and communities a home for birds. - Plant bird food cover for all four seasons. Plant native plants, trees and shrubs in layers so there are ample places for birds to hide, find food and build nests. Install a clean water feature to help birds through the hot Summer months. Protect birds by keeping cats indoors or in a catio and installing bird safe window features. Learn more: https://www.fws.gov/story/backyard-birds



Artwork: Shows a variety of migratory birds, including the cinnamon teal, merlin, ruby throated hummingbird, barn swallow, American oystercatcher, spoon billed Sandpiper, and Abdim’s Stork, with a colorful background. Credit: Artwork by Luísa Lacerda/Environment for the Americas