Baskett Slough Wildlife Refuge: Four out of Five Geese Agree - The Place to Be!
Written: Apr 25 '04 (Updated Apr 25 '04)
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Pros: Beautiful views, easy trails, bird and wildlife viewing
Cons: The Poison Oak!!!
The Bottom Line: Basket Slough National Wildlife Refuge is a wonderful place to view wildlife and take easy hikes through rolling hills and wetlands.
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| bonzobean's Full Review: Baskett Slough National Wildlife Refuge |
Finding ourselves with a beautiful spring day in April, my husband and I decided to pack the kids in the car and go take a hike. Being the spontaneous sorts, we pulled out our Oregon’s Best Wildflower Hikes: Northwest Region and looked for a good spring wildflower hike that we have not already taken. We decided to take the Mount Baldy loop in Baskett Slough National Wildlife Refuge. My graduate degree has quite a bit to do with habitat restoration and plants and I was looking forward to the educational aspect of the refuge whereas my hubby was just looking for a hike on a nice day. I think we both found what we were looking for.
Baskett Slough National Wildlife Refuge
In the 1960’s, three National Wildlife Refuges were created in the Willamette Valley to preserve the native habitats from rapidly encroaching farmlands and cities. Basket Slough is the northernmost of these three Refuges. The Refuge is more than 2,490 acres of fields, oak woodlands and wetlands and its primary purpose is to protect the habitat of the Dusky Canada geese who winter in the Valley.
Before the Refuge even came into being
I don’t think you’ll read an outdoors review by me without learning about the natural history of the site. If you are interested in natural-site restoration, you find yourself asking the age-old question, what is natural? Is the natural landscape, pre-European settlement or does it go back even further to before Native American’s lived on the landscape. Reading the signs at Baskett Slough seems they want consider the natural landscape the one in which the Native Americans used large burns as a food-getting means and then used fire for acorn, root and berry production. In fact, the Willamette Valley was the most fire-managed place by the Native Americans in all of the northwest. This burning created vast grasslands, which took out the native oak savannahs and, once burning ended due to western fire-prevention practices, allowed coniferous species (i.e. Douglas fir) to encroach and crowd out the existing vegetation. A sign in the park announces that the current restoration project seeks to replicate the effects of burning to manage the vegetation as well as erase the effects of the agricultural lands by turning these areas back into wetlands.
Hiking in the Refuge
The hikes within the refuge are interconnected and do climb some hills but are still fairly easy hikes. Baskett Slough has four trails open to the public, two of which are only open from April 1st until September 11th because they do not want the Dusky geese disturbed.
The two year-round trails
The refuge has two trails open year round, the Baskett Butte Loop Trail and the trail to the Baskett Butte Observation Platform. Both trails start at the same parking area, veer away from each other up the hill and later the loop trail meets with the platform trail again. The platform hike gradually climbs ¾’s of a mile to the observation deck and the trail itself is completely cleared and at least five feet in width the entire way. Once you reach the top of the hill, you are treated to a rather nice, newer observation deck from which you have a 360-degree view of the farmland, valley, wetlands and Mt. Baldy. The observation deck has one single plaque dedicating the deck to Rich Guadagno, the former wildlife refuge manager, who was killed in the September 11th hijacking of flight 93. He was 38 years old.
The loop trail, one mile long, veers away and enters an oak woodland. Once this trail veers away from the observation deck trail, the trail becomes narrower. We started the trail from the top near the deck and only made a quarter mile or so back before the poison oak became so abundant, as happens in these woodlands, that I couldn’t keep my Teva-covered feet away from the stuff. At that point, we were enclosed in a beautiful oak forest and would have liked to have finished the trail but, already having at least five spots of poison oak (as I usually am since I am always around the stuff), I was unwilling to add to my spotty, itchy collection of spots
The two trails open from April to September
As I already said, these trails are closed half the year to keep the geese from being harassed by the human visitors. Yes, even the geese need their peace. The Morgan Lake trail follows alongside Morgan Lake and eventually wanders between Moffitti Marsh and Parvipes Marsh. This trail is actually a 3.2 mile loop and you are sure to be rewarded with plenty of birdwatching opportunities as waterfowl abound in this area. After passing your first marsh, you’ll start to head up the back of Baskett Butte and be rewarded with a view of the wetlands you have just and will cross through. The second hike is actually just over a third of a mile and connects the Baskett Butte Loop Trail with the Morgan Lake Trail. This short trail is a beautiful hike to take in the spring if you’d like to view the wildflowers.
Let’s talk vegetation
While most people might visit the Refuge to view the Dusky geese or do a little birdwatching, my husband and I enjoy picking out the different vegetation and spotting flowers. As with most of the valley, you are sure to find Himalayan blackberry in any disturbed area, and the refuge is no exception. The blackberry is an invasive species that tends to crowd out the native species. Along this trail, you’ll find many of these blackberry bushes. We also spotted large bushes of wild roses, purple vetch, black hawthorn, and cats ear. The invasion of many non-native species and the succession to woody species as has been seen by the suppression of fire, means that two endemic species are far fewer in number these days: The Willamette daisy and Kincade’s lupine can be found along the hillsides. More so than any species, however, was the poison oak. Huge clumps of poison oak could be seen along the entire trail. REMEMBER, leaves of three, let them be. The poison oak stands out on the grassy knolls and you cannot miss their shiny reddish brown and green leaves.
Wildlife in the Refuge: The Geese
The Dusky Canada geese are perhaps the biggest draw to the Refuge. After the large Alaskan quake of 㥈 the numbers of the geese dwindled due to severe changes in their habitat (elevational changes and change in wetlands to dryer lands). These birds had originally flown down to winter even further south than the Willamette Valley. With the introduction of these Refuges and the farmers growing grasses, the Valley now sees ten times the number of Canada geese it saw only a few decades ago. The geese can be seen primarily in the winter and early spring and the site of hundreds or even thousands of geese is a site to behold (and hear!). We spotted a few dozen Canada geese during our April trip and they were some big, fat ones. We’re just assuming, not knowing much about the habits of these geese, that they came down, got fat on all the wonderful Valley grasses and couldn’t get off the ground, but who knows.
More wildlife on the Refuge
While on our hike we spotted four black-tailed deer near the observation deck. I’ve heard that foxes, skunks and raccoons can be occasionally spotted as well as various squirrels and chipmunks. The Refuge claims to have more than 30 species of mammals, 8 species of amphibians and 10 species of reptiles. On warm, sunny days, you may find a common garter snake near the wetlands. The western rattlesnake is pretty nearly extinct in the Willamette Valley (I know, I know, that tears you up) so don’t expect to encounter any of these guys.
And yet still more wildlife on the Refuge
If you are a birdwatcher, the Refuge is the place to be. Along with the Dusky geese and six subspecies, you’ll find herons, quail, hawks, hummingbirds, woodpeckers, various migratory songbirds and even some bald eagles and tundra swan. Some of the birds you can expect to hear are the spotted towhee’s, ruby-crowned kinglets and bewick’s wrens in the woodlands. Along with the birds, you’re sure to be rewarded by the viewing of the endangered Fender’s Blue Butterflies, which we found fluttering around the cat’s ear ( a delicately beautiful white flower resembling the ear of a kitten). This endemic butterfly is a beautiful, small species primarily found in the Refuge.
How to find Baskett Slough and facilities
If you decide that this Refuge is right up your alley and would like to visit, take hwy 22 either from the coast or inland from Salem and turn north at the 99W junction. Keep an eye out, because only a mile or two up the road is a sign announcing the Refuge. Turn on this dirt road and about a mile and a quarter up the road, you’ll find a small parking lot and the trailhead. The dirt road continues all the way through the Refuge and I only saw one port-o-potty at the parking lot. You’ll also find a picnic table or two along the parking lot. Other than the parking lot, do not expect to find any facilities along the road, only places to pull over in which to view the wetlands.
Would I recommend Baskett Slough?
Obviously if you have a thing for geese, birds or endangered butterflies, you need to stop at the Refuge and plan on spending at least half a day. If you’d just like to enjoy an easy hike filled with wildflowers and beautiful views, plan to stop at the refuge at least a couple hours. If you cannot even be within a few feet of poison oak without breaking out into a huge boiled mess, then I’d recommend avoiding the trails and just take a little drive out to look at the wetlands and the waterfowl. Just remember to bring your camera. You are sure to be rewarded with some beautiful shots within the refuge. Think of it, if the Dusky geese travel all this way to winter at the Baskett Slough National Wildlife Refuge, shouldn’t you stop by and see what all the hub-bub is about?
Recommended:
Yes
Best time to go: March-May
Recommended for: Anybody
Review Topic: Hiking & Trails
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bonzobean
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Location: West Coast
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I think the mistake many of us make is thinking the-state-appointed shrink is our friend.
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