What’s New?

Happy New Year! Hopefully everyone had a

warm and happy holiday season. Stay safe and

enjoy a hot mug of cocoa during the cold winter

weather. Winter brings with it some beautiful

sights at the Refuge, so stop by sometime soon!

Cheers! Thanks to volunteers Christine H.

and Kyran M. who

helped make

Winter Day Camp a

success! Kid’s had a

great time learning

how animals cope

with the hardships of

winter. Also, a huge

thanks to all the Visitor

Center host volunteers

who help keep the

Visitor Center open on

Saturdays. Visitors and

Refuge staff appreciate it!

Around the Water Cooler Another Eagle Scout Project is complete! McKoy

Bartlett and scout volunteers installed 6 fishing

line receptacles at popular fishing spots around

the Refuge. Anglers are encouraged to protect

wildlife from injury or death from fishing line by

putting unwanted or tangled line in the new

receptacles. Volunteers and staff will collect the

fishing line, which can be recycled! If you find

fishing line on the ground, please pick it up

and put it in the proper place.

Friends of Deer Flat Wildlife Refuge The Friends of Deer Flat is

a non-profit organization

that supports Refuge

activities like field trip

bus scholarships and the

recent restoration

planting project. Friends memberships

start at $10 and are tax deductible. Email

friendsofdfwr@gmail.com for more

info.

A cool. Crisp

Volunteer Newsletter

Deer Flat National

Wildlife Refuge

January 2018

Don’t Miss These Volunteer Opportunities Volunteers especially needed for:

Visitor Center Hosts (Saturdays or weekdays)—Greet and provide information to visitors.

Refuge Star Party (February 17th 4:30-9 PM)—Help staff a table or activity at our stellar astronomy event.

Outreach Booth (Saturday, Feb 3rd 9am-4pm plus travel time)—Volunteer to help host our Refuge booth

for the BSU Engineering and Science Festival.

See next page for more information

A cool, crisp morning at the Visitor Center.

Photo by Kyran McLeod

Know anyone who might be a good fit? Please pass this newsletter to family, friends, and neighbors!

To sign up or find out more, contact Nic Carlson at deerflat@fws.gov (208) 467-9278

Don’t-Miss Volunteer Opportunities! Think you might not have the skills needed to

help? Don’t worry! Training is provided.

Refuge Star Party—Saturday, Feb 17, 4:30–

9pm. Participate in an evening of star-gazing and learning! We are seeking volunteers to help staff a table, guide a craft activity, or staff the parking lot at our stellar astronomy event.

Outreach @ BSU—Saturday, Feb 3, 9am-5pm.

Volunteer to get kids excited about science and nature at our Refuge booth at the Engineering & Science Festival at BSU. They provide lunch!

Internships—2018 Spring semester; Tues,

Wed, or Thurs; 4+ hrs/week. Develop skills and gain job experience in one of our new internships! Students may earn academic credit. To apply, send cover letter and resume to deerflat@fws.gov ASAP. Environmental Educator Intern will help lead field trips, develop new lesson plans, and more. Volunteer Program Assistant Intern will recruit and orient volunteers, coordinate volunteer projects and events, and more.

Other Upcoming Volunteer Opportunities

Idaho Master Naturalists—Deer Flat Chapter Every Friday (2-5pm) from February 9-

May 18. Are you interested in nature and do you want to learn more? Do you enjoy volunteering your time? Then the Idaho Master Naturalist Program may be for you! Participants attend at least 40 hours of classes & field trips and volunteer at least 40 hours toward conservation in one year to become certified. Sign up now to join classes starting Feb. 9.

Classes: 2-5 PM from February 9-May 18 at Refuge Visitor Center. Field trips other days.

$100 registration fee, $50 refunded upon certification.

Contact mndeerflat@gmail.com to sign up or get more info.

Field Trip Leader—Weekdays in April and May.

Lead or assist with 7th grade SEEDS: Watershed Detectives, 4th grade SEEDS: Nature Detectives, or 4-6th grade Discover Wildlife Journeys field trips. No experience necessary. Training provided.

Upcoming Events Unless otherwise noted, events take place at

the Visitor Center.

Refuge Star Party—February 17th 5-8pm.

Learn how wildlife use the stars to navigate and do some sky-watching of your own! There will be activities for the whole family, including star stories, meet a live owl, and stargazing in the College of Idaho’s StarLab. There will be a short presentation at dusk, followed by an hour of telescopes and stargazing with the Boise Astronomical Society.

Volunteer Luncheon —March 10th 12pm—2pm. Have you volunteered since October 2016? Then plan to join us and be recognized for your work to make the refuge a better place.