The Friends of Turnbull National Wildlife Refuge is a nonprofit organization that advocates for and supports the mandate of the refuge to protect and enhance wildlife and their habitats through education, research, habitat preservation and restoration and compatible public uses.
Beginning Bird Watching Series
Choose one class to attend. Each class, limited to 16 participants, will begin in the Environmental Education Classroom on the Refuge and then go on a walk to see and hear what we can find. The class will begin at 8:45 am on the first Saturday of April, May and June. Families with children > 8 yrs are welcome. There is no charge for the class, however, there is a $3.00 per car entrance fee for the Refuge. Registration is available through Eventbrite, see links on the dates above, or email: activities at fotnwr.org
Turnbull NWR Classroom is at the east end of the Refuge Administration parking lot. The address is: 26010 S. Smith Road, Cheney, WA. See the location map below.
The classes will be a hands-on chance to learn about tools and tips for observing, and identifying what you see in a fun walk.
The classes will include:
1) recognizing size, shape, beak, color, and habitat to identify birds,
2) instruction and practice using binoculars,
3) using field guides,
4) birds to look for at Turnbull NWR, and 5) a bird walk along one of the Turnbull trails.
Check back for Beginning Bird Watching classes in Spring, 2020
Each month the classroom portion is the same. There will be differences in the "hike" portion of our outing due to the birds which are passing through the refuge in March/April and the new arrivals in May and the mating colors and songs of June. Choose the date which works best for you.
Family Scavenger Hunts on the Refuge - The Kids Wildlife Viewing backpacks are available to enhance your visit to the Refuge on weekends. They may be checked out and borrowed for a hike on the Refuge during the hours that the Friends of Turnbull Nature Store is open. Saturday and Sunday 11:00 am - 4:00 pm.Go into the Nature Store in the Refuge Administration Building to check them out, and return to the store when finished.
Download the Kids Scavenger Hunt here.
While Friends of Turnbull activities are free, donations to Friends of Turnbull help keep them going. The Friends of Turnbull is a 501 c3 organization which helps to fund the educational programs for schools and the general public on the Refuge. There is an FOT donation box in the Nature Store.
The National Wildlife Refuges have "free admission days" for 2018:
February – Presidents’ Day Weekend
September 30 – National Public Lands Day
October 7 – Sunday of National Wildlife Refuge Week
November 9 -11 – Veterans Day weekend
