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U.S. Fish and Wildlife outlines McNary National Wildlife Refuge priorities and large Wallula floodplain restoration project
Summary
Refuge staff described habitat work, public‑use programming and a proposed Wallula floodplain restoration project that would reconnect 1,500 acres of historic floodplain; staff warned of frozen design funds, major staffing shortages and invasive species pressure.
Stephen Kahl, project leader for the Mid Columbia River National Wildlife Refuge Complex, briefed the Walla Walla County Board of Commissioners on May 19 about McNary National Wildlife Refuge operations, habitat priorities and a large floodplain restoration project in the Wallula reach of the Walla Walla River.
Kahl said the refuge is “managed by U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, not by WDFW or the Corps of Engineers,” and that McNary is the center of a four‑refuge complex serving roughly 44,000 acres across eastern Washington and Oregon. He described the refuge’s focus on wetlands, riverine and riparian habitat for waterfowl, shorebirds and other species and outlined recent wildlife news: two newly discovered eagle nests, a new Western grebe nesting…
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