Volunteer Opportunities
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The Friends of Hart Mountain sponsor a Greater Sage-Grouse lek count for members at Hart Mountain each year in early Spring. From mid-March and mid-April, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service surveys mating area ‘leks’ to track sage grouse population trends on Hart Mountain. The Friends also sponsor a Mule Deer count on the Refuge each year in the Fall to help Refuge staff track their population numbers. As a Friends member, you can sign up as a volunteer to participate as a ‘citizen scientist’ and help monitor these iconic species on the Refuge.
Keep a look out for opportunities to sign up for these and other wildlife monitoring and other work trips. |
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As a member of the Friends of Hart Mountain you can get involved in the Refuge in a number of ways. Whether you are a visitor, a first timer, or a local resident there are opportunities here for you. Examples of ways to be involved include:
The possibilities for involvement are broad and will change as the Friends of Hart Mountain develops its agenda. Your involvement can be on an ongoing basis, or for a one time project.
If you are interested in volunteer opportunities on Hart Mountain please contact the Refuge Staff, at (541) 947-2731. |
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Reflections from Volunteers
In March 2017, I had the great opportunity of spending a few days at Hart Mountain National Antelope Refuge. I went thanks to a trip organized by the Bird Nerds and Fisheries and Wildlife Club of Oregon State University, to survey Greater Sage-Grouse. I had never been to Southeastern Oregon before and I was amazed by what I discovered there. In Hart Mountain, I found a place where time seemed to have stopped. Peacefulness, wilderness, an untouched place, giving my mind and eyes the opportunity to rest and enjoy an undisturbed (or restored to be more precise) Nature. At first, what surprised me the most were the colors. It seemed like a filter had been applied on the landscapes, making them look less bright, less contrasted. A place where the grey of the sky was melting with the white of the snow, the pale green of the sagebrush and the pale yellow of dry grasses.
We were more than welcomed at the refuge and I learnt so much spending a few days there. Being able to survey Greater Sage-Grouse was a chance I am very thankful for. Seeing them in their natural habitat, displaying their “dances” in their leks is something that will stay with me. Especially because we had to hike in the dark (and when it’s dark over there, it’s pitch black) to be there at the right place at the right time. And this enabled us to watch sunrise every morning. These sunrises, from pitch black to bright orange, were amazingly beautiful particularly because it was us and just us, surrounded by mountains and wide spaces.
Sage-Grouse were not the only wildlife we could observe. Several birds, coyotes, mule deer and pronghorns were also giving us the great pleasure of being seen in their natural habitat. They seemed small and discrete in these wide spaces, but they were bringing the spark of life that would give this place its heart.
It’s no wonder that humans from earlier times settled there and made Hart Mountain their home. I was amazed by the petroglyphs I discovered there. Especially when so little is known about them. It seemed that they were from another world, completely different from all the petroglyphs I ever saw in Europe. The representations are drawn from the direct imagination of the artist. There is no model, just an abstraction and it’s something precious to be aware that you’re standing where someone was carving the rocks when the world was completely different from what we know today.
I am very happy I had the chance to visit Hart Mountain. Although there is still plenty for me to see and hike over there, I am very thankful to all the people that made this trip a reality. If you like Nature, wildlife and a bit of solitude, Hart Mountain is waiting for you…
Marie-Morgane Rouyer
Poitiers, France
In March 2017, I had the great opportunity of spending a few days at Hart Mountain National Antelope Refuge. I went thanks to a trip organized by the Bird Nerds and Fisheries and Wildlife Club of Oregon State University, to survey Greater Sage-Grouse. I had never been to Southeastern Oregon before and I was amazed by what I discovered there. In Hart Mountain, I found a place where time seemed to have stopped. Peacefulness, wilderness, an untouched place, giving my mind and eyes the opportunity to rest and enjoy an undisturbed (or restored to be more precise) Nature. At first, what surprised me the most were the colors. It seemed like a filter had been applied on the landscapes, making them look less bright, less contrasted. A place where the grey of the sky was melting with the white of the snow, the pale green of the sagebrush and the pale yellow of dry grasses.
We were more than welcomed at the refuge and I learnt so much spending a few days there. Being able to survey Greater Sage-Grouse was a chance I am very thankful for. Seeing them in their natural habitat, displaying their “dances” in their leks is something that will stay with me. Especially because we had to hike in the dark (and when it’s dark over there, it’s pitch black) to be there at the right place at the right time. And this enabled us to watch sunrise every morning. These sunrises, from pitch black to bright orange, were amazingly beautiful particularly because it was us and just us, surrounded by mountains and wide spaces.
Sage-Grouse were not the only wildlife we could observe. Several birds, coyotes, mule deer and pronghorns were also giving us the great pleasure of being seen in their natural habitat. They seemed small and discrete in these wide spaces, but they were bringing the spark of life that would give this place its heart.
It’s no wonder that humans from earlier times settled there and made Hart Mountain their home. I was amazed by the petroglyphs I discovered there. Especially when so little is known about them. It seemed that they were from another world, completely different from all the petroglyphs I ever saw in Europe. The representations are drawn from the direct imagination of the artist. There is no model, just an abstraction and it’s something precious to be aware that you’re standing where someone was carving the rocks when the world was completely different from what we know today.
I am very happy I had the chance to visit Hart Mountain. Although there is still plenty for me to see and hike over there, I am very thankful to all the people that made this trip a reality. If you like Nature, wildlife and a bit of solitude, Hart Mountain is waiting for you…
Marie-Morgane Rouyer
Poitiers, France
As a fairly new member of The Friends of Hart Mountain I was pleased and excited to be accepted as a volunteer to assist in the greater sage grouse Lek count this spring. It was scheduled to take place March 23, 24 and 25 but we were asked to arrive by 3:30 PM the day before so we could attend an introductory briefing and get settled into the Hart Mountain bunkhouse.The count of both males and females is done annually to assist in the management of the species. The grouse gather in an area called a Lek where the males strut and display shortly after daylight to compete for the attention of the females. They are present at the Lek for several hours. Our group was divided into teams of 3 or 4 people with each team including at least one Lek count veteran.
The Leks have been previously located and several are assigned to each team each day. Early to bed and early to rise allowed us to leave the bunkhouse by about 5:30 AM. We drove as close as possible, then hiked in the pre-dawn dark with headlights for one or two miles navigating by handheld GPS until about 100 yards from the Lek. As it began to get light the grouse were revealed, the males with spiky tail feathers, spread and erect, and a white patch on their breast. The females hunkered nearby watching, and “judging”. Our mission was to count the number of males and to also note the number of females. The females were tougher to see because of their coloration and shy presence.
Although the sagebrush hills of Hart Mountain appear rather featureless, even a short hike shows that the terrain is composed of dips and ridges, hills and gullies that offer a surprising amount of concealment in an area that looked devoid of creatures, from the road. Elevation in the area of the Leks is above 5,500 feet, and it was usually around 20 degrees F° in the morning, with a fairly constant 10 to 20 MPH wind. On Sunday the 25th, snow was added to the mix. We were usually done with our assigned counts and back at the bunkhouse by 10:00 AM and had the rest of the day to ourselves to take other hikes, visit the hot springs, drive into Plush for a hamburger or just hang out. Friday, I attended the board meeting in the afternoon and Saturday I went with four others for a hike up DeGarmo Canyon to a partially frozen waterfall. We saw and counted sage grouse and also saw pronghorn antelope on each of the three days. One of the teams saw and photographed a cougar.
The weather, scenery and company were invigorating and I look forward to other volunteering opportunities with The Friends of Hart Mountain.
Gary Fasnacht
Olympia, Washington
The Leks have been previously located and several are assigned to each team each day. Early to bed and early to rise allowed us to leave the bunkhouse by about 5:30 AM. We drove as close as possible, then hiked in the pre-dawn dark with headlights for one or two miles navigating by handheld GPS until about 100 yards from the Lek. As it began to get light the grouse were revealed, the males with spiky tail feathers, spread and erect, and a white patch on their breast. The females hunkered nearby watching, and “judging”. Our mission was to count the number of males and to also note the number of females. The females were tougher to see because of their coloration and shy presence.
Although the sagebrush hills of Hart Mountain appear rather featureless, even a short hike shows that the terrain is composed of dips and ridges, hills and gullies that offer a surprising amount of concealment in an area that looked devoid of creatures, from the road. Elevation in the area of the Leks is above 5,500 feet, and it was usually around 20 degrees F° in the morning, with a fairly constant 10 to 20 MPH wind. On Sunday the 25th, snow was added to the mix. We were usually done with our assigned counts and back at the bunkhouse by 10:00 AM and had the rest of the day to ourselves to take other hikes, visit the hot springs, drive into Plush for a hamburger or just hang out. Friday, I attended the board meeting in the afternoon and Saturday I went with four others for a hike up DeGarmo Canyon to a partially frozen waterfall. We saw and counted sage grouse and also saw pronghorn antelope on each of the three days. One of the teams saw and photographed a cougar.
The weather, scenery and company were invigorating and I look forward to other volunteering opportunities with The Friends of Hart Mountain.
Gary Fasnacht
Olympia, Washington
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