The Federal government shutdown is still in progress, but the US Fish & Wildlife Service has expanded operating guidelines for 38 National Wildlife Refuges starting Monday, January 14. The Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge (WMWR) is one of those 38 refuges. The expanded guidelines for the WMWR are: Normal activities are permissible during daylight hours. All…
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The WWMR has been affected by the partial government shutdown. A quick overview of its effect: The Visitor’s Center is closed and there are no staff there to answer the phones. The Nature Store is closed, because although operated by non-federal employees, the building they are located in is closed. Volunteerism is limited to off-site…
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Oklahoma’s January weather is dicey at best. So it’s no wonder that the “In Search of Eagles” tour was the least well attended, and most often cancelled tour FOW assist with. The fact that Oklahoma’s wintering Bald and Golden Eagles prefer to fish in large lakes with tall trees on the shorelines like those of…
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Winter is a very nice time of year to visit the Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge. The refuge is quieter with considerably fewer people. The deciduous trees have lost most of their leaves, which makes spotting large animals much easier. “Winter is my favorite time for visiting the refuge. There are hardly any two-legged animals running…
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There are no Interpretive Public Tours for the month of December. The Tour Schedules for 2019 will be posted online soon. Not many activities are happening on the Refuge in December. This is the time of year when we can all reflect on what a wonderful year 2018 was and look forward to an even…
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As has been reported through various media outlets – KSWO, Lawton Constitution, KJRH, KFOR – vandalism is on the rise at the Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge. In July, large areas of graffiti were removed in the Parallel Forest and on Mt. Scott thanks to a number of volunteers including the OKC Chapter of the Alpine Club. The…
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Shopping list needs something the Nature Store doesn’t have? You can support FOW when you shop on Amazon! Just shop using Smile.Amazon.com from a web browser (using smile.amazon.com as the address), you can donate a half a percent of the price of eligible purchases to the Association of the Friends of the Wichitas (FOW’s real…
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Want to know what is happening? Check out the calendar to see upcoming events, activities and opportunities! There’s always lots happening on the refuge. Click here to see the calendar.
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On Saturday, June 2nd a 10 a.m. immediately following the training tour, is the potluck lunch and Members Meeting at the Environmental Education Center. If you want to check out becoming more involved with Friends of the Wichitas, this is a great opportunity to get to know other volunteers and enjoy some quality time with other…
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The Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge will be hosting their fourth annual Invasive Plant Round-Up on Saturday, June 9, 2018 from 8:00 a.m. until 12:00 p.m. Come learn about the most damaging invasive plants in southwestern Oklahoma and help Refuge staff remove eastern red cedar, common mullein, musk thistle, prickly lettuce and other invasive plants. The…
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