Friends of the Ohio River Islands NWR

Want to create a native oasis in your own backyard? Join us for a native plant sale this Saturday in Athens!

You can also catch the native plant sale on June 1st in Marietta or June 8th in Parkersburg!

We're having a wonderful day at the Marietta Earth Day celebration!

Our motley crew of Master Naturalists, Master Gardners, Friends of the ORINWR members, and members of the public had a wonderful time learning, planting, and laughing as Jeff Weiss lectured us all about propagating Native plants from seeds and hard wood cuttings.

Participants each left with two trays full of native seeds and several pots of cuttings including wild bergamot (Monarda fistulosa), swamp milkweed (Asclepias incarnata), and silky dogwood (Cornus amomum).

With spring in the air, mornings are getting loud. One of the main culprits is the rowdy Red-winged Blackbird; they're the ones who say "Konk-a-Reeeeeee!" Depending on where you were standing, you also may have noticed a lot more bird song during yesterday's solar eclipse. Confused birds notice the very short night and naturally assume it must be morning twilight. Time to wake up the neighborhood!

Red-winged Blackbird, photo by Michael Schramm/USFWS

They may not be super colorful, but the Phoebe is still a standout spring migrant, mostly because they arrive so early. Usually in late February or early March, they return to our area and can be heard singing their distinctive, hoarse "Phee-beee" call. Compared to other flycatcher species, the dark parts are a little darker, the light parts are a little lighter, and they like perching out in the open and wagging their tale up and down. It all gives them a special quality that makes them delightful to encounter!

Eastern Phoebe, photo by Michael Schramm/USFWS

The Ohio River is on the rise which means most of what encompasses our Refuge is underwater and many of the counties nearby are experiencing states of emergency. Please be careful and keep our surrounding communities in your thoughts!

Pictured: a photo of Buckley Island as a barge passes between the island and the shore as seen from the Marietta side.

🌎Ever been out fishing or swimming and get tangled up in some old fishing line left behind? Happens to fish and wildlife too. 🐟 Frustrating to us, deadly to critters. 😔 Do us a favor, please! Don’t leave that stuff behind. Some outdoor stores and fishing access sites offer recycling, like shown. If nothing else, wind it up around your hand and cut through each side before putting in the trash.

Photo: Idaho Fish and Game fishing line recycling program. Credit/USFWS

Thank you to everyone who came out to Middle Island tonight in search of woodcocks! We were lucky enough to hear several calling and even see a few in flight.

Michael shows us tonight's target, the elusive woodcock (Scolopax minor) before we begin the search. The spring peepers are calling and we are excited to explore the island in search of these unique birds!

Did you know that the Refuge is often home to the Mid-Ohio Valley Master Naturalist Program? Many classes and lectures are held at the Refuge covering a wide variety of ecological topics!

The Call of the Wild: Master Naturalist program starting this month WILLIAMSTOWN — The 12th Mid-Ohio Valley Master Naturalist Program will begin March 23. Participants will take 64 hours of workshops throughout the year and upon completion will be designated Master Naturalists, said Emily Grafton, organizer of the program held in collaboration with the West Virgin...

There are new residents at the Ohio River Islands National Wildlife Refuge!

New mussels arrived at the Ohio River Islands Wildlife Refuge Mussels are very important to the ecosystem as they clean the water and are the base of the food chain.

Our board met last night for our quarterly meeting, sang happy birthday, and had some wonderful cake!

We are so excited for everything we have planned in 2024 and the future projects that we are discussing for the Refuge! There are lots of great things coming, stay tuned.

We hope this beautiful bird recovers! 🙏🙏

Here's a fun way to contribute to a community science project from your own backyard!

The Great Backyard Bird Count is this weekend, February 16-19. Participation is easy! All you have to do is spend 15 minutes or more watching birds on one of these days, and turn in the observation data via the Merlin Bird ID app, eBird Mobile app, or the eBird website. If you haven't explored using these apps before, they may revolutionize your world! You can participate in the event from your own living room (or at your favorite National Wildlife Refuge)! Just taking a little time out, there's no telling what you might see ...

Evening Grosbeak at a bird feeder, photo by Michael Schramm/USFWS

This is a really fantastic opportunity tomorrow night!

Natural Resource Conservation Services is offering a workshop for formal and informal educators. The workshop is free, and attendees will get to listen to people who have participated in the NRCS programs and receive some handouts on how NRCS can help you too. The workshop is scheduled for Tuesday, February 6th starting at 5:30 p.m. at the Ohio River National Wildlife Refuge Visitor Center. Registration is required. Please Call Parkersburg NRCS office at (304) 422-9072 Ext. 3.

It's always exciting when we are featured in a news article.

Enjoy this article about the Ohio River Islands National Wildlife Refuge's very own Michael Schramm and his weekly bird walks at the Refuge!

Ohio River National Wildlife Refuge proves a good perch for birdwatchers WILLIAMSTOWN — Park Ranger Michael Schramm led his weekly bird walk on Saturday at the Ohio River National Wildlife Refuge in Williamstown. Schramm noted that the winter walks usually don’t have a lot of people because of the cold weather, but there are also not as many bird sightings in the win...

This gorgeous red salamander (Pseudotrition ruber) was found on our refuge!

Our refuge is home to a wealth of biological diversity. All the way from the tree tops, clear down to the forest floor. You never know what you'll find!

Our Walk For The Wild event made the news!

Ohio River Islands National Wildlife Refuge hosts Walk for the Wild 5K on Middle Island Oct. 7-14 is National Wildlife Refuge Week. The Ohio River Islands National Wildlife Refuge kicked the week off with a Walk for the Wild 5K on Middle Island Sunday afternoon.

Our fearless leader, Friends of ORINWR Board President Mark, is ecstatic to see the kayakers launch!

Our two very brave kayakers who couldn't be scared away by the cold!

A great success story!

Cyclists are arriving and heading out!

Our runners are ready to race!

We are all set up and 5K participants are arriving!

All of tomorrow's 5K participants will receive a free "Flex Your Mussels" decal to show your support for the .

These decals were a collaborative effort by our board members and designed by one of our very own! They feature a pocketbook mussel (Lampsilis cardium) which are a species of importance at the refuge.

They are printed on 3M vinyl, waterproof, and laminated to protect against UV. These sturdy decals will stick to practically anything! Water bottles, laptops, car bumpers, coolers; you name it!

Shirts with this design will also be available for purchase for anyone interested; with proceeds benefitting the refuge.

We are so excited for everyone to come out tomorrow and "Flex Your Mussels!"

Tomorrow is the big day! Are you ready?

We can't wait to see everyone who comes out to walk, run, bike, and kayak to support the

We're approaching the final countdown to !

Teams across the country have been working hard and their efforts are starting to show. So far, our collective efforts have raised an impressive $38,148 for National Wildlife Refuges!

As we move towards the day of the event, please share with your friends and family to spread the word!

We can't wait to see everyone this Sunday for !

Remember to pre-register and bring helmets and lifejackets!