click on maps to enlarge

 
“In spring, thousands of Sandhill Cranes and Canada Geese feed in refuge fields while Mallards fly in clockwise swirls at dusk. See Barn and Long-eared owls in pines, migrating songbirds in woods, migrating shorebirds,herons and egrets in wetlands. Site #1 on Coulee Corridor map of Great Washington State Birding Trail.” (Washington State Tourism) http://www.experiencewashington.com/v5/poi/poi.aspx?poiId=1323http://www.experiencewashington.com/v5/poi/poi.aspx?poiId=1323shapeimage_1_link_0shapeimage_1_link_1
Crab Creek Dam: Flooding the Columbia National Wildlife Refuge “Lower Crab Creek is just one of several Wildlife Areas in the Columbia Basin which is one of the most important waterfowl breeding grounds in Washington. Millions of other birds also use the waters and marshes for resting and feeding on their annual migrations along the Pacific Flyway.” (Washington Dept of Fish and Wildlife) http://wdfw.wa.gov/lands/r2crabcr.htmshapeimage_2_link_0
 
 

click here to view the wildlife slideshow of Crab Creek.


Of the hundreds of species that live in or migrate through Crab Creek, some of the most visible and important are Sandhill cranes.  Thousands of cranes migrate through the area in spring of each year, feeding in wildlife refuge fields during the day and roosting in Crab Creek at night.  The migration of cranes is celebrated each spring during the Othello Sandhill Crane Festival. An excellent guide to Sandhill spring migration is found at the Nebraska Game & Parks Commission website. 


In addition to cranes, hundreds of species of birds of all kinds inhabit and migrate through the Crab Creek system.  Species spotted in the area include American White Pelican, Great Egret, Golden and Bald Eagles, Swainson’s and Ferruginous Hawks, Chukar, Sandhill Crane, Short-eared, Snowy, and Burrowing Owls, Cassin’s Vireo, Sage Thrasher and Sage Sparrow.  Waterfowl include Canada geese, mallards, redheads, canvasbacks, ringnecks, ruddy ducks, gadwalls, blue and greenwing teal, shovelers, pintails, goldeneyes, and wood ducks.  Crab Creek is an extraordinary home to birds of all kinds.


Lower Crab Creek is an important wildlife area, comprising 19,000 acres of designated federal and state wildlife lands, including the Columbia National Wildlife Refuge.  The designation and protection of Lower Crab Creek lands for wildlife is part of the mitigation package for the Columbia Basin Project, which surrounds the LCC watershed on three sides.


Converting Lower Crab Creek’s abundant and valuable wildlife habitat into a water supply reservoir would completely destroy important values of the watershed as described below.  A host of agencies and organizations have recognized Lower Crab Creek’s values over the years, including U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, Washington State Office of Tourism, Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife, Audubon Society and others.   Click here for more on the Lower Crab Creek Wildlife Area.


“The 17,000-acre Lower Crab Creek Wildlife Area lies along the north side of the Saddle Mountains. The eastern boundary is just a few miles south of Royal City. The western boundary is near the Columbia River. The wetlands and riparian areas along the creek, and the ponds and uplands above the creek valley provide a diverse habitat for many species of wildlife. A native black greasewood and saltgrass community near Smyrna has been designated a Natural Area Preserve. In 1983 a 600-acre Game Reserve was created around Lenice Lake to provide waterfowl a respite during the hunting season. Lenice and Nunnally Lakes are quality trout fishing lakes. The abandoned Milwaulkee Road railway right-of-way traverses the length of this valley, as does Lower Crab Creek County road. An Off-Road Vehicle area on the west end is managed by the DNR with cooperation from the department. Lower Crab Creek is just one of several Wildlife Areas in the Columbia Basin which is one of the most important waterfowl breeding grounds in Washington. Millions of other birds also use the waters and marshes for resting and feeding on their annual migrations along the Pacific Flyway. The thousands of small lakes, potholes, and seeps are home to Canada geese, mallards, redheads, canvasbacks, ringnecks, ruddy ducks, gadwalls, blue and greenwing teal, shovelers, pintails, goldeneyes, and wood ducks. Shorebirds abound and Caspian terns, pelicans, sandhill cranes, swans, and many other rare birds are seen. Ring-billed gulls, Brewer's, red-winged, and yellow-headed blackbirds, kildeer, meadowlarks, and horned larks are found. Game birds including pheasant, chukar and Hungarian partridge, and quail are common, though sage and sharp-tailed grouse have severely declined in numbers. Coyotes are the most abundant predatory mammal. Jackrabbits, marmots, ground squirrels, muskrats, and a wide variety of mice and shrews occur. Mule deer occur in fringe areas where suitable habitat exists. Resident prairie falcons, red-tailed and Swainson's hawks, golden eagles, wintering bald eagles, colonies of burrowing owls, and the occasional snowy owl or gyrfalcon are also present. The vast expanse of water, cattail marshes, potholes, and wetlands offer a wide variety of water-related experiences. The fishing is outstanding, especially for bass, perch, sunfish, and crappie. Rainbow trout are stocked. source: Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife: “Wildlife Areas and Access Points” http://wdfw.wa.gov/lands/r2crabcr.htmshapeimage_4_link_0

Sandhill Cranes, Crab Creek.  To see more, click here.       Photo: Kathy Admire

  Center for

  Environmental Law & Policy

DONATE. http://www.celp.org/water/celpjoin/Membership.htmlshapeimage_6_link_0
Website Contents - Overview - Wildlife - Fisheries - John Wayne Trail - The Dam - Science - Slideshow - Media Archive Home.htmlFisheries.html../dambill/Trails.htmlThe_Dam.htmlScience.htmlslideshow.html../dambill/Media_Center/Archive.htmlshapeimage_7_link_0shapeimage_7_link_1shapeimage_7_link_2shapeimage_7_link_3shapeimage_7_link_4shapeimage_7_link_5shapeimage_7_link_6shapeimage_7_link_7
Links Othello Sandhill Crane Festival US Fish and Wildlife Service Columbia National Wildlife Refuge Taylor S. Fielding The Columbia National Wildlife Refuge & the Columbia Basin Project Seattle Times Birders' top spots: Corfu Woods and Lower Crab Creek Seattle Audubon Columbia National Wildlife Refuge Birds of the Columbia Basin History.org Columbia National Wildlife Refuge Washington State Tourism Corfu Woods and Lower Crab Creek Nebraska Game and Parks Commission Sandhill Cranes Spring Migration Guide http://www.othellosandhillcranefestival.org/http://www.fws.gov/refuges/profiles/index.cfm?id=13510refugeCBP.htmlrefugeCBP.htmlhttp://www.nwsource.com/travel/scr/tf_story.cfm?st=43389http://www.nwsource.com/travel/scr/tf_story.cfm?st=43389http://www.birdweb.org/birdweb/birding_site_details.aspx?id=46&ecoregion=10http://www.christinevadai.com/columbia_basin.htmhttp://historylink.org/essays/output.cfm?file_id=7459http://www.experiencewashington.com/v5/poi/poi.aspx?poiId=1323http://www.ngpc.state.ne.us/wildlife/guides/migration/sandhill.aspshapeimage_8_link_0shapeimage_8_link_1shapeimage_8_link_2shapeimage_8_link_3shapeimage_8_link_4shapeimage_8_link_5shapeimage_8_link_6shapeimage_8_link_7shapeimage_8_link_8shapeimage_8_link_9shapeimage_8_link_10