Southeast Idaho National Wildlife Refuge Complex

07/28/2026

Did you know that white-faced ibises can share nesting colonies with Franklin's gulls? Both species are colonial nesters, meaning they nest within close proximity of each other in sizeable groups. In a large, productive wetland, colony sizes can be hundreds or even thousands of birds!

White-faced ibises prefer to nest in dense marsh habitat, or in low-hanging trees and shrubs over water. They can be spotted foraging in meadows and shallow wetlands for invertebrates 🪱🦗🐌

📸 White-faced ibis at Grays Lake NWR by Dana Duran/USFWS

07/25/2026

On Saturday, August 15th, the North American Lead-free Partnership, in collaboration with the USFWS, will host an educational workshop at Camas National Wildlife Refuge.

The workshop will focus on providing voluntary information, resources, and incentives to hunters considering choosing lead-free hunting ammunition in their hunts at select NWRs. The voluntary lead-free incentive program, which reimburses hunters for their purchase of up to two boxes of lead-free hunting ammunition, partners with refuge hunters to proactively address the potential impacts of lead exposure to scavenging wildlife from lead-core hunting ammunition.

Click the link below to view details and sign up! Space is limited and sign up is required.
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeTNKqszPaLYrQpqEHV0l7jKCw3hyx3t3-2wawKTTRcEAORrw/viewform

06/27/2026

The highlights at Camas National Wildlife Refuge from the past 1-2 months include water, birds, and...art! 🌊🦆🎨

Water at Camas has been flowing from the wells, attracting a variety of waterbirds that can be spotted along the auto tour route. The wildlife views don't stop when you need a pit stop, however; the Friends of Camas recently commissioned some incredible Camas-themed murals on the walls of the refuge's vault toilets, featuring many of the refuge's most iconic critters.

06/27/2026

This Melissa blue butterfly took a break from frolicking around the meadow to loaf on some showy milkweed!

Do you know how to tell the difference between male and female blue butterflies? Males will have vibrant blue upper wings with a black border, while females have dusky brown wings with blue iridescence and an orange border. What do you think this butterfly is?

📸 Melissa blue butterfly at Minidoka NWR by Ty Matthews/USFWS

05/20/2026

Looking for a weekend road trip? Spring and early summer are the best times of year to visit Grays Lake NWR for viewing wildlife and colorful blooms straight from your vehicle.

Moose, elk, sandhill cranes, long-billed curlews, white-faced ibises, cinnamon teal, northern shovelers, mountain bluebirds, and American kestrels have been some of the most commonly sighted critters at the refuge these past few weeks. The best times of day to view wildlife are around sunrise and sunset, though all of these species could be spotted throughout the day as well.

If you're looking for beautiful blooms, the meadows are already dotted yellow with buttercups, dandelions, and canary violets. Camas, northern mule's ear, and many other species are just around the corner!

04/29/2026

On Thursday, May 14th, the Shoshone-Bannock Tribes and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will hold a public dedication ceremony for the new interpretive and wayfinding exhibits at Camas National Wildlife Refuge. The ceremony will take place from 11:00 am to 11:30 am, followed by an open auto tour from 11:30 am to 12:30 pm.

Visit the link below to learn more about this event and the story behind the new exhibits!
https://www.fws.gov/event/new-exhibit-dedication-camas-national-wildlife-refuge

📸Image of one of the new exhibits by Emily Rabus/USFWS

04/17/2026

Minidoka National Wildlife Refuge is in the process of creating a 3D model of the cliff faces along the southern Snake River corridor in order to establish a baseline for erosion control.

Technicians took an early morning back in March to set ground control points along the cliffs for use by the drone flight in generating georeferenced Digital Elevation Models. In the grand scheme of things, we are hoping this project will inform Minidoka NWR if restoration efforts, in the form of planting native flora, are needed to stabilize and reduce cliff erosion.

📸 Photos of Snake River cliffs and control point sites by Hailey Jacobson

04/13/2026

We will be at the Marshall Public Library in Pocatello tomorrow night at 7:00 pm to talk "owl" about one of our favorite groups of birds and dissect some pellets! We hope to see you there!

Join us for our April STEAM night on Tuesday, April 14th at 7pm! We will be dissecting owl pellets with special host Dana Duran wildlife refuge specialist. We can’t wait to see you there!

In accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, it is the policy of the City of Pocatello to offer its public programs, services, and meetings in a manner that is readily accessible to everyone, including those with disabilities. If you are disabled and require an accommodation, please contact Skyler Beebe with two
(2) business days’ advance notice at [email protected]; 208.234.6248; or 5815 South 5th Avenue, Pocatello, Idaho. Advance notification within this guideline will enable the City to make reasonable arrangements to ensure accessibility.

03/31/2026

Buoy oh buoy, we can't believe it's boating season at Minidoka NWR already! 🚤

Boating season on Lake Walcott is April 1 - October 31. Due to extreme winds, the buoys marking the "No Boating" and "Slow Wake" zones will not be deployed in time for the opening. Even when not marked with buoys, these zones are still in effect, so please continue to respect them as they provide true "refuge" areas for wildlife.

The "No Boating" areas are marked with signs on the riverbank, and areas closed to boating are also detailed in the refuge brochure. Brochures are available at the main offices for the Refuge and Lake Walcott State Park. Thank you for your understanding and cooperation as we wait for an appropriate window to deploy our buoys.

📸 USFWS staff deploying buoys last spring by Jaime Allen/USFWS