In a quickly changing world, nature and the environment are often cast aside to make room for humans. This put a lot of stress of animals as they often have no safe place to go. How can we help this situation? Well, I believe the answer to that question can be found at the Deer Flat National Wildlife Refuge. Nicholas Carlson is a volunteer coordinator at the Deer Flat National Wildlife Refuge, located in Nampa, Idaho. His job is to recruit and organize the restoration projects hosted by the refuge center. I interviewed Nick to see if I could get an idea of what the refuge is like and its purpose. The refuge is a place where nature can live freely. Covered in trees and sagebrush, the refuge is located next to Lake Lowell, a reservoir built…show more content… It was founded on February 5th, 1909, by Teddy Roosevelt and is one of the oldest refuges in the National Wildlife Refuge System. (fws.gov) Since then, Nick says that it seems like the there is much more agricultural activity and housing.
According to Nick, the main purpose of the refuge is to provide a stopover for migratory birds, though it is home to a variety of animals, such as deer, coyotes, badgers, owls, great blue herons, bald eagles, etc. There are 13-15 people working there. Three of them, including him are AmeriCorps volunteers. The refuge regularly holds community events, such as volunteer events and school field trips. Recently, they held a sagebrush planting volunteer activity. Nick told me that he uses a variety of sources to recruit volunteers, anywhere from newspaper ads to social media to apps, such as VolunteerMatch. Some other purposes the refuge serves in wildlife management and conservation. Wildlife management is how the refuge provides, maintains, and improves habitats. They do this by maintaining and creating wildlife habitat, providing artificial nesting habitat, monitoring bird populations, combating invasive plants, and reducing fuels for
