Learn more at: ridgefieldfriends.org
RIDGEFIELD — As if to honor the Chinook Tribe, the rain gods called off the showers Sunday afternoon and hundreds made their way to the fire pit for salmon and seafood stew.
After a rainy Saturday, the annual Birdfest and Bluegrass festival hosted visitors as far away as Bellingham, Missouri and even Pennsylvania.
The event served as a reminder of the beauty and history of the 5,217-acre Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge.
Vancouver’s Greg Robinson was tending the alder fire as salmon cooked between cedar spits. An artist and member of the Chinook Indian Nation, Robinson said visitors continually told him the fish and stew were excellent.
The feast was adjacent the Cathlapotle Plankhouse, which Robinson served as construction manager in 2006. “It’s meant to be a living representation of Chinookan culture,” he said.
Inside the plankhouse, with its circular entrance, visitors discovered two fire pits, information on the plankhouse, animal skins and art.
In downtown Ridgefield, bluegrass was featured at 12 locations. At least 14 bluegrass groups entertained at the festival that drew an estimated 3,000 guests. The rain hurt attendance, as last year about 4,000 persons attended, said event organizer Julie Almquist.
Charity Cimarron, 27, holding her 2-year-old daughter, Lively, said she and her husband are searching for a new place to live. They left Southwest City, Mo., a week ago.
“We’re kind of on a scouting trip,” Charity said. “We love it here. You don’t feel like you’re drowning in humidity.”
She said the festival “makes me excited about living in the area.”
Looking at the salmon cooking, she said, “We’re interested in doing things the old way.”
Maureen Friedman, 54, of Allentown, Pa., said she is visiting friends in Ridgefield and was thrilled with the refuge. “I saw some great blue heron and I saw a sandhill crane,” she said.
Activities during the festival included a panel discussion titled “New Technologies for Birders.” One bit of advice: There is an iPhone application for bird calls. Yep, call the birds with your phone.
Marguerite Hills of Portland was singing the praises of the refuge as she chatted with folks near the fire pit.
“This refuge is one of the finest in the whole (U.S.) refuge system,” she said. A former biologist for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, she said she’s been to many of America’s 550 refuges.
Hills, who is the executive director of the Friends of the Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge, looked westward and said, “This is paradise.”
While rain held down crowds, Hills noted, “It’s been wonderful weather from a duck’s point of view.”
She said “the wildlife sitings have been very rich,” during the festival. She said visitors saw eagles and peregrine falcons diving for fish and sometimes fighting over the prey.
Visitors on a Saturday night sandhill crane tour south of the S Unit saw a total of 1,400 of the cranes, she said.
Those who missed the festival, which is sponsored by the friends group, should plan to visit the refuge, Hill recommended.
“They have this year-round,” she said. “The festival is merely an introduction.”
From November through January, Hills said visitors can see a multitude of ducks, geese and swans.
Every week, the friends’ website lists birds that have been viewed the previous seven days, she added.
