Toppenish National Wildlife Refuge

Toppenish National Wildlife Refuge consists of 1,978 acres spread over 27 miles in the agriculturally intensive Yakima Valley. FWS says the main Robbins and Pumphouse units sit at the center, with eight outlying units upstream and four downstream. The entire refuge lies in the floodplain of Toppenish Creek, a year-round tributary of the Yakima River. The main entrance is six miles south of Toppenish on U.S. Highway 97, then one mile west from the refuge sign.

FWS describes natural and managed wetlands mixed with shrub-steppe and streams, habitat for Columbia Basin species. Water from Toppenish Creek and Snake Creek fills managed ponds in fall and winter and attracts mallards and other ducks. A second look, FWS says, also finds geese, endangered steelhead, shorebirds, and upland wildlife such as coyotes, mule deer, and badgers.

Refuge purposes include use as an inviolate sanctuary for migratory birds, protection of natural resources, and conservation of endangered or threatened species. The address FWS lists is 21 Pumphouse Road, Toppenish, WA 98948. The sources below are U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service refuge pages.