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Turnbull National Wildlife Refuge
Turnbull National Wildlife Refuge · Spokane County · scablands scoured about 15,000 years ago
More than 23,000 acres of channeled scablands near Spokane hold pine, wetlands, and the only refuge landscape of its kind in the National Wildlife Refuge System.
Turnbull National Wildlife Refuge encompasses over 23,000 acres in Spokane County, on the edge of the Columbia River Basin, about a 40-minute drive from Spokane. FWS says the Channeled Scablands ecosystem that predominates the refuge is unique within the National Wildlife Refuge System.
The scablands here were scoured by ice-age floods about 15,000 years ago. Ponderosa pine, wetlands, meadow steppe, and riparian habitat sit close together. FWS established the refuge to protect migratory waterfowl, with a later focus on redhead ducks. Over 200 kinds of birds have been recorded, including 25 species of nesting and migrating waterfowl.
Mammals on the refuge include moose, Rocky Mountain elk, white-tailed and mule deer, coyote, badger, river otter, and others. The source below is the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service refuge page.
- Geography & Geology
- Wildlife & Ecology
Sources (1)
government · Tier S
U.S. Fish and Wildlife ServiceTurnbull National Wildlife Refuge
Last reviewed: September 20, 2026
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