By Dallin Saurey

HAMER—During the late 1800’s, a large portion of the Camas National Wildlife Refuge was used for livestock and was known as Idaho Livestock and Lands, Inc. The smaller portions had been homesteaded by families who sold their smaller acreage to the government, which then became part of the Camas National Wildlife Refuge.

There used to be a stage wagon road through this wildlife refuge. There was a place in what is now called Hamer, where prospectors could stop before venturing on to search for gold in Montana. It was an overnight stage stop by a sand hole lake in the southeast corner of the refuge.

The land was made into a national wildlife refuge in 1939 for the purpose of managing habitat for waterfowl and to foster migrating waterfowl during the fall and spring. The construction of refuge headquarters, water structures and a bridge happened during this time.

Before the refuge was established, part of the marshland was used for the fur trade, and the pond was called “Rat Farm Pond.”

There are signs throughout the refuge for an auto tour. These tell more of this history and explain more details about the land and wildlife.

My own experience at Camas National Wildlife Refuge began when I volunteered in July of 2009. My duties were elk surveys (counting them through binoculars), checking water levels, and mapping invasive plants. About 4 miles southeast of Hamer, at Sand Hole Lake, I counted 120 elk for one survey. I’ve seen elk hunters wishing they were able to shoot.

Most people go to this refuge to see birds. Once, when I mapped invasive plants, a red-tailed hawk swooped at me, since I was near his nest!

I fell in love with this place because of the work and the things I saw. When I came across sage grouse in this habitat, I mapped their locations on a GPS system.

I continue to look for birds and watch wildlife. One time, doing volunteer work with the wildlife society from Brigham Young University-Idaho, we found a porcupine in a culvert (near the refuge office), not wanting to be bothered.

It is nice to know that all the animals, like the moose I saw wandering around the marshes, are safe from hunters. Coyotes walking in fields at the refuge, looking for food to eat, are in the same fight for survival. This location is not only for bird watchers, but also for everyone else.