Lessons from a Wildlife Refuge

At first, it looked like we were in for a long, boring drive. Interstate 80 north from Reno stretched into one long asphalt road with nothing but grassland and cows.? Cows and more cows. Flat upon flat.? The last town was Winnemucca, Nevada, recognized for the tribe of western Shoshone and Northern Paiute Indians.

How wrong I was.? We discovered a protected oasis in Oregon’s high desert, the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge. The Refuge is famous for its tremendous diversity and spectacular concentrations of wildlife. With more than 340 bird species and 67 mammal species, Malheur is a mecca for birdwatchers and wildlife enthusiasts.

Throughout its 187,000 acres, the Refuge represents a crucial stop along the Pacific Flyway as a resting, breeding, and nesting areas for hundreds of thousands of birds and other wildlife.

Had we but known! Our road trip timing was off to experience such migrations. We settled for seeing starlings, red-wing blackbirds, quail, coots, and one very large juvenile eagle. And there’s nothing like being caught in a cattle drive where we slowly merged with at least 300 cows being moved into pastureland.

But it did give me a moment of pause.

I had judged the trip “boring” without giving myself a chance to really dig deeper into the experience. It made me wonder how many times I too quickly make a judgement without getting all the facts.? Shame on me.

Exploring, reading, and asking questions open windows to fascinating information. My intention is to be better about that.

How about you? ?Surely I am not the only one who "leaps before looking”. ?I’d love to hear from you!

?2023, Eileen McDargh, CSP, CPAE. All rights reserved.?

Eileen McDargh is the CEO of The Resiliency Group. She is an internationally recognized keynote speaker, master facilitator, and award-winning author with expertise in resiliency and leadership. The British research firm of Global Gurus International ranks her in the top five of the 30 Communication Gurus worldwide. Her articles have appeared in countless publications and two of her books have been awarded national recognition, including the Ben Franklin Gold Award.? You can learn more at https://EileenMcDargh.com .