U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service logo National Wildlife Refuge System Logo Celebrating a Century of Conservation
Banner graphic displaying the Fish & Wildlife Service logo, the National Wildlife Refuge System logo and the Celebrating a Century of Conservation tagline
Bear Valley
National Wildlife Refuge
Keno-Worden Rd and U.S. Hwy 97
Klamath County, OR   
E-mail: David_Champine@fws.gov
Phone Number: 530-667-2231
Visit the Refuge's Web Site:
http://www.fws.gov/klamathbasinrefuges/bearvalley/bearvalley.html
Blue horizontal line
  Overview
Bear Valley National Wildlife Refuge
Bear Valley National Wildlife Refuge was established in 1978 to protect a major night roost site for wintering bald eagles in Southern Oregon. The refuge consists of 4,200 acres, primarily of old growth ponderosa pine, incense cedar, and white and Douglas fir.

These mature stands of trees have open branching patterns of large limbs which allow easy eagle access and can support many birds. Located on a northeast slope, the roost also shelters these raptors from the harsh and prevailing winter winds. In recent years, as many as 300 bald eagles have used the roost in a single night.

Bear Valley National Wildlife Refuge also serves as a nesting habitat for several bald eagle pairs. To reduce disturbance to the birds, Bear Valley Refuge is closed to all public entry except for walk-in deer hunting before November 1.


Getting There . . .
To reach the viewing area from Klamath Falls, travel south on U.S. Highway 97 to Worden, Oregon. Turn west onto the Keno-Worden Road just south of Worden. A short distance after the railroad crossing, turn left onto a dirt road. Continue on this dirt road for 0.5 miles and park along the shoulder.

Get Google map and directions to this refuge/WMD from a specified address:

Your full starting address AND town and state OR zip code


Google Maps opens in a new window

NOTE: When using this feature, you will be leaving the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service domain. We do not control the content or policies of the site you are about to visit. You should always check site policies before providing personal information or reusing content.

These driving directions are provided as a general guide only. No representation is made or warranty given as to their content, road conditions or route usability or expeditiousness. User assumes all risk of use.

horizontal line


     Recreation and Education Opportunities
Hunting
Photography
Wildlife Observation
 Learn More >>

Dark blue horizontal line

Managment Activities

A plan for the long-term maintenance and improvement of bald eagle habitat has been developed and implemented. Past selective logging activities coupled with the exclusion of fire cycles have yielded excessive fuel loadings and overstocked tree stand densities, thus placing eagle roosting habitat at risk to catastrophic wildfire and potential forest health problems.

Five commercial timber sales will be utilized over the next 15 years to thin the present timber stands to a desired stocking density. Two silvicultural prescriptions specifically formulated to reduce the risk of catastrophic wildfire and potential forest health problems at Bear Valley Refuge will be tested in the first timber sale.

An adaptive management approach will be used to examine the results of these first thinnings and improve future silvicultural treatments. After initial thinning, prescribed fire would be used in treated stands to maintain fuel loading at an acceptable level and move the tree species composition toward a more natural condition (i.e., more fire-tolerant tree species).

Learn More>>