On a very beautiful Saturday afternoon I packed up my plein-air equipment and headed down to Steigerwald Lake Wildlife Refuge. The day was wonderful showing rolling distant hills of the Columbia River Gorge and the water winding down beautiful foliage. I loved how this little jewel turned out. 6″x8″, palette knife oil painting on raymar board.
Steigerwald Lake National Wildlife Refuge provides stunning views and year-round wildlife viewing opportunities just 20 to 30 minutes outside of the Portland/Vancouver Metro area.
East of Washougal, WA and partly within the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area, Steigerwald Lake National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) is 1,049 acres of wetlands, pastures, and woodlands along the Columbia River.
When the second powerhouse at Bonneville Dam was constructed in the late 70s and early 80s, lowland habitat was lost both up and downstream. In 1987, a portion of these Refuge lands were established to reduce the impact of this loss and create more habitat for migrating and resident wildlife. Since then smaller pieces of land have been added to create what is now the Steigerwald Lake NWR.
In 2009 the Refuge also became a place for people. With the addition of a 2 ¾ mile art trail, thousands of visitors now come with their families, as part of educational groups, and on their own to experience the year round abundance of wildlife that call this area home.