Turnbull Wildlife Refuge offering up winter festival

Visitors to Turnbull Wildlife Refuge today will be treated with music, free food and maybe even an opportunity to spot a moose.

The refuge’s annual Winter Festival is from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. today.

Charmaine Gural of Friends of Turnbull said the event is an opportunity to help generate interest in the refuge about five miles south of Cheney.

The annual elk tours, a popular feature of the event, are all booked, but Gural said that there will be plenty of opportunities for hikers to spot wildlife.

“The wildlife refuge is full of elk at this time,” she said.

Moose, birds, muskrats and other animals are also active in the refuge, even in the winter. “There’s plenty of stuff out there.”

The refuge’s hiking trails will be open, Gural said, but are not cleared of snow, so hikers should bring appropriate gear for the conditions.

Volunteers from the Washington State University Raptor Club will give a presentation from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Club volunteer Angela Teal said they expect to bring a half-dozen or so of the hawks, owls and other birds of prey that the group rehabilitates.

Lonesome Lyle Morse, Laddie Ray Melvin and Mark Kreilkamp will perform acoustic music throughout the event. Chili, cornbread, coffee and cookies will be served free of charge.

There is no charge for admission, but donations are requested. All proceeds go toward the refuge’s environmental education programs.

The presentations and music will be held indoors, but Gural said visitors should still feel free to explore the outdoors.

“It’ll be a nice time to be out there,” she said.