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Teach, restore, study, host, build, communicate When you sign up to be an ODFW volunteer, you are helping to protect Oregon's fish and wildlife, manage ODFW properties and spark a passion in others to hunt, fish and appreciate the outdoors building and enhancing fish, wildlife and their habitats for current and future generations. Donating even one day a year is all it takes to be helpful. We can be as flexible as possible to find the right opportunity to fit your schedule. Join thousands of volunteers by sharing your time and talents with ODFW. Current volunteer opportunities

Gnat Creek Hatchery was constructed in 1960 as part of the Columbia River Fisheries Development Program (Mitchell Act)—a program to enhance declining fish runs in the Columbia River Basin. The facility is used for egg incubation and rearing of spring Chinook and winter steelhead. Most of the production is released off-station. The hatchery is an easy drive toward Oregon’s coast on Highway 30 and a visitor-friendly place for the entire family. With lots to do, located on beautiful Gnat Creek and tucked away amid the rainforest, this is a worthwhile stop on the way to the coast.

Begin your hunting journey or as an experienced hunter seek to refine your skills. The ODFW Hunter Recruitment Program offers resources and training to help you learn to hunt successfully. Connect with Oregon's outdoor traditions, enhance your skills, and contribute to a culture of safe, ethical, and conservation-minded hunting and shooting sports. More information about ODFW Hunter Recruitment Program Classes and workshops are designed for adults 18+.

Oregon's 33 hatcheries produce about 40 million fish annually and you can visit them. They offer the chance to see fish – from eggs to brooders – and an opportunity to learn how they are raised. Oregon's hatcheries are important for anglers and the public because they directly provide fish for angling, help rebuild native fish populations, and offer educational programs. They are also vital to supporting the cultural heritage of Tribes. Hatcheries offer great wildlife viewing, interpretive displays and some provide boating and angling access. Did you know that ODFW rears 10 species of fish including steelhead/rainbow trout, brook…

Phillip W. Schneider Wildlife Area provides winter range for mule deer populations and year-round habitat for a variety of wildlife including mammals, birds, reptiles and amphibians. Elk, deer, and bighorn sheep viewing is often good during winter and early spring. Bird watching is excellent all year. Native habitats include sagebrush shrubland, riparian, ponderosa pine forest, western juniper woodland and mixed conifer which support a diversity of fish and wildlife. The riparian areas along the mainstem John Day River, South Fork John Day River and Murderers Creek provide excellent habitat for many birds. Upland areas provide important habitat for passerines and…

White River Wildlife Area was established in 1953. Located along the east slope of the Cascade Mountains in the north central part of Oregon, the wildlife area encompasses 29,480 acres. An additional 1,280 acres of land owned by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is managed by the ODFW bringing the total acres managed by the department to 30,760. The primary purpose of White River Wildlife Area is to provide winter range habitat for black-tailed deer and Rocky Mountain elk and to minimize big game damage to adjacent private agricultural lands.

Located near the Elkhorn Mountain Range, Elkhorn Wildlife Area is best known for Rocky Mountain elk and mule deer herds that use the area during the winter. To keep deer and elk from feeding on agriculture lands when they come down from snow-covered higher elevations, ODFW operates 10 feeding sites on the area to feed 1,400 elk and 800 deer during the winter months.

Jewell Meadows Wildlife Area is located in the Oregon Coast Range Mountains, in the northwestern part of the state. The wildlife area was established in 1969, with an initial purchase of 183 acres. It now encompasses 1,114 acres. The wildlife area’s purpose is to protect and enhance habitat to benefit native wildlife species, to reduce wildlife damage to adjacent properties, and to provide the public with an opportunity to observe wildlife in a natural setting.

Sauvie Island Wildlife Area was established in 1947 with primary objectives of protecting and improving waterfowl habitat and providing a public hunting area. The initial purchase of five acres in 1940 and subsequent purchases through 2012 has brought the wildlife area to its present size of 11,643 acres, of which 8,153 acres are under fee title to the department and 3,490 acres are managed through a cooperative agreement with the Oregon Department of State Lands. Currently, the wildlife area supports a biologically diverse association of wildlife which includes at least 275 species of birds, 37 species of mammals, 12 species…