The Festival

Join us for the 2014 John Scharff Migratory Bird Festival April 11-13! Registration opens February 10, 2014. Follow this link to register for the event and book your tours.

Enjoy viewing the art from our 2011 Children's Art Competition winners~

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Spend an amazing weekend witnessing the spectacular spring migration in the Harney Basin of Southeast Oregon. View thousands of migratory birds as they rest and feed in the wide open spaces of Oregon's high desert. From waterfowl to shorebirds, cranes to raptors, wading birds to songbirds, you'll see them all! The festival offers non-stop birding activities as well as historical and cultural information sure to entertain you and your family. So whether you're a beginner or a life-long wildlife enthusiast, the festival has something for everyone. Don't miss this extraordinary weekend.

John Scharff began his career with the US Fish and Wildlife Service at Malheur National Wildlife Refuge. He initially arrived at the refuge as the assistant manager in 1935 and was promoted to the first on-site Refuge Superintendent 1937. In that role, Scharff faced the daunting challenge of overseeing management of a vast, tremendous natural resource and keeping Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) enrollees at three camps busy making improvements in the Blitzen Valley . While the CCC constructed much of the infrastructure present today, Scharff and his staff built many of the features we currently see on the Refuge landscape. John and his wife Florence lived at refuge headquarters until John retired. John served as Refuge Manager for over 34 years until he retired at age 70. Scharff maintains the longest tenure for an on-site manager in the Refuge system and he was awarded the Department of Interior’s Distinguished Service Award in 1971. More...