Anyone planning on birding the Vancouver, WA area should be aware of
this closure.
Wilson Cady
gorgebirds at juno.com

For Immediate Release Until August 6, 2002
Contact: Yvette Donovan, Ridgefield, Washington, (360) 887-4106
email:Yvette_Donovan at r1.fws.gov
Refuge Auto Tour Route Closes for Maintenance

Maintenance staff at the Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge is
announcing
the closure of the River ?S? Unit auto tour route for road maintenance
beginning Saturday, August 3 through Tuesday, August 6. The road will
reopen
on Wednesday, August 7. A portion of the 4-mile auto tour route that
loops
around the refuge?s wetlands and grasslands will be getting a makeover
with
a new six inch coat of gravel fortified with a stabilizing polymer
emulsion.
Officials at the Federal Highway Administration in Vancouver selected the
refuge road as a test site for the new product manufactured by the G.M.
Boston Company. The product, PX-300, is added to gravel and produces a
semi-permanent hard surface similar to asphalt. This lower cost
alternative
to asphalt also has the advantage that it does not leach contaminants
into
the environment that may be harmful to wildlife. In addition, the new
surface will help eliminate road dust and is expected to reduce
maintenance
needs and costs.

Other applications for this material include wind and water erosion
control
and slope stabilization. The refuge is also providing an additional test
site on a refuge hiking trail in hopes that it will provide a firm and
stable surface needed for wheelchair access.

The refuge auto tour route is located on the River ?S? Unit one mile
south
from the intersection of Pioneer Street and 9th Avenue/Hillhurst Road
near
downtown Ridgefield. An estimated 20,000 vehicles make the loop around
the
auto tour route annually as visitors enjoy viewing wildlife from the
comfort
and of their cars. For more information about the road closure or the
Refuge, please contact the refuge office at (360) 887-4106 or at
www.r1.fws.gov/ridgefield.