BRIGHAM CITY — Jim Bridger, in 1824, after a float in a buffalo-hide canoe down the Bear River, and upon nearing its mouth, told of seeing "millions of ducks and geese."
In 1843, while exploring in the same area, John C. Fremont wrote that flocks of waterfowl made "this morning a noise like thunder."
Six years later, Capt. Howard Stansbury, on reconnaissance for a new route through the Rocky Mountains, arrived at the mouth of the Bear River and wrote that he had seen large flocks of birds before, "especially on the Potomac, but never did I behold anything like the immense number here congregated together."
The marshlands at the end of the Bear River near the eastern shoreline of the Great Salt Lake held birds of every imaginable size, color and audible song, and in numbers few, even today, can imagine.
But by the 1920s, the thunder was gone, turning instead to chilling death calls during the hot days of summer, and the numbers had dwindled down into the thousands, and the green grasses and tall cattails had turned brown and were decaying.
Commercial hunters, it was reported, were taking upward of 200,000 birds from the Bear River delta each year to supply appetites in the East. What was then called the worst outbreak of avian botulism in the country's history was killing between 500,000 and 1 million ducks a year, and some years upward of 3 million.
Worse, diversions from the Bear River for irrigation purposes by early settlers had reduced the once vast Bear River delta, the gathering place for millions of migratory and resident birds, from 45,000 acres down to only 2,000 or 3,000 acres.
Concerned over the loss of wildlife and wetlands, and determined to change the course, lawmakers in Washington, D.C., established the Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge by special act on April 23,1928. It was the 48th refuge placed under government protection.
Today, 75 years later, much of the marshlands have been recovered. The refuge occupies 74,000 acres, or roughly 110 square miles, of prime wetlands.
And, for the most part, the birds are, once again, making the refuge a must-stop on their annual migration flights. At last count, said Al Trout, refuge manager for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services for the past 14 years at the Bear River Refuge, a diligent person can, over the course of a year, count 208 different species of birds — from larks and warblers to owls, eagles, ducks and swans — as well as those well-known predators such as skunks, foxes and raccoons.
The most bountiful birds, because of the water-based nature of the refuge, are waterfowl — ducks, geese and swans. And, of course, being among the larger species, they are the most noticeable. Smaller songbirds, often as plentiful, are less apparent.
Each year, about 50,000 human visitors arrive at the refuge for the single purpose of seeing wildlife. Each year millions of birds make the pilgrimage to the Utah refuge to carry out their daily routines undisturbed, for the most part, by those visitors.
The refuge, says Betsy Beneke, outdoor recreational planner for the FWS, is unique in that it is different from parks, which are intended to be a recreational source for people, and is instead federal land administered primarily for wildlife's sake.
"It's not for hunters or birdwatchers or people. Anything we can do to allow use by people without interfering with the lives of the wild critters, we do," she said.
"We get a lot of questions from people wondering why we've closed areas. Here, the critters come first. Their livelihood and raising their young are what we're about."
Wildlife, of course, is the main mission of the refuge. And it has not always been easy, admitted Trout, seeing to their needs.
Floods and droughts are a constant challenge. Floods wipe out food and cover for birds; droughts do the same, as well as dry up ponds, which can result in outbreaks of botulism, although none so bad as those experienced at the turn of the last century.
So bad were the earlier outbreaks, said Beneke, "They actually set up a duck hospital on the refuge back in the 1930s. I'd never heard of that before I came here. They'd developed an antitoxin that they were giving to the birds. They tried very hard to save what birds they could. In front of the hospital, there was even a recuperating pond."
Flooding, the worst of which began in 1983, closed the refuge and turned the 25 individual units into one big lake. Worse, it destroyed vital habitat. Migrating birds didn't stop. They flew past Utah for drier landscape with better dining. It's taken years to regain their interest.
"We weren't able to begin refurbishing the refuge until the early 1990s," offered Trout. "It's taken more than 10 years to get the refuge back. Still, we've got a ways to go. The most recent drought hasn't helped."
Seventy-five years ago, the refuge was broken down into 25 units, separated by 50 miles of dikes and 50 miles of water-control structures. It was an engineering wonder that would, today, be impossible to duplicate, said Trout.
Last year, because of the drought, only two of the 25 units were open. If it hadn't rained days before last fall's duck hunt, the refuge was scheduled to close for the opener.
"This year, looking at the numbers, it appears we're going to be worse off. Summer flows are 50 percent of what they were last year. We were barely able to open two units last year, and we may be down to one sub-unit this year," he said.
"This does not allow for the wetland diversity that we need. It's going to be a tough year for birds. But it's the best we can do. It's all we've got."
The refuge will be open, and it will have water in the spring, at least, when viewing is best.
Trout said that the refuge is managed "species-specific," meaning birds are identified and specific needs, such as food, shelter and nesting requirements, are cataloged.
"We plot their particular needs almost daily over the course of a year. We then look at the habitat they will need, we come up with a plan and then try to provide for those needs," he said. "Shore birds need shallow areas, where pelicans and diving ducks need deep water. We've identified dozens of wetland types, and we manage in different areas of the refuge for a particular bird."
Visitors can take the 12-mile road that loops through the refuge, past marshes and thick vegetation where both visiting and resident birds can be seen.
A brochure names the 208 species of birds, including 29 species of swans, geese and ducks, and 30 species of shorebirds. A birder's guide would be a helpful tool for any novice touring the refuge.
There are plans to have a new 31,000-square-foot visitor's center open in two years, said Trout. It will have exhibits, displays, classrooms and an auditorium for interpretive programs. Improved signage around the refuge is also planned.
On June 7, the refuge will be the stage for a one-day Bear River Bird Fest, which includes guided tours, speakers, displays and food.
For now, the refuge is open and birds are arriving daily from their various winter homes around the globe. And on any given day, visitors can watch and learn, as long as they don't interfere with the daily routines of the various critters.
To reach the refuge, follow Forest Street, which crosses I-15 and parallels the Bear River, for 15 miles west of Brigham City.
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