The Sacramento National Wildlife Refuge Complex has lost most of its staff-run extras this season, including at the Colusa and Delevan refuges. All four of the complex's photography blinds are closed through 2026-27. Ranger-led field trips are cancelled for the year. Delevan National Wildlife Refuge is open only to hunters. Still open every day of the week is a 3-mile gravel loop off O'Hair Road, about 2 miles west of downtown Colusa. It's free, it was designed to run without staff present, and late-October checklists there logged thousands of geese.
What the Staffing Shortage Took Off the Calendar
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service explains the closures on its photography page for the refuge complex. Because of "an on-going staffing shortage," the blinds will not be available for 2026-2027. The Service says it is working with Friends of the Sacramento National Wildlife Refuge on a new version of the program, "but it will not be this year."
Two of the four closed blinds are at the Colusa and Delevan refuges:
- Colusa NWR Blind #3 sits off a submerged gravel path marked with stakes. Visitors wade out and float their camera gear in a small pram. Snags and logs placed 30 to 50 feet from the blind draw water birds and turtles into range.
- Delevan NWR Blind #4 is reached by a land-based path. A levee makes it wheelchair accessible.
The Delevan closure matters more because of how that refuge works. Apart from hunting and photography-blind reservations, Delevan is closed to the public. With the blinds closed this season, hunting is its only public use.
Schools and groups have also lost an option. Field trips normally run from late October through February, when the big wintering flocks are here. For 2026-27, the complex's education and outreach page says that "due to reduced staffing, we are unable to offer Ranger-led Field Trips this year."
The shortage isn't unique to this complex. In August 2026, CalMatters reported that the National Wildlife Refuge Association estimates refuges nationwide lost 30% of their staff between 2010 and 2025, and that federal cuts in 2025 sped up the decline.
The Loop Was Built to Run Without Anyone There
Every program on that list needs an employee to take a reservation, check a blind or lead a class. The Colusa NWR auto tour needs none of that. It's open seven days a week, year-round, from one hour before sunrise to one hour after sunset, and it's free.
The loop works because visitors stay in their vehicles. FWS states the idea plainly: "By using your vehicle as a viewing blind, the wildlife will remain calm and provide excellent viewing opportunities for everyone throughout the day!" Your car works the same way the closed blinds did.
The rules all serve that idea:
- The speed limit is 15 mph.
- Stay inside your vehicle. The stretch-your-legs stops are at Sacramento NWR, not Colusa, so on this loop you stay in the car the whole way.
- Dogs are allowed but must stay in the vehicle.
- No walking along the route, and no drones anywhere on Fish and Wildlife property.
- Stay on the gravel, because the road edges are soft.
The road is all-weather gravel and handles standard cars, buses and small RVs. FWS does not recommend large trailers because of the soft shoulders, small turnouts and limited parking. There are restrooms at the start but no drinking water, so bring your own.
Three Miles, In Order
The loop passes through wetlands, grasslands and a stretch of riparian woodland. These are the stops the Service points out along the way:
- The Observation Deck on O'Hair Road. Take Highway 20 west from Colusa to reach it. The tour starts here, next to the parking area, the restrooms and an information kiosk.
- A short two-way section. This is the only part of the route open to traffic in both directions.
- The bridge. Look for the black-crowned night heron roost in the buttonwillow trees as you cross. Past the bridge, the road is one-way.
- Open wetland and grassland. FWS suggests watching for the occasional goose wearing a research collar.
- The "turtle pond." It's in the far southeast corner of the loop, where western pond turtles turn up.
After the drive, there's a walking trail beside the deck: a mile total, half a mile out and back. It runs through shaded riparian habitat to a small boardwalk overlooking a wetland. The visitor area also has picnic tables, and like the loop, the trail is free.
What Late October Turned Up
The loop is listed on eBird, the public bird-checklist database, as the "Colusa NWR--Auto Tour Route" hotspot, and birders logged several checklists there between Oct. 23 and Nov. 1. Each one is a single visit, not an official count, but together they show the flocks arriving.
| Date | Notable birds logged | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Fri., Oct. 23, 2026 | 400 snow geese, 1,000 greater white-fronted geese, 18 black-crowned night herons, 100 white-faced ibis | eBird checklist |
| Mon., Oct. 26, 2026 | 140 snow geese, 6,500 greater white-fronted geese, 1,200 northern pintails, 7 black-crowned night herons | eBird checklist |
| Sun., Nov. 1, 2026 | 42 species, including snow goose, greater white-fronted goose and black-crowned night heron | eBird checklist |
Between Oct. 23 and Oct. 26, the white-fronted goose tally went from 1,000 to 6,500. The night herons appeared on all three lists, which fits the bridge roost described in step 3. FWS's seasonal guide for Colusa NWR says ducks arrive in October and geese in November, so the goose numbers should keep climbing after these lists were filed.
Where Donors Filled Part of the Gap
Some coverage has come back this season. On Sept. 16, 2026, Friends of Sacramento National Wildlife Refuge announced it was funding two full-time seasonal interns through American Conservation Experience. The money came from the Friends group itself, the California Waterfowl Association, the California Rice Commission and dozens of individual donors. The group called it the largest single payment it has ever made. One intern supports the hunt program and fieldwork. The other staffs the Visitor Center so it can open both weekend days, which the refuge says it hasn't managed in years.
Friends president Richard Cohen said in the group's announcement:
"These two positions make a real difference for everyone who visits the refuge this season, whether they're coming to birdwatch, hike, explore the Visitor Center, or take part in our hunt program."
The Visitor Center is at Sacramento NWR on Highway 99W, about 6 miles south of Willows. Its winter hours started Nov. 1: Friday through Sunday, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. The Friends' Nature Store inside is open Saturday and Sunday on the same hours. The Sacramento NWR loop there is 6 miles long and has observation decks and a spotting scope. Unlike Colusa's loop, it charges an entrance fee: $6 a day or $12 a year, unless you have a valid Federal Duck Stamp or America the Beautiful pass. Even this season, the Colusa route costs nothing and is open every day.
What You Can Still Book
Self-guided field trips are still offered, even though the ranger-led ones are not. Teachers, clubs and families can reserve loaner binoculars, field guides, "Ducks at a Distance" booklets and one-page bird guides. With the reservation, you can also ask for an optional five-minute introduction from staff or a volunteer. The Service recommends visiting October through March for the birds and cooler weather. Reservations go through 530-934-2801 or [email protected]. Call the same number to check conditions on the day you plan to go. Weekday office hours are 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
If you want a staffed bird event this winter, the closest is the 27th annual Snow Goose Festival in Chico, Jan. 28 to 31, 2027. The full schedule is due out in December.
Amber West Torres works with owners of rice ground, ranches and homes along the Highway 20 corridor west of Colusa, near the O'Hair Road loop. If you own land out there and want to know what it's worth this season, ask for a free home valuation and we'll go over it with you.
