The Steve West Birding Area has officially been named after area educator and biologist, Steve West. Mayor Dale Janway gave remarks during the recent dedication, stating that 6-Mile Dam is one of the best birding areas in the state, and thanked Mr. West for his lifelong dedication to education and science.

Ty Allen with the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) shared that the space was originally built in 1864 as a place to recreate. With many outdoor public spaces, some people also dump their trash on site, rather than take it to one of the many free places to dump garbage. For the past 20 years, the BLM and partners have worked to address the trash issue, as well as the Salt Cedar issues, and enhance the space to be a charming area to have a picnic, enjoy nature, and count birds.  Around 200 species of birds can be found throughout the year at the Steve West Birding area, with some of the easy to spot birds being the Heron, Egret, and Pelicans.

Mr. West shared that places like this are important as the population grows, and that as a society we need to look at areas that need to be preserved for future generations. “The outdoor experience has been replaced by gadgets. When you’re feeling the stress of the city, just come down here, park your car by the river and see what happens,” West encouraged.

Unfortunately, someone went out to the plaque and shot it up not even 24 hours after the dedication.

content and photos by Michele Robertson